Gregory Koukl's Blog, page 24

Inspiring Kids to Choose Biblical Morality

How can I inspire my kids to choose biblical morality over being "cool" in the world's eyes?

Is the Biblical Stance against Homosexuality Necessarily Unloving?

What would you do if your homosexual friend or family member were to interpret your biblical stance against homosexual behavior as a lack of love towards them? Does believing that homosexual behavior is wrong automatically make you a hateful person? Can the Christian hold to the clear biblical teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful while remaining loving towards the homosexual?

You need to understand that our 21st century culture has adopted a new view of tolerance. They now define tolerance to mean that you must agree that everyone���s point of view is correct. However, it wasn���t that long ago when tolerance actually meant just the opposite. To tolerate a view meant that you disagreed with the person, but that you would fight for their right to hold their view.

Now, when your homosexual friend or family member says, ���You need to tolerate my behavior,��� what he means is, ���You need to come to the place where you don���t see what I���m doing as sinful.��� He is looking for you to accept and even agree with his behavior.

This puts the Christian in a very difficult and awkward position. He must either deny the straightforward teaching of the Old and New Testaments on homosexual behavior, or he will be seen as intolerant and unloving or worse. But are these the only viable options?

Consider this strategic point when you get into emotionally charged conservations: If the person you are talking to doesn���t feel loved by you, it does not automatically mean that you are being unloving towards him.

Whether or not I���m unloving towards someone is measured by my actions towards him, not by how he feels about me and my beliefs. If you let his emotions be the trump card in determining whether or not you are being unloving, then the only way he will ever feel loved by you is if you completely change your view and agree with everything he says.

But doesn���t love transcend differing beliefs and opinions? Or are we to believe that love only agrees?

Of course, it should go without saying that we need to treat homosexuals as Jesus would. By the way, that means doing a lot better job then we have been doing up to this point. But don���t let people get away with saying that just because they don���t feel loved, therefore you must be unloving���that just doesn���t follow.

If you find yourself in a situation akin to the one I���m describing, I want you to keep a very important question in mind. Simply ask your homosexual friend or relative, ���Are you able to love me in spite of my views that you think are so wrong?��� If he says, ���Yes,��� then gently and graciously respond, ���Why will you not give me the same courtesy and assume that I can love you in spite of your views that I think are wrong?���

If he can love you even though he disagrees with you, then surely you could love him even while disagreeing with his sexual behavior.

Furthermore, you can only truly love someone eternally and meaningfully by loving him in truth because biblical love rejoices in the truth. Therefore, simply agreeing with a person engaging in this behavior would be the most unloving thing you could do because that pseudo-love would be devoid of truth.

Think about biblical truth like 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Paul says, ���Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.���

For the most part, this is just a list of sins to avoid. Why would anyone rejoice in this truth? It���s because when we learn about our sin, we are able to repent of it and be redeemed. Knowledge of sin brings hope because Jesus died for sins. Remember, Jesus said, ���The truth will sets you free.��� The flip side of this is that not knowing the truth will keep people in bondage. No one repents of sins that he is ignorant of.

Finally, Christians need to make sure they are properly communicating the fact that everyone needs to come to the place where he acknowledges that he is a sinner���not just the person engaging in homosexual behavior���and that everyone needs to put his trust in Jesus. It���s the same gospel for everyone, regardless of your particular sins.

Make it your goal that every person you have a conversation with will simultaneously experience the love of Christ and the truth of God���s word.

Links Mentioned on the 2/12/16 Show

The following is a rundown of today's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:

Commentary: Clear Thinking on the ���Same God��� Debate (0:00)

The ���Same God��� Debate Is Too Important to Leave to Philosophers by Lydia McGrew
What's Going on at Wheaton? A Modest Proposal for the "Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God" Debate by Justin Taylor
Greg previously discussed this topic here (fourth question) and here (first question).

Questions:

��� Announcements:

Upcoming events with STR speakers
AMP Apologetics Conference ��� February 12���13
STR Cruise to Alaska ��� August 6-13, 2016

1. What happened to the things placed in the Ark of the Covenant? (0:17)

2. Is the brain a sophisticated machine? (0:24)

Gary Habermas - What We Can and Cannot Learn from Near Death Experiences ��� Podcast from 2/25/13
Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality by Gary Habermas
The Illusion of Consciousness (Video) by Daniel Dennett

3. How do you avoid ���never reading a Bible verse��� when reading devotionals? (0:50)

Never Read a Bible Verse by Greg Koukl

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00���6:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.

