Stand To Reason Weekly Podcast

Greg talks to author Rod Dreher about the soft totalitarianism he describes in Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, the Christians who resisted that totalitarianism, and the new documentary series based on the book.   Topics: Interview: Rod Dreher – Live Not by Lies documentary series (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Live Not by Lies – Documentary series Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher Freedom Fading by Greg Koukl Brave New World by Aldous Huxley The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William Shirer The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt The Triumph of the Therapeutic: Uses of Faith after Freud by Philip Rieff Related Links: We Need Confidence to Endure by Amy Hall

Greg talks to callers about how we know people didn’t take things out of the Bible, whether people who die young can earn eternal rewards, whether Jesus appeared to Mary after his resurrection, dealing with an abusive parent, and why more pastors don’t believe in an old earth.   Topics: With all the translations of the Bible, how do we know people didn’t take things out of it that they didn’t want us to know about? (03:00) Is it the case that people who die young can’t earn any eternal rewards? (08:00) Is there any indication in the Bible that Jesus appeared to his mother after his resurrection? (15:00) As a Christian, how should I deal with an abusive and controlling father in light of the command to honor our parents? (28:00) Why don’t more pastors believe in an old earth? (49:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH

Greg reflects on the futility of man-based idealism, then he answers questions about why he isn’t Eastern Orthodox and how to show that philosophical materialism isn’t supported by materialism itself.   Topics: Commentary: The futility of man-based idealism (00:00) What are your arguments against Eastern Orthodox Christianity? (26:00) How do I show that philosophical materialism isn’t supported by materialism itself? (50:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH A Complete Unknown – Film

Greg answers questions from callers about the likelihood that we’re living in a simulation, using the laws of nature to argue against evolution, and recommendations for a young man starting out in apologetics.   Topics: What do you think about the fact that, when asked about the origins of the universe, one of the smartest AI computers in the world said it’s more likely that we’re living in a simulation? (01:00) How can I spread my idea of using the laws of nature to argue against evolution? (10:00) What would you recommend for a young man starting out in apologetics? (32:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Bloom Where You’re Planted by Greg Koukl Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl Related Links: For the Student Who Wants to Be a Christian Apologist by Amy Hall

Greg talks about recent examples of moral insanity in California and England, then he answers questions about whether apostasy can happen unknowingly and how Greg comes up with his Street-Smarts-style questions.   Topics: Commentary: Moral insanity in California and England (00:00) Can apostasy happen unknowingly? (27:00) How do you come up your Street-Smarts-style questions? (47:00) Mentioned on the Show:  California ballot measure named after Luigi Mangione would make it illegal to ‘delay, deny’ healthcare coverage: ‘Crazy’ by Isabel Keane Toddler is kicked out of nursery ‘for being transphobic’ - as families blast school’s ‘insanity’ by Noor Qurashi STR U Online Training Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement by Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl

Greg answers questions about why there are so many different denominations, how to help someone who prayed a prayer as a child but doesn’t seem to be following Jesus, people saying, “Oh my God,” and knowledge of Jesus through existential experience.   Topics: Why are there so many different denominations? (05:00) How can I help people who are counting on a prayer they prayed as a child—but have no evidence of sanctification in their lives—understand that they have a need for Jesus? (23:00) Can you explain why you don’t have a problem with people saying, “Oh my God”? (40:00) My fundamental existential experience of Jesus seems undeniable. Is this a category in epistemology? (48:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers Reality Student Apologetics Conference – March 21–22, in Philadelphia, PA; April 25–26 in Dayton, OH The Magic Prayer by Greg Koukl Why the “Sinner’s Prayer” Has Me Concerned...and a Biblical Alternative by Greg Koukl The Invisible Man by Greg

Greg talks about the meaning of the “Word of God” in Acts, then he warns against holding grudges and answers questions about requiring repentance before forgiveness, whether Jesus will have the only scars in Heaven, and making sense of the origin of evil as a Calvinist.   Topics: Commentary: The “Word of God” in Acts (00:00) Is repentance required for believers to grant forgiveness to others? (12:00) Commentary: If you hold grudges, you will destroy your soul. (38:00) Is Jesus the only one with scars in Heaven? (47:00) How do you make sense of the origin of evil? (51:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Dogmatic Theology by William G.T. Shedd Related Links: The Sin of Forgiveness? by Greg Koukl How Can We Condemn Evil if God Is Sovereign? by Amy Hall

