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

How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
#STRask
November 20, 2025
Questions about how to advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life, and the differences between the mo
How Can We Know Who Is Teaching the Same Gospel Paul Taught?
How Can We Know Who Is Teaching the Same Gospel Paul Taught?
#STRask
February 16, 2026
Questions about how we can know who is teaching the same gospel Paul taught, and whether or not Jeremiah 1:5 supports the idea that we pre-existed in
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
Would You Say God’s Primary Object Is to Not Be Found?
Would You Say God’s Primary Object Is to Not Be Found?
#STRask
March 19, 2026
Questions about whether God’s primary object is to not be found, how one can say God doesn’t make mistakes if the percentage of Christians in the worl
Did Jesus Prove He Wasn’t Sinless When He Overturned the Tables?
Did Jesus Prove He Wasn’t Sinless When He Overturned the Tables?
#STRask
December 29, 2025
Questions about whether Jesus proved he wasn’t sinless when he overturned the tables, whether Jesus’ response to the Pharisees in Mark 3:22–26 was a b
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
#STRask
March 2, 2026
Questions about responding to an LGBTQ person who says he feels good about who he is, and whether—since we all have sin in our life we don’t consider
Lora Ries: Border Security and Immigration Policy
Lora Ries: Border Security and Immigration Policy
Knight & Rose Show
December 7, 2025
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose welcome Lora Ries to discuss border security and immigration policy. They explore Biden's policy changes, like ending R
Are Demon Possessions and Exorcisms in the New Testament Literal?
Are Demon Possessions and Exorcisms in the New Testament Literal?
#STRask
December 11, 2025
Questions about whether references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament are literal, how to talk to young children about ghosts, an
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
An Invitation to the 2026 Coram Deo Pastors Conference
An Invitation to the 2026 Coram Deo Pastors Conference
Life and Books and Everything
February 18, 2026
"I love being a pastor, and I love pastors, which is why I hope you will consider joining us at the Coram Deo Pastors Conference in 2026." —Kevin DeYo
Why Are So Many Christians Condemning LGB People Just Because of How They Love?
Why Are So Many Christians Condemning LGB People Just Because of How They Love?
#STRask
January 15, 2026
Questions about Christians condemning LGB people just because of how they love, how God can expect someone to be celibate when others are free to marr
Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
#STRask
March 9, 2026
Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and ho
What Do You Think About Churches Advertising on Social Media?
What Do You Think About Churches Advertising on Social Media?
#STRask
January 19, 2026
Questions about whether there’s an issue with churches advertising on social media, whether it’s weird if we pray along with a YouTuber, and whether C
How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
#STRask
March 5, 2026
Questions about how one person could trust another person on the topic of God, how STR obtained information about God that others haven’t obtained, an
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2
Risen Jesus
March 18, 2026
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and