What Would Be the Point of Getting Baptized After All This Time?

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34:01

I think you could probably go back and track the stages of grief, probably that is what I went through. But I think if you do it right, you end up at acceptance. And that's where I ended up. And that's not to say that I've fully accepted the idea that the golden toad is extinct. Personally, I do still hold out hope that it could still be out there in those forests." - Trevor Ritland This conversation is with Trevor Ritland, who—along with his twin brother Kyle—authored The Golden Toad . The book chronicles their remarkable journey into Costa Rica’s cloud forest, once home to hundreds of brilliant golden toads that would emerge for just a few weeks each year—until, one day, they vanished without a trace. What began as a search for a lost species soon became something much more profound: a confrontation with ecological grief, a meditation on hope, and a powerful call to protect the natural world while we still can. Links: SpeciesUnite.com Kyle and Trevor: https://kyleandtrevor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureterm/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222249677-the-golden-toad Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Toad-Ecological-Mystery-Species/dp/163576996…

about a year ago 23:02

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I’ve been a Christian for over 60 years, graduated from seminary, briefly pastored, and am currently an elder in my church, but I was never baptized. At this point in my life, what would be the point of getting baptized?
What difference, if any, is there between a short and to-the-point prayer and a wordy, eloquent prayer if both truly come from the heart?
I love studying apologetics, but when it comes to reading my Bible, I find it difficult to want to do so. Is there a way to increase my desire to read it, or is this something I just have to discipline myself to do anyway?

101 episodes

#Question God

#STRask

What Would Be the Point of Getting Baptized After All This Time?

#STRask

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published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

I’ve been a Christian for over 60 years, graduated from seminary, briefly pastored, and am currently an elder in my church, but I was never baptized. At this point in my life, what would be the point of getting baptized?
What difference, if any, is there between a short and to-the-point prayer and a wordy, eloquent prayer if both truly come from the heart?
I love studying apologetics, but when it comes to reading my Bible, I find it difficult to want to do so. Is there a way to increase my desire to read it, or is this something I just have to discipline myself to do anyway?

101 episodes

#Question God

All episodes

#STRask

1
Could Inherently Sinful Humans Have Accurately Recorded the Word of God? 20:14

3 days ago20:14

20:14

Questions about whether or not inherently sinful humans could have accurately recorded the Word of God, whether the words about Moses in Acts 7:22 and Exodus 4:10 contradict each other, and why we’re told to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,” in James 4 but not James 5. How should I respond to the objection that humans, who are inherently sinful, could not have accurately recorded the Word of God? How do we reconcile the seeming contradiction between Acts 7:22, which says Moses was mighty in word and deed, and Exodus 4:10, where Moses says he is slow of speech and tongue? James 4:13–16 instructs us to qualify our plans by saying, “If it is the Lord’s will,” but his words in the next chapter about our prayers healing the sick include no qualifiers regarding God’s will. How does James 5 fit with James 4?…

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1
What Are the Top Five Things to Consider Before Joining a Church? 25:00

7 days ago25:00

25:00

Questions about the top five things to consider before joining a church when coming out of the NAR movement, and thoughts regarding a church putting on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as a means to draw non-Christians into the church. I’m coming out of the Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation movements. What are the top five things I need to consider before joining a church? What are your thoughts regarding a church putting on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as a means to draw non-Christians into the church?…

#STRask

1
Are Works the Evidence or the Energizer of Faith? 22:01

10 days ago22:01

22:01

Questions about whether faith is the evidence or the energizer of faith, and biblical support for the idea that good works are inevitable and always demonstrated in the life of someone who has true faith. Works appear to be the “engine oil” that keeps faith alive. Without them, faith is dead. Therefore, aren’t works the energizer of faith, not the evidence? Can you please provide biblical support that “good works” are inevitable and always demonstrated in the life of someone who has true faith?…

#STRask

1
Is Morality Determined by Society? 20:23

14 days ago20:23

20:23

Questions about how to respond to someone who says morality is determined by society, whether our evolutionary biology causes us to think it’s objectively wrong to torture babies for fun, and whether someone with multiple personality disorder could both trust and reject Christ. How should I respond to someone who is unpersuaded by the moral argument for God, who insists people just do what makes them happy and doesn’t offend people or the law, and who says morality is determined by social structures that have evolved? Can the idea that it’s objectively wrong to torture babies for fun actually be explained by our evolutionary biology making us want to protect the babies in our group? Would it be possible for someone with multiple personality disorder to trust Christ with one personality and reject him with another? If so, how would we make sense of their eternal state?…

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1
What Evidence Can I Give for Objective Morality? 23:48

17 days ago23:48

23:48

Questions about how to respond to someone who’s asking for evidence for objective morality, what to say to atheists who counter the moral argument for God by rejecting the necessity of objective morality, and the definition of intuition. An atheist who’s debating me about objective morality ignores what I say about our just knowing it deep inside and keeps pressing me for evidence. What should I do? What should I say to atheists who counter the moral argument for God by rejecting the necessity of objective morality? What is intuition?…