Greg talks to Sean McDowell about new information included in the second edition of his book, The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus.   Topics: Interview: Sean McDowell, author of The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus (Second Edition) (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus (Second Edition) by Sean McDowell Sean McDowell’s website Related Links: Problems for Hallucination Theories of the Resurrection by Gary Habermas

Greg explains that the first rule of prayer is to pray and the first rule of Bible reading is to read, then he answers questions about what it means to “pray about it,” overcoming a tendency to freeze up when asked a question, mistakenly claiming a promise, and finding fellowship.   Topics: Commentary: The first rule of prayer and Bible reading (00:00) What should “pray about it” look like in practice? (22:00) What can I do to overcome my tendency to freeze up when someone asks me a question? (34:00) If Old Testament promises don’t apply to us, why is it that when people mistakenly claim a promise in the Bible for themselves, it seems to work for them? (38:00) How can I put my identity in Christ and truly follow him if even those who are called by his name push me away while they themselves don’t seek him? (48:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Submit a question on the Open Mic Line Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl Reality Student Apologetics

Greg answers a question about why Provisionists tend to be so venomous towards Calvinism and gives some of his thoughts on Provisionism, then he talks to a caller about reasons why he rejects evolution.   Topics: Why do you think Provisionists tend to be so venomous towards Calvinism? (00:00) Do you reject evolution, and if so, why? (33:00)   Mentioned on the Show:  Desert Apologetics Conference – March 14–15 Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God by Kevin DeYoung Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe by Stephen Meyer Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique by J.P. Moreland, Stephen Meyer, Wayne Grudem, and more   Related Links: Theistic Evolution: Drifting toward Darwin by Greg Koukl Why Intelligent Design Is an Argument from Knowledge, Not Ignorance by Amy Hall

Greg talks to Jonathan Morrow, creator of the Refresh Roadmap online course, about strategies to help parents navigate screen time and social media with their kids.   Topics: Interview: Jonathan Morrow, creator of the Refresh Roadmap course, on navigating screen time and social media with your kids (00:00)   Mentioned on the Show:  Jonathan Morrow’s website Refresh Roadmap: A Practical Guide for Parents to Navigate Screen Time and Social Media with Confidence – This link automatically includes the 20% discount. 20% off code for listeners at refreshcourse.net: STR Impact 360 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt  

Greg talks about four skills to instill in your kids to increase their maturity, then he answers questions about God being in A-theory time, identifying as sinners vs. saints, responding to someone who attributes everything to “the universe,” and disagreement in the early church.   Topics: Commentary: Four simple skills to help your kids soar above the crowd (00:00) Why can’t we exist under an A-theory of time while God exists under a B-theory of time, and if God exists in A-theory time, don’t we have an infinite regression issue? (20:00) What are your thoughts on simultaneously being sinners and saints, and which should we identify with more? (34:00) How would you engage someone in conversation who keeps attributing things that happen to “the universe”? (46:00) Contrary to apologetics claims of Catholics, why should we look to the early church for our doctrine and praxis when it seems like there was plenty of disagreement and heresy in the early church? (52:00)   Mentioned on the Show:  Reality

Greg answers questions about whether prayers are pointless if God knows what will happen, why we would be held responsible for Adam and Eve’s decisions, how John 3:13 could say no one has ascended into Heaven, and interactions between non-physical things and physical things.   Topics: If God knows what will happen tomorrow, then God cannot change tomorrow, which means all prayers are null and void and cannot change anything. (00:00) Why would anyone be responsible for Adam and Eve’s decisions? The idea that we’re born sick and in need of a savior is simply immoral and unjust Christian dogma meant to control your mind. (19:00) How do you reconcile John 3:13 (which says that no one has ascended into Heaven) with Lazarus (whom Jesus raised from the dead) and with 2 Corinthians 5:6–9 (which says that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord)? (36:00) A Jehovah’s Witness said sin became embedded in Adam and Eve’s DNA, and I asked how something non-physical can be embedded in something phys