Challenge Response: All Human Life Is Not Equal

Here's my response to this week's challenge:

 

 

Links Mentioned on the 2/10/16 Show

The following is a rundown of today's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:

Commentary: Preparing Your Church or Christian School for Cultural Challenges (0:00)

Alliance Defending Freedom
Protecting Your Ministry ��� Free guide for protecting your ministry from sexual orientation and gender identity lawsuits

Questions:

��� Announcements:

AMP Apologetics Conference ��� February 12���13, Pomona, CA
STR Cruise to Alaska ��� August 6-13, 2016

1. How do you answer Jehovah���s Witnesses��� claim that 1 Corinthians 11:3 teaches Jesus is not God? (0:19)

Stand to Reason App
The Trinity: A Solution, Not a Problem Part 2 by Greg Koukl (Includes a simple illustration you can draw to show Jesus' deity. Also see Part 1.)
Witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses Part 1, Part 2 by Tim Barnett
An Argument for Jehovah's Witnesses: Jesus Is Jehovah by Tim Barnett
The Canaanites: Genocide or Judgment? by Greg Koukl

2. What���s the responsibility toward ���weaker brothers��� for a Christian who works in a place that serves alcohol? (0:38)

3. How do you pray with trust when God seems hidden? (0:48)

The Thomas Factor: Using Your Doubts to Draw Closer to God by Gary Habermas (Free online book���a quick read. Also available on Amazon. He has very helpful advice for those who are intellectually convinced but can���t stop asking, ���But what if it���s not true?���)
Dealing with Emotional Doubt (Video) by Gary Habermas ��� Get his advice on battling your emotional ���what if��� doubts in video form.
Christians Dealing with Doubt (Videos) by Gary Habermas ��� Playlist of a series of videos covering this topic
Gary Habermas's website

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00���6:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.

Challenge: All Human Life Is Not Equal

This week���s challenge comes from a 2013 Salon article titled ���So What if Abortion Ends Life?��� I���m starting to hear this sentiment expressed more often:

I know that throughout my own pregnancies, I never wavered for a moment in the belief that I was carrying a human life inside of me. I believe that���s what a fetus is: a human life. And that doesn���t make me one iota less solidly pro-choice���.

Here���s the complicated reality in which we live: All life is not equal���. [A] fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She���s the boss. Her life and what is right for her circumstances and her health should automatically trump the rights of the non-autonomous entity inside of her. Always. ���

[Abortion] saves lives not just in the most medically literal way, but in the roads that women who have choice then get to go down, in the possibilities for them and for their families. And I would put the life of a mother over the life of a fetus every single time ��� even if I still need to acknowledge my conviction that the fetus is indeed a life. A life worth sacrificing.

The truth that the unborn are living human beings is slowly making its way through our culture. As it does, those who wish to continue to support abortion will have to argue something like what you see above, so we need to be ready to answer this challenge.

Tell us how you would respond to a friend who said this, and Alan will post his response on Thursday.

[Explore past challenges here and here.]

Can Christians Get Married in God���s Eyes Without Government Registration?

What makes a marriage official according to God?

New Addition to the Quick-Reference App

We���ve just added an ���Intolerance of Tolerance��� module to our Quick-Reference App. If you���re not familiar with the app (which, if you don���t have a smart phone or tablet, is also available online in any web browser), each module contains a collection of short videos training you in the basics of the topic. In the latest module: What is our culture���s view of tolerance, what is true tolerance, and how can you respond when someone accuses you of intolerance?

Here are the other topics available in the app:

Ambassador Model ��� If you���re a follower of Christ, you���re His ambassador. Learn about the three qualities of an effective ambassador.


Who���s Waiting for You? ��� Students, how can you prepare to face the multiple competing���and sometimes hostile���worldviews in the university and beyond?


Tactics ��� Take the fear out of apologetics. Learn how to put your knowledge to good use in productive and engaging conversations.


Mormonism ��� What���s the Mormon view of God? The Christian view of the Trinity? How does the Mormon gospel differ from the Christian one? Learn about Mormon theology, and get practical advice on how to discuss theological differences with your Latter-day Saint friend.


Same-Sex Marriage ����� What is marriage? What���s wrong with same-sex marriage? This module clarifies the issue and helps you respond to nine popular arguments for same-sex marriage.


S.L.E.D. Test ��� Learn how to make a simple argument against abortion.

Download the Quick-Reference App here.

Links Mentioned on the 2/05/16 Show

The following is a rundown of today's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:

Guest: Dr. Hugh Ross ��� Living on the Autism Spectrum and Navigating Genesis: A Scientist���s Journey through Genesis 1-11 (0:00)

Reasons to Believe
Navigating Genesis: A Scientist's Journey through Genesis 1���11 by Hugh Ross
Navigating Genesis Small Group Study
An interview with Dr. Ross on his autism
The rUFO Hypothesis (Video) ��� You can purchase the DVD here
AMP Apologetics Conference ��� February 12���13 (Use promo code "STANDTOREASON" for 10% off.)

