Can a Christian nation's conscience differ from personal conscience?
- Can a Christian in good conscience hold a nation's highest office if that office may require sending troops into war?
The discussion turns to blurred lines between the believer and the nation: can a Christian president of Egypt order bombers while personally saying 'send them in' feels wrong? Hosts weigh OT examples of God commanding total destruction against loving enemies, with one host asking whether he should reject public office entirely, and another concluding God has said both 'go to war' and 'do not' at different times — so there is no black-and-white line. A host (addressed in the audio as 'Buva') sits out, saying he honestly does not know.
More on Old Testament
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Does God speak more now? Indwelling Spirit versus prophets
- Does God talk to people as much now as he did in the Old Testament or New Testament?
A host asks whether God talks to people as much now as in the Old and New Testaments. Ben's key distinction: the indwelling Holy Spirit means more people can have the experience…
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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Ben's three questions: is he real, is he good, is he capricious?
- Is God even real?
- Is God good?
Ben frames three reasonable reactions to Old Testament violence: (1) maybe God isn't real; (2) maybe he isn't good; (3) maybe he's capricious.
From No. 540 · Justice is Mine
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Ask the pastor: why does Daniel keep his Hebrew name while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego don't?
- Why does the narrative revert Daniel to his Hebrew name while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego keep their Babylonian names?
Boova's question: Daniel is given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego receive Babylonian names too — but the narrative reverts Daniel to his Israelite name while the other three keep theirs throughout.
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Ask the pastor: Ezekiel 39:17 — God telling a prophet to speak to birds and beasts
- In Ezekiel 39:17, why would God tell a prophet to speak to birds and beasts, and is there precedent for God interacting with animals this way?
Boova was struck by Ezekiel 39:17, where Ezekiel is told to speak on God's behalf to the birds and beasts, inviting them to feast on God's defeated enemies.