OpenTheo

How Can I Initiate a Conversation with Someone Who Thinks He’s a Christian but Isn’t?

#STRask — Stand to Reason

How Can I Initiate a Conversation with Someone Who Thinks He’s a Christian but Isn’t?

March 10, 2025
#STRask
#STRaskStand to Reason

Questions about initiating conversations with someone who thinks he’s going to Heaven but who isn’t showing any signs he’s following God, how to talk to unsaved friends and family who identify as Christians, and resources to help someone learn what true Christianity is.  

* How can I initiate a conversation with my brother who thinks he’s going to Heaven because he has an intellectual belief that Jesus is the Son of God, but who doesn’t really show any signs that he’s following God?

* How would you suggest talking to friends or family who identify as Christians despite strong evidence they’re merely nominal or cultural Christians?

* Are there resources I can share with my brother that will help him learn what true Christianity is?

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditCopy Link

Transcript

More From #STRask

What Should I Say to Active Churchgoers Who Reject the Trinity and the Deity of Christ?
What Should I Say to Active Churchgoers Who Reject the Trinity and the Deity of Christ?
#STRask
March 13, 2025
Questions about what to say to longtime, active churchgoers who don’t believe in the Trinity or the deity of Christ, and a challenge to the idea that
Is God Just a Way of Solving a Mystery by Appealing to a Greater Mystery?
Is God Just a Way of Solving a Mystery by Appealing to a Greater Mystery?
#STRask
March 17, 2025
Questions about whether God is just a way of solving a mystery by appealing to a greater mystery, whether subjective experience falls under a category
Is Pornography Really Wrong?
Is Pornography Really Wrong?
#STRask
March 20, 2025
Questions about whether or not pornography is really wrong and whether or not AI-generated pornography is a sin since AI women are not real women.  
Does “Repent from Your Sin and Believe” Describe a Works Salvation?
Does “Repent from Your Sin and Believe” Describe a Works Salvation?
#STRask
March 6, 2025
Questions about whether “repent from your sin and believe” describes a works salvation and Greg’s stance on the idea of “easy beliefism”—i.e., the ide
Were Jesus’ Commands in the Gospels for the Jews Only or for the Present-Day Body of Christ?
Were Jesus’ Commands in the Gospels for the Jews Only or for the Present-Day Body of Christ?
#STRask
March 3, 2025
Questions about whether Jesus’ commands in the Gospels were for the Jews only or for the present-day body of Christ, whether God chose to be illiterat
The Concept of God’s Omniscience Is Just a Fear Tactic to Control Your Mind
The Concept of God’s Omniscience Is Just a Fear Tactic to Control Your Mind
#STRask
February 27, 2025
Questions about whether the concept of God’s omniscience is just a fear tactic to control your mind and what to say to someone who thinks it’s possibl
More From "#STRask"

More on OpenTheo

The Historical Perspective vs. The Theological Perspective on the Resurrection: Are Both Valid?
The Historical Perspective vs. The Theological Perspective on the Resurrection: Are Both Valid?
Risen Jesus
October 1, 2025
This episode is a discussion between Dr. Mike Licona and then PhD candidate Laura Robinson on the Capturing Christianity podcast. While both scholars
John Thomson and the Shaping of American Presbyterianism with Stephen A. Fix
John Thomson and the Shaping of American Presbyterianism with Stephen A. Fix
Life and Books and Everything
September 29, 2025
If you are looking for a deep dive into the history of early American Presbyterianism, you have come to the right place! Listen in as Kevin talks with
What About Those Who Never Heard the Name of Jesus?
What About Those Who Never Heard the Name of Jesus?
#STRask
December 22, 2025
Questions about what will happen to those who never heard of Jesus or were brought up in a different faith, whether there’s biblical warrant to think
After the Crucifixion, was Jesus Resurrected or Rescued? Licona vs. Ally
After the Crucifixion, was Jesus Resurrected or Rescued? Licona vs. Ally
Risen Jesus
October 8, 2025
This episode is a 2016 debate held at the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga between Dr. Michael Licona and Dr. Shabir Ally, president of the Islam
What Are Some Good Ways to Start a Conversation About God with Family Members?
What Are Some Good Ways to Start a Conversation About God with Family Members?
#STRask
October 30, 2025
Questions about how to start a conversation about God with non-Christian family members, how to keep from becoming emotional when discussing faith iss
Can You Provide Verifiable, Non-Religious Evidence That a Supernatural Jesus Existed?
Can You Provide Verifiable, Non-Religious Evidence That a Supernatural Jesus Existed?
#STRask
November 10, 2025
Question about providing verifiable, non-religious evidence that a supernatural Jesus existed.   * I am an atheist and militantly anti-god-belief. Ho
“Christians Care More About Ideology than People”
“Christians Care More About Ideology than People”
#STRask
October 13, 2025
Questions about how to respond to the critique that Christians care more about ideology than people, and whether we have freedom in America because Ch
How Does It Affect You If a Gay Couple Gets Married or a Woman Has an Abortion?
How Does It Affect You If a Gay Couple Gets Married or a Woman Has an Abortion?
#STRask
October 16, 2025
Questions about how to respond to someone who asks, ”How does it affect you if a gay couple gets married, or a woman makes a decision about her reprod
The Man on the Middle Cross with Alistair Begg
The Man on the Middle Cross with Alistair Begg
Life and Books and Everything
November 10, 2025
If you haven’t seen the viral clip, go see it right now. In this episode, Kevin talks to Alistair about the preaching clip he didn’t intend to give, h
If We Don’t Need to Learn to Hear God’s Voice, How Do You Explain These Verses?
If We Don’t Need to Learn to Hear God’s Voice, How Do You Explain These Verses?
#STRask
September 11, 2025
Questions about why, if we don’t need to learn to hear God’s voice, there’s a command to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy, why we would need to l
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
#STRask
December 4, 2025
Question about what tools of reasoning help us determine whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad before bringing Scripture int
Could the Writers of Scripture Have Been Influenced by Their Fallen Nature?
Could the Writers of Scripture Have Been Influenced by Their Fallen Nature?
#STRask
October 23, 2025
Questions about whether or not it’s reasonable to worry that some of our current doctrines were influenced by the fallen nature of the apostles, and h
How Can I Improve My Informal Writing?
How Can I Improve My Informal Writing?
#STRask
October 6, 2025
Question about how you can improve your informal writing (e.g., blog posts) when you don’t have access to an editor.   * Do you have any thoughts or
Why Does the Bible Teach You How to Be a Proper Slave Owner?
Why Does the Bible Teach You How to Be a Proper Slave Owner?
#STRask
November 13, 2025
Question about why it seems like the Bible teaches you how to be a proper slave owner rather than than saying, “Stop it. Give them freedom.”   * It s
Life and Ministry in Charlotte and in the SBC with Clint Pressley
Life and Ministry in Charlotte and in the SBC with Clint Pressley
Life and Books and Everything
December 15, 2025
In a rare cultural anomaly that may never be repeated in our lifetimes, the current SBC President and current PCA Moderator live in the same neighborh