��� Announcements:

Upcoming events with STR speakers
#STRask Podcast with Greg Koukl and Melinda Penner
STR Cruise to Alaska ��� August 6-13, 2016

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00���6:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.

Is It Wrong to Claim a Religion Is True?

Here���s a challenge I received:

No-one can ���validate��� his/her own religion. Likewise, no-one can ���invalidate��� any other religion. I believe in some type of god/gods, but I choose not to associate that belief with any specific religious teachings, because I've never felt qualified to refute the equally unprovable beliefs of other cultures. You can���t claim anyone���s beliefs to be ���right��� or ���wrong��� when it���s all based on conjecture.

I can���t help but draw your attention to the self-refuting nature of the last sentence. We need to ask the question, is the belief that ���you can���t claim anyone���s beliefs to be right or wrong,��� based on conjecture? If so, why is he telling me it���s wrong to ���claim anyone���s beliefs to be right or wrong?��� Doesn���t he think he���s right? Isn���t that why he���s correcting me? He thinks my claims about my beliefs are wrong and his claims about his beliefs are right.

Having said that, let���s get back to responding to the broad challenge���you can���t claim anyone���s beliefs to be right or wrong. This person has expressed a very common confusion. He���s confused objective truth with subjective truth. Let me define what I mean by these terms.

By subjective truth I mean that the belief or claim is made true by the subject���s personal preference. So if I said, ���The best flavor of ice cream is Butterscotch Ripple,��� and you said, ���The best flavor of ice cream is Chocolate Peanut Butter,��� both claims about the best flavor of ice cream would be true. But how can the best flavor of ice cream be both Butterscotch Ripple and Chocolate Peanut Butter? That���s simple! It���s because the claim is true for you. That is to say, the truth of the belief only depends on the one who believes it. It turns out that when I claim that Butterscotch Ripple is the best flavor of ice cream, I���m not actually saying anything about the ice cream. I���m only talking about me. That���s how subjective truth claims work.

Now just imagine how ridiculous it would be if I said, ���Your belief that Chocolate Peanut Butter is the best ice cream is wrong.��� Why is this so ridiculous? Well, it���s because you can���t tell someone that his or her personal preference is wrong. It���s their preference after all. Thus, no one can invalidate your personal preferences. I think this is what the challenger is trying to get at when he says, ���No-one can ���validate��� his/her own religion. Likewise, no-one can ���invalidate��� any other religion.��� The only problem is he has assumed that religious claims are personal, subjective preference truths.

Objective truth is very different. Objective truth is about the way the world really is. It���s when a belief or claim corresponds with reality. If I say, ���Insulin regulates diabetes,��� then I am making an objective truth claim about the real world. If I have diabetes, it doesn���t matter if I like insulin or not, or if I believe it works or not. My beliefs and preferences don���t change the fact of the matter; insulin controls diabetes. So objective ���insulin��� truths are very different from subjective ���ice cream��� truths.

As I hope you are beginning to see, our challenger believes that religious truths are simply subjective ���ice cream��� truths. However, he couldn���t be more wrong.

Every world religion makes claims about the real world. Just take the central claim of Christianity that Jesus physically rose from the dead. This is a historical claim. It���s about an event that took place in time and space. It either happened or it didn���t. He either rose or He didn���t. But, make no mistake, it���s not the kind of thing that can be true for me but not for you. Notice that if this claim is true, then Christianity is validated and many other religions are invalidated by default. Let me show you.

The Muslim will tell you that Jesus didn���t rise from the dead because He didn���t actually die on the cross. The Quran teaches that Judas Iscariot was made to look like Jesus and the Romans actually crucified Judas. So, Muslims don���t believe in the resurrection. A Jewish person will tell you that Jesus was a false messiah, and that after He was crucified He stayed dead. The Christian teaches that Jesus was crucified by the Romans, buried in Joseph of Arimathea���s tomb, and on the third day rose physically from the dead.

Now if it turns out that Jesus really did rise from the dead, then Christianity is vindicated, and Islam, Judaism, and every other religion that denies Jesus��� resurrection would be wrong. This is simple logic.

Therefore, Christianity is not the kind of thing that can be true for you and not for me. It makes objective truth claims about reality. So, in principle, it can be falsified. The Apostle Paul said it himself in his first letter to the Corinthians.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14-17)

These words are absolutely striking. Essentially, he���s saying that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we are really wrong. Paul knew he was making an objective truth claim about the resurrection. Now whether that objective claim is indeed true is another question.

I answer the question "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?" in this presentation. You can book me to come to speak at your church on this topic by clicking here.