Calibrated theological humility: hold beliefs with appropriate confidence, expect some error, keep learning

Continuing Q14 on following heart vs. conscience vs. Scripture

Who is a brother or sister in Christ? Core doctrines required: the identity and saving work of Jesus — his real existence, death, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins through faith.

Question from Rosie A. about the minimum beliefs required to consider someone a fellow Christian.

Question: Are vision boards compatible with Christianity? (New Age concerns)

Viewer Kingsley Amaya asks about vision boards his sister wants to use, which seem tied to New Age practice.

How to find God: Christianity's goal is not emotional comfort but truth and relationship; reading and praying without trusting Christ is insufficient.

Question from an anonymous person (username 'it's me') who found comfort in the New Age but confusion in Christianity after 5 months of reading and prayer.

Tips for an atheist starting to believe: gather intellectual reasons for God, practice spiritual disciplines, and make choices that shape belief.

Question from Emil Codrin about how to start believing after a lifetime of atheism.

Confirmation bias accusations are themselves prone to confirmation bias; fear of confirmation bias is not sufficient reason to disbelieve something

Responding to a young Christian worried that his theism might be confirmation bias given that most atheistic arguments seem like straw men and ad hominem

Changing one's mind is not required for intellectual validity; core epistemic beliefs are foundational and need no further justification

Continuing the apologetics discussion about confirmation bias

How to evaluate scholarship that challenges traditional OT interpretation through cultural/linguistic arguments

Question from True West about scholarship that challenges OT translations and cultural understandings.

James 1:15 — desire conceived becomes sin; sin full-grown brings death. The passage primarily warns against blaming God for temptation and shows sin's natural progression.

Q8 from Kristen: James 1:15 says sin when full-grown "gives birth to death" — what does "death" mean for those in Christ?

Drew claims religious people invented doctrines to morally justify killing animals. John turns this around: on Drew's evolutionary morality, survival-promoting beliefs ARE morality — so religion doing this would be moral by his own framework. Also, most non-religious people eat meat too, so religion isn't the explanation.

Response to Q3 — evolutionary morality is self-defeating

Q&A: Family members with distorted gospels — separate fellowship/church from family. 1 Peter teaches a wife should stay committed to an unbelieving husband. Family is not the same as church partnership; maintain relationship while not partnering in false ministry.

Q&A — family with distorted beliefs

Q: Why can an atheist be a "better person" than a Christian? Because humans have free will. But our standard for "good person" is skewed — we judge by how someone treats us, ignoring whether they love God. Rejecting the Creator is a massive moral failure regardless of philanthropy. We evaluate select pockets while ignoring what matters most to God.

Q&A — atheists being "better" than Christians

Where McDowell agrees with Candida Moss: many Christians overstate early persecution. There wasn't official statewide persecution until 3rd-4th centuries. Moss correctly notes that many martyrdom accounts are exaggerated. But she takes the correction too far by dismissing all early persecution evidence.

Agreement with Moss — overstated persecution

The Apostles' willingness to suffer demonstrates sincerity even without formal recantation opportunities. They knew what they were signing up for: Jesus told them they'd be brought before governors and kings (Matthew 10). They watched Stephen die, John the Baptist get executed, and Jesus himself crucified. They repeatedly chose to keep preaching despite imprisonment and beatings (Acts).

Sincerity without formal recantation opportunities

The Free Thinking Argument: if naturalism is true, humans cannot freely think; but humans can freely think; therefore naturalism is false — and the best explanation is the biblical God.

Introduction to interview with Dr. Tim Stratton on the argument from free will for God's existence

Premise 3 defense: if external forces determine your beliefs, you lose justification for knowledge. You become a "bag of beliefs, none of which are up to the bag." The mad scientist thought experiment illustrates this.

Detailed defense of the most attacked premise

Premise 4 is self-evident: to argue that humans CANNOT rationally infer knowledge claims is itself a rational inference — it's self-defeating. Some things are properly basic beliefs that don't require proof.

Defense of premise 4 and discussion of properly basic beliefs

The Mirror Bible by François Du Toit is the worst Bible translation Winger has ever seen — not just inaccurate but anti-gospel, inverting Scripture to teach that humans are already divine and don't need to be born again.