Greg answers questions about what Deuteronomy 13:11 means when it says that “all Israel will hear and be afraid,” whether we should “leave our offering at the altar” to reconcile with a bully, apathetic people, leading an Outpost as a woman, and accepting vs. resisting difficult situations.   Topics: Does the phrase “All Israel will hear and be afraid” in Deuteronomy 13:11 refer to being afraid after hearing the punishment was carried out or being afraid after hearing what the prescribed punishment is for the crime? (02:00) How does Jesus telling us to “leave our offering at the altar” to go reconcile with someone and to “take the log out of our own eye” apply to dealing with an evil bully? (11:00) What would you say to an apathetic person or someone who compartmentalizes their religious life to help them see their need for the Lord? (24:00) Do you have any guidance on how I could proceed to convince my pastor to let me lead an STR Outpost as a woman? (38:00) Recognizing that we have personal respon

Greg answers questions about animal death before the fall, reaching adult children who are caught up in the culture’s political movements, whether Greg illegitimately dismisses claims of supernatural intervention, and advice for finding a Bible-believing, traditional church.   Topics: When it comes to animal death, should we really think everything has been the same since the beginning when it seems like God fundamentally changed things after the fall? (02:00) What are your thoughts on reaching adult children and grandchildren who are caught up in the culture’s political movements? (22:00) Are you asking us to dismiss the idea of any supernatural intervention unless we have absolute proof just so we don’t look like “silly Christians”? (35:00) I live in an area where many of the churches are problematic, and it seems impossible to find a Bible-believing, traditional church. Do you have any advice? (47:00)

Greg answers questions about what “things in Heaven” were reconciled to God through Jesus’ blood, numbers in the Bible, pro-choicers who won’t acknowledge the unborn is human, what approach to take with people who don’t think they need God, and a fallacy.   Topics: Commentary: More on inerrancy vs. infallibility (00:00) What “things in Heaven” were reconciled to God through Jesus’ blood on the cross, per Colossians 1:20? (07:00) Is it biblical to study the meaning of numbers in the Bible? (19:00) Since it’s an irrefutable fact that the unborn is a human being, if an individual is unwilling to acknowledge this fact, can we assume it’s not possible to have a meaningful discussion with them? (25:00) What approach should I take with people who think they don’t need God? (37:00) How would you respond to someone who says we can’t know what’s true because it’s just everyone’s interpretation, and does this commit the fallacy of reification (applying concrete characteristics to something that’s abstract)?

Greg chats with Natasha Crain, author of When Culture Hates You: Persevering for the Common Good as Christians in a Hostile Public Square, about navigating conflicts with the culture, where our differences lie, Christian Nationalism, critical theory, and more.   Topics: Interview: Natasha Crain, author of When Culture Hates You (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  When Culture Hates You: Persevering for the Common Good as Christians in a Hostile Public Square by Natasha Crain Natasha Crain’s website Natasha Crain’s books Wesley Huff on Joe Rogan

Greg talks about infallibility vs. inerrancy, then he answers callers’ questions about using more Bible in pro-life argumentation, what happened to Old Testament saints when they died, and how to know when to witness and when to use tactics.   Topics: Commentary: Infallibility vs. inerrancy (00:00) How would you respond to the objection that we need more Bible in pro-life argumentation since God’s Word will not return void? (22:00) What happened to the Old Testament saints when they died? (31:00) When do we witness, and when do we use tactics? (40:00) Mentioned on the Show:  STR U Online Training Is the Bible Authoritative? by Greg Koukl, discussing John Warwick Montgomery’s retroduction A Ten-Minute Witness by Greg Koukl

Greg responds to a TikTok star’s confusion about Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, then he answers questions about praying for God’s will, counseling a Christian who has same-sex attractions, and whether one can use “Jesus” and “God” interchangeably.   Topics: Commentary: A little knowledge can get you in trouble. (00:00) Is it ever necessary to pray for God’s will in someone else’s life? (23:00) How would you counsel someone who believes in the biblical sexual ethic but has same-sex attractions? (37:00) Is it okay to use “Jesus” and “God” interchangeably when making a point from a passage of Scripture? (48:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Reality Student Apologetics Conference – February 21–22 in Dallas, TX; March 21–22, in Philadelphia, PA; April 25–26 in Dayton, OH Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story by Christopher Yuan Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God. A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope. by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yu

Greg talks to Melissa Dougherty, author of Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World, about how the 19th-century New Thought movement is still affecting the church today.   Topics: Interview: Melissa Dougherty, author of Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World by Melissa Dougherty Melissa Dougherty’s YouTube channel Melissa Dougherty’s website Greg’s previous interview with Melissa Dougherty Strange New World by Carl Trueman Related Links: “The Secret”: A Fatal Attraction by Greg Koukl