#STRask

Questions about how to respond to a pro-LGBTQ pastor who says we can’t really know what Scripture says about homosexuality or other controversial topics since we’re not apostles or prophets, and how to understand and apply prophetic books of the Bible like Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
 

How can I respond to a pro-LGBTQ pastor who says we can’t really know what Scripture says about homosexuality or other controversial topics since we’re not apostles or prophets?

How do I study the prophetic books of the Bible? I’m struggling to understand—let alone apply—books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Questions about how to respond to an unbeliever who says the belief that we’re all broken is a sad way to view life, how to reconcile Zechariah and Elizabeth being blameless with Jesus being the only sinless man, and whether the psalms about delighting in God’s Law are outdated and legalistic.
 

What’s the best way to respond to an unbeliever who says the belief that we’re all broken and need a Savior is a very sad way to view life?

If Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and observed all the the Lord’s commands blamelessly (per Luke 1), how can we say Jesus was the only sinless man?

Is all the talk in the Psalms about delighting in God’s Law and meditating on it and doing things to help you follow it better outdated and legalistic?

Questions about how we know that God is one being instead of three distinct divine beings in perfect unity, and why God would give notable miracles to Oneness Pentecostals if their theology is truly heretical.
 

I see real distinctions between the persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit interacting, speaking, and acting in different roles—but what specifically makes God one being instead of three distinct divine beings in perfect unity?

Why would God give such notable miracles to Oneness Pentecostals if their theology is heretical? I can’t help but wonder if they’re seeing this kind of power because they know who Jesus really is.

Questions about suggestions for a book to give a strong pantheist who’s a fan of Neale Donald Walsch, and how karma is different from the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 or the teaching about reaping what you sow in Galatians 6.
 

My neighbor, who is a strong pantheist, gave me Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch. Do you have any suggestions for what I could give him in return?

How is karma different from the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 or the teaching about reaping what you sow in Galatians 6?

Questions about how the unity of the Bible can be evidence it’s from God if the books could have been cherry-picked later, whether the fact that some passages in our Bibles aren’t canonical means every part of the Bible can be called into question, and why the Gospels don’t tell who wrote them.
 

How would you argue that the unity of the Bible is evidence it’s from God? Couldn’t a skeptic object that one could come up with any unified story given enough ancient sources and a good deal of cherry-picking?

If certain passages in our Bibles are not true, canonical, or inspired, doesn’t that mean every part of the Bible can be called into question?

When I’m asked why the Gospels don’t tell who wrote them, what is the best way to answer?