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All (3673) Mike Winger (3673)

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Should Christians be shaken by brilliant atheist philosophers like Graham Oppy?

Listener Silas Abrahamson says he is sometimes shaken that brilliant philosophers like Graham Oppy are atheists.

Apologetics Atheism Graham Oppy

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Alternative to the Sinner's Prayer for leading someone to salvation

Listener Marie asks for a good alternative to the sinner's prayer.

Evangelism Repentance Sinner's Prayer

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Molinism explained and distinguished from determinism

Listener Solomon Dahlberg asks whether on Molinism people's choices depend only on circumstances God places them in, and if so why doesn't God make everyone believe.

Molinism Free will Avengers: Infinity War

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Deuteronomy 22 rape law — two scenarios and the woman's protection

Listener Christy Courts' friend claims Deuteronomy 22 shows flawed teaching. Mike defends the passage.

Deuteronomy 22:23-27 Mosaic law Deuteronomy 22:23-27 Rape law

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Why is Esther in the Bible? Self-defense in Esther 8-9 is not problematic

Listener The Christian Metalhead questions the moral purpose of Esther and finds the final chapters' battle "dangerous."

Esther Ecclesiastes 3:3 Old Testament canon Typology Pacifism

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Baptism: biblical basis and urgency; no reason to delay

Listener Kenneth asks how to explain the importance of baptism to a new Christian who has not yet been baptized.

Acts 2:38 Acts 8:36-38 Hebrews 5 Philip the Evangelist Ethiopian eunuch Acts 2:38

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Waiting on the Lord is active, not passive — Psalm 37

Listener Derek Beeler asks what it means to wait on the Lord and how to counsel someone in that season.

Psalm 37 Kingdom of God Seek first the kingdom Psalm 37

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Distinguishing the Holy Spirit's burden from personal obsession

Listener Keys of the Kingdom wonders whether concern about a friend who broke contact is the Spirit's prompting or personal obsession.

Titus 2 Discerning the Holy Spirit Obsession vs divine prompting Good works

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Praying for healing for a child with a birth defect — contentment vs. miracle prayer

Listener Maria says her unborn baby has a serious birth defect; many friends are praying for a miracle but she isn't sure she can/should.

Romans 8:26 Kenneth Copeland Word of Faith Healing prayer

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

1 Corinthians 5:11 "do not eat with them" — does not apply to family relationships

Listener Melissa Heeg asks whether 1 Corinthians 5:11's instruction not to eat with a sinning "brother" applies to family gatherings.

1 Peter 3 1 Corinthians 5:11 1 Peter 3 Lifestyle sin 1 Corinthians 5:11

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Helping a nominal Christian spouse grow in biblical knowledge

Listener Tasteful Chicken has a wife who believes in Jesus and prays but does not read the Bible; her lifestyle does not align with Scripture.

Pastoral care Discipleship in marriage Nominal Christianity

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Politics in the pulpit — biblical worldview yes, partisan politics no

Listener Lisa asks whether politics belong in the pulpit; she is 100% against it.

Abortion Politics in the pulpit Biblical worldview

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Sharing Jesus with children when an atheist spouse objects

Listener Sheila is a new believer; her atheist husband does not want her sharing Jesus with their daughter because the daughter will think he's going to hell.

Should Christians be shaken by brilliant atheist philosophers like Graham Oppy?

Alternative to the Sinner's Prayer for leading someone to salvation

Molinism explained and distinguished from determinism

Deuteronomy 22 rape law — two scenarios and the woman's protection

Why is Esther in the Bible? Self-defense in Esther 8-9 is not problematic

Baptism: biblical basis and urgency; no reason to delay

Waiting on the Lord is active, not passive — Psalm 37

Distinguishing the Holy Spirit's burden from personal obsession

Praying for healing for a child with a birth defect — contentment vs. miracle prayer

1 Corinthians 5:11 "do not eat with them" — does not apply to family relationships

Helping a nominal Christian spouse grow in biblical knowledge

Politics in the pulpit — biblical worldview yes, partisan politics no

Sharing Jesus with children when an atheist spouse objects

Introduction: Mike frames the show goal as helping viewers think biblically about everything.

