What Suggestions Do You Have for a First-Time Pastor?
Greg answers questions about suggestions for a first-time pastor, responding to someone who says people always report the same thing about their near-death experiences, and how much interaction to have with LDS neighbors in light of 2 John 10.
Topics:
What are some suggestions you have for a first-time pastor when it comes to tithing, altar calls, Sunday school, and music, and what things should I be focused on in addition to preaching the gospel? (05:00)
How would you respond to someone who says that people always report the same thing about their near-death experiences? (36:00)
In light of 2 John 10, how much interaction should I have with my LDS neighbors? I don’t want to give the impression that we’re all Christians and agree with their teachings. (46:00)
Mentioned on the Show:
Donate to Stand to Reason
Sean McDowell’s episodes on near-death experiences
Is Mormonism Just Another Christian Denomination? by Greg Koukl
Related Links:
Three Telltale Signs of “Christianity” Gone South by Greg Koukl
Verses for Your Conversations with Mormons by Amy Hall
Who Is the God of Mormonism? by Amy Hall
LDS View of Atonement Clarified by Amy Hall
Is It Possible Some Mormons Are Saved? by Amy Hall
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Didn’t Jesus Teach That We Were Supposed to Love and Accept One Another?
Greg responds to the claim that “Jesus taught that we were supposed to love and accept one another,” then he answers questions about numbers being evidence for the existence of God, using a person’s suffering as an apologetic, and the salvation of Word of Faith people.
Topics:
Commentary: Didn’t Jesus teach that we were supposed to love and accept one another? (00:00)
Could numbers be used as evidence for the existence of God? (30:00)
What do you think about using a person’s suffering as an apologetic? (40:00)
Do you think people in the Word of Faith movement are saved? (51:00)
Mentioned on the Show:
Donate to Stand to Reason
God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies by Costi Hinn
Related Links:
Interview: Natasha Crain on the “He Gets Us” Campaign
The Rightful Place of Suffering in the Life of the Christian by Amy Hall
Christians, You Will Suffer by Amy Hall
Why Does God Let Us Suffer? by Amy Hall
How Our Suffering Glorifies God by Amy Hall
If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn
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Are We Obliged to Pray Only to the Father?
Greg talks about whether or not we’re obliged to pray only to the Father, then he answers a question about how he determined he was being stirred by God to start Stand to Reason.
Topics:
Commentary: Are we obliged to pray only to the Father? (00:00)
How did you determine that you were being stirred by God to start Stand to Reason? (18:00)
Mentioned on the Show:
The Incarnate Christ and His Critics: A Biblical Defense by Robert M. Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski
Related Links:
You Don’t Have to Choose between the Head and the Heart by Greg Koukl
Why Tim Keller Started to Pray by Amy Hall
Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 by Greg Koukl
When God Speaks by Greg Koukl
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How Can I Become a Better Thinker?
Greg talks to callers about how to become a better thinker, how to get better at responding to people in conversations, and whether the Israelites stole stories and laws from other cultures to create the Old Testament.
Topics:
How can I become a better thinker and get better at responding to people in conversations? (07:00)
Did the Israelites steal stories and laws from other cultures to create the Old Testament? (33:00)
Mentioned on the Show:
Reality Student Apologetics Conference – February 20–21, 2026 in Dallas, TX; March 13–14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA; April 24–25, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA
STR Outposts
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl
Noah’s Flood Revisited: New Depths of Insight from Science and Scripture by Hugh Ross
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Should I Attend an Unmarried Woman’s Baby Shower?
Greg answers questions about attending an unmarried woman’s baby shower, whether God causes mutations, implications of God being temporal, splitting prayers between Jesus and the Father, anomalies in worldviews, and advice for someone who doesn’t like church.
Topics:
Should I attend my unmarried niece’s baby shower? (01:00)
Does God cause mutations, or does he allow them to happen? (11:00)
Can you explain to me your understanding of the relationship between the beginning of time and God being a temporal being? (18:00)
Are we supposed to split our prayers between Jesus and the Father? (32:00)
Can you speak to the concept of anomalies in worldviews? (36:00)
Do you have any advice for someone who doesn’t like going to church? (46:00)
Our purpose is to help Christians think more clearly about their faith and to help them make an even-handed, incisive, yet gracious defense for classical Christianity. Released every Wednesday and Friday.
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