Introduction to review of the Mirror Bible translation

The Sadducees: no resurrection, no judgment, no afterlife, no angels/spirits; aristocratic minority of educated elites; publicly pretended to be faithful Jews while privately rejecting core beliefs. Modern progressives follow the exact same pattern.

Detailed profile of the Sadducees and their modern parallels

Witnessing to Mormon Family Members: I'm a Christian who is married to a non-practicing Mormon who still bases his beliefs on LDS doctrine. I think I want to go into apologetics (largely inspired by you), but I don't think my husband will approve. I also feel called to evangelize my Mormon in-laws, but I struggle to get past their feelings-based testimony and their beliefs about who Jesus is and salvation. Any advice on my apologetic aspirations in my specific circumstances, and on the best way to surmount these LDS hurdles?

Q&A question: Witnessing to Mormon Family Members

About Leaving a Church: Is it necessary to ask your church to remove your name from its records if you are leaving due to false teaching/beliefs? I wonder if that’s what God means when He says “come out of her.”

Q&A question: About Leaving a Church

About Orthodox Beliefs: What do Orthodox Christians believe vs. Protestants? Is their doctrine as problematic as Catholic doctrine? (I heard Hank Hanegraaf converted to it.)

Q&A question: About Orthodox Beliefs

Overcoming Fear while Witnessing: I am currently attending a public school, and I’m wondering how I am supposed to speak the Word and truth of God when I fear that I will be shut down if I let my true beliefs be heard. Any advice?

Q&A question: Overcoming Fear while Witnessing

Witnessing Opportunity vs. Spiritual Trap!: I met some Muslims who were evangelizing, and I went up to them to challenge their beliefs. They invited me to a Ramadan dinner at a mosque. Should I go, or would that be a spiritual trap?

Q&A question: Witnessing Opportunity vs. Spiritual Trap!

Spiritual vs. Political Progressivism: Isn't Progressive Christianity simply the outcome of forcing progressive/leftist ideology onto Christianity? Should we even make the distinction between politically & religiously progressive beliefs?

Q&A question: Spiritual vs. Political Progressivism

How to Reach Catholic Family Members: I’m a new believer, and my wife is a Catholic. Married 5 years. We have 2 very young baby daughters. How do I win my wife to Christ if she grew up rigidly Catholic? I can't break past her typological beliefs.

Q&A question: How to Reach Catholic Family Members

Laws, Islam & Executing Apostates: Looking at Deuteronomy 13:6-10, is the apostasy law similar to Muslims? And is it inherently immoral for an apostate to be put to death because of their beliefs, according to the Old Testament?

Q&A question: Laws, Islam & Executing Apostates

Winger affirms the Father has authority over the Son but attributes this to the Incarnation (Phil 2:5-8), not necessarily to the eternal nature of the Trinity. He's open to but not convinced by Eternal Functional Subordination (EFS). Explicitly says he does NOT use EFS to defend complementarianism.

Q: Do many scriptures showing different authority levels between Father and Jesus mean the Father has higher authority? (John 14:28, 1 Cor 11:3, Matt 28:18)

About Saul’s Motives: Was Saul's hostility toward the Jewish Christians based on his biblical beliefs, or was he really on a mission to achieve status considering his age prior to conversion and extreme actions?

Q&A question: About Saul’s Motives

Should I Really be Held Accountable?: How can a just God hold people accountable for their beliefs if those beliefs are influenced by cultural, social, and psychological factors beyond their control?

Q&A question: Should I Really be Held Accountable?

Responding to Zachary Levi: A respectful analysis of Zachary Levi’s beliefs on the Bible.

Q&A question: Responding to Zachary Levi

Then You Should Be Unclear about It That's the Safest Thing To Do if You Feel like the Scripture Doesn't Speak Clearly on an Issue Then You Can Just Be Unclear about It or You Can Be Willing To Entertain Various Views As Long as those Views Don't Violate Scripture in some Other Way but What You Don't Want To Say Is the Bible Doesn't Say Anything about this So I'M Just GonNa You Know Believe What I Like I Still Won't Have Reasons for My Beliefs Deven Nicely Says What Are the Essential Elements of the Gospel One Must Believe for Salvation as Opposed to Secondary I Hear Different Things and It Makes Me Wonder if I'M Saved Sometimes and Kind Of Scares Me Let

What Are Your Most Important Beliefs