#STRask

1
If Sin Is a Disease We’re Born with, How Can We Be Guilty When We Sin? 23:38

21 days ago23:38

23:38

Questions about how we can be guilty when we sin if sin is a disease we’re born with, how it can be that we’ll have free will in Heaven but not have the ability to choose to sin, and whether morality and logic are correct because God says so or he says so because they’re correct. If sin is a disease we’re all born with, how can we be guilty when we sin? Can you explain how we will retain free will in Heaven but will not have the ability to choose to sin? Is morality correct because God says so, or does he say so because it is correct? Is logic correct because God says so, or does he say so because it is correct?…

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1
Do People with Dementia Have Free Will? 21:05

24 days ago21:05

21:05

Question about whether or not people with dementia have free will and are morally responsible for the sins they commit. Do people with dementia have free will? Are they morally responsible for the sins they commit, like their hurtful words and aggressive actions towards others?

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1
If Jesus Is God, Why Didn’t He Know the Day of His Return? 22:06

28 days ago22:06

22:06

Questions about why Jesus didn’t know the day of his return if he truly is God, and why it’s important for Jesus to be both fully God and fully man. If Jesus is God, then why didn’t he know the day of his return, and if the answer is that he limited himself, wasn’t it a lie to say that he didn’t know? Why is it important for Jesus Christ to be both fully God and fully man?…

#STRask

1
Is It Wrong to Feel Satisfaction at the Thought of Some Atheists Being Humbled Before Christ? 21:05

4 weeks ago21:05

21:05

Questions about whether it’s wrong to feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of some atheists being humbled before Christ when their time comes, and practical methods of engagement that can be used when conversing with conspiracy theorists. Is it wrong that I sometimes feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of some atheists being humbled before Christ when their time comes? What are some practical methods of engagement that can be used when conversing with conspiracy theorists?…

#STRask

1
What Should I Say to Someone Who Believes Zodiac Signs Determine Personality? 22:47

5 weeks ago22:47

22:47

Questions about how to respond to a family member who believes Zodiac signs determine personality and what to say to a co-worker who believes aliens created humans and put them on Earth 250,000 years ago. How would you respond to a family member who believes Zodiac signs determine personality? What should I say to a co-worker who believes aliens created humans and put them on Earth about 250,000 years ago?…

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1
What Should I Teach My Students About Worldviews? 21:04

5 weeks ago21:04

21:04

Question about how to go about teaching students about worldviews, what a worldview is, how to identify one, how to show that the Christian worldview is better than others, and recommended resources on the topic of worldviews. I’m at a loss as to how to go about teaching my students about worldviews. What is a worldview, how do you identify one, how do you show that the Christian worldview is better than others, and what are your recommended resources on this topic?…

#STRask

1
Why Do You Say Human Beings Are the Most Valuable Things in the Universe? 23:17

6 weeks ago23:17

23:17

Questions about reasons to think human beings are the most valuable things in the universe, how terms like “identity in Christ” and “child of God” can help someone who feels like a failure, and how to “give it to God” when you’re being consumed by worry. Can you expand on your belief that human beings are the most valuable things in the universe? People use terms like “identity in Christ” and “child of God” to help me in my struggle with low self-esteem and feeling like a failure. Can you help me understand what those terms mean? How do you lay something at God’s feet? When I'm being consumed by worry, how do I “give it to God”?…

#STRask

1
What Questions Should I Ask Someone Who Believes in a Higher Power? 26:59

6 weeks ago26:59

26:59

Questions about what to ask someone who believes merely in a “higher power,” how to make a case for the existence of the afterlife, and whether or not we can use Revelation 22:18 as evidence that the Book of Mormon isn’t divinely inspired. What questions should I ask someone I’m working with to help him think beyond a belief in a “higher power”? How would you make a case for the existence of the afterlife, and is it necessary to use the Bible in order to do so? How would you respond to Mormons who objected to my using Revelation 22:18 to explain why I don’t think the Book of Mormon is divinely inspired?…

#STRask

1
What Would Be the Point of Getting Baptized After All This Time? 23:02

7 weeks ago23:02

23:02

Questions about the point of getting baptized after being a Christian for over 60 years, the difference between a short prayer and an eloquent one, and disciplining yourself to read the Bible whether you feel like it or not. I’ve been a Christian for over 60 years, graduated from seminary, briefly pastored, and am currently an elder in my church, but I was never baptized. At this point in my life, what would be the point of getting baptized? What difference, if any, is there between a short and to-the-point prayer and a wordy, eloquent prayer if both truly come from the heart? I love studying apologetics, but when it comes to reading my Bible, I find it difficult to want to do so. Is there a way to increase my desire to read it, or is this something I just have to discipline myself to do anyway?…

#STRask

1
How Is Prophecy About the Messiah Recognized? 20:21

7 weeks ago20:21