Ephesians 4:7-16 overview: gifts given to the church equip saints toward unity.

The faith (with definite article) refers to the body of Christian doctrine, not personal belief.

Unity of the faith in Ephesians 4 involves shared core doctrine, knowledge of Christ, and Christlike character.

Caution against broadly judging the church as disunified; American church worldliness is the real local issue.

Apparent contradiction between Stephen's speech (Acts 7:4) and Genesis chronology of Terah and Abraham.

Brief assessment of Spurgeon; no strong opinions on Swedenborg or Watchman Nee.

Dancing is not inherently sinful; Christians should apply liberty-with-responsibility rather than blanket prohibition.

Admitting ignorance builds trust rather than undermining pastoral credibility.

Putting out a fleece (asking God for a sign) is not inherently wrong but carries dangers of presumption and heart projection.

Overcoming laziness requires creating structured tasks, improving energy through exercise and diet, and reading Proverbs.

Jesus calling Judas friend at the betrayal (Matthew 26:50) is likely both literal and ironic simultaneously.

God physically appearing to everyone would not necessarily eliminate unbelief; unbelief is often a heart issue, not an evidence problem.

Modern (rabbinic) Judaism differs fundamentally from biblical Judaism; good works now replace the sacrificial system.

Psalm 82 gods (elohim) most likely refers to earthly rulers ironically addressed as divine beings, not literal supernatural deities.

Christians can hold various views on Genesis 1 and the Big Bang; the Big Bang is actually strong evidence for God.

Mark 14:36 refutes Oneness Pentecostal modalism by demonstrating distinct wills between Father and Son.

The gospel presentation should be adapted to the individual; the content stays constant but the approach changes.

The Holy Spirit speaks through fruit, track record, and confirmation from other believers; not every decision requires supernatural direction.

God chose to redeem through the cross to display his love, patience, righteousness, and desire for relationship simultaneously.

Mark 5 demoniac: Jesus was not tricked by the demons; the swine destruction may have been demonic sabotage that God repurposed for good.

Couples should formalize their marriage as officially as possible rather than treating informal cohabitation as equivalent.

Gluttony is an underaddressed sin in the American church; fasting is a practical corrective; no need for strict calorie counting.

Joseph Smith was a demonstrably false prophet; modern Mormonism is a victim of his fraud.

The youths mauled by bears in 2 Kings 2 were not small children but likely young adult men mocking Elisha's prophetic authority.

Objection: the multiverse avoids the need for God. Response: everything said about our universe needing a cause applies equally to the multiverse — you're just kicking the can back.

Objection to Premise 2: maybe the universe is infinite in the past. Response: an actually infinite past is impossible — you could never traverse infinite moments to arrive at the present.

Q&A: John 8:1-11 (woman caught in adultery) is very likely a true story/memory of Jesus but probably not originally part of John's Gospel. It appears in different locations in manuscripts. Most translations bracket it.

Q&A: An infinite universe causing our universe in a "bounce" still faces the same problems — an infinite past of cycles can't be traversed, and a meta-timeline outside ours would need its own cause.

Q&A: The Kalam's premises can be confirmed — an infinite past is philosophically untenable, and universal human experience confirms that things beginning to exist have causes with zero counterexamples.

Drew's Question 2: Shouldn't you worship the cruelest God imaginable? If Pascal's wager is about maximizing reward and minimizing punishment, inventing a maximally cruel God improves the wager by creating a true dichotomy.

Cameron adds: Michael Rota's avarice objection response — the wager need not be self-interested; one might commit to God out of desire to avoid disappointing God, to grow morally, or out of moral duty. Rota's drowning child analogy: even at 50/50, the stakes justify commitment.

Good #3: Soul-building theodicy — suffering provides opportunities to develop character virtues (sacrifice, courage, compassion, forgiveness). Good #4: Robin Collins' connection-building theodicy — virtuous responses to evil create valuable relationships that grow infinitely over time.

Both pro-life and pro-choice movements believe they hold the moral high ground. The pro-choice movement has inverted morality — helping a woman kill her offspring is seen as a moral good. The conversation breaks down because they're talking past each other.

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