Stand to Reason / STR / Greg Koukl

Summary

Stand to Reason's (STR) trains Christians to think clearly and make a defense of the doctrines and ethics of classical Christianity, in an intellectually fair, gracious and incisive manner in what is considered the public square of society. STR's focuses on the basics, the fundamentals of theology and ethics, and the fundamental tools of thought. This distinguishes them from other organizations. For example, the Christian Research Institute (CRI) is a place to get information. Though STR does give information, it is the place to get educated. They teach not just what to think, but how to think. STR is not that unique in the information they give, but in the way they use the information. STR teaches the value of using our minds to love God and share the Gospel. STR teaches careful reasoning and well thought-out answers so that Christians will participate in public discussion (at home, at work, or at the university) so that the Christian worldview has a place in the debate. The organization encourages Christians to develop coherent answers to questions that challenge Christianity so that their faith is deepened and thereby are emboldened to share the Gospel. STR is a nonprofit organization and contributions to it are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Contact Information: [ Back to top ]

Mailing Address:	1438 E 33rd St. Signal Hill, CA 90755-0755
Website:	www.str.org
Phone:	(800) 273-2766, (562) 595-7333
Email:	You need to enable javascript to see the email

Organization Details [ Back to top ]

EIN: 330604522

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CEO/President:	Mr. Gregory Koukl	Tax Deductible:	Yes
Chairman:	Mr. Steve Carmichael	Fiscal Year End:	December 31
Board Size:	7	Financial info from:	990
Founder:	Greg Koukl & Melinda Penner	Member of ECFA:	No
Year Founded:	1993	Member of ECFA since:

Purpose [ Back to top ]

Stand to Reason's (STR) trains Christians to think clearly and make a defense of the doctrines and ethics of classical Christianity, in an intellectually fair, gracious and incisive manner in what is considered the public square of society.

STR's focuses on the basics, the fundamentals of theology and ethics, and the fundamental tools of thought. This distinguishes them from other organizations. For example, the Christian Research Institute (CRI) is a place to get information. Though STR does give information, it is the place to get educated. They teach not just what to think, but how to think. STR is not that unique in the information they give, but in the way they use the information.

STR teaches the value of using our minds to love God and share the Gospel. STR teaches careful reasoning and well thought-out answers so that Christians will participate in public discussion (at home, at work, or at the university) so that the Christian worldview has a place in the debate. The organization encourages Christians to develop coherent answers to questions that challenge Christianity so that their faith is deepened and thereby are emboldened to share the Gospel.

STR is involved in six broad areas of ministry:

Radio
A cornerstone of Stand to Reason is a radio broadcast offering an open public forum on ethics, values and religion. The show is a place where intellectually rigorous Christianity is put to the test publicly, an incarnational approach where methods of advocacy—the content, tactics, posture, attitude, and delivery—have flesh and blood and bones attached to them. The radio show is vital for promotion of the vision and goals of STR.

Public Speaking and Seminars
Stand to Reason offers courses, seminars, and colloquia geared towards helping followers of Christ in the local church. They teach them to apply careful Christian thinking to popular ethical and theological issues.

Their goal is to give believers the practical tools they need to make a difference in their world, giving them both the knowledge and the confidence to be players again in the world of ideas. Sometimes they will network creatively with other organizations to share curriculum, speakers and expertise.

They also field a growing number of speakers that represent STR at individual functions where their materials can be displayed. They focus on using the most careful, thoughtful, accomplished, and skilled communicators.

Website
Visitors to their website discover a variety of stimulating opportunities to be trained as Christian ambassadors. Visitors can:

• Download hundreds of free STR reports, commentaries, and articles
• Listen to their radio shows or have them delivered directly to them by podcast
• Purchase STR training materials as well as significant books in the field
• Read their daily blog and interact with others on the ideas
• Subscribe to Solid Ground, their bi-monthly newsletter
• Download other’s articles they have posted on their site
• Jump to other relevant websites

Self-Directed Training Curriculum
They take an “all-you-need” approach to curriculum. Any given training tape or series gives the most critical information one needs to master the really important material, giving fair-minded arguments based on sound thinking and well-researched facts. Curriculum consists of CDs for individual instruction and DVDs for individuals and groups (churches, home schools, Sunday school classes, outposts, etc.), along with notes or course syllabi.

The CDs and outlines enable the Christian to write a report, teach a class, give a lecture, do a debate, write a letter to the editor, call a radio talk show, or simply defend the truth. The material is adequate for a high school speech or an afternoon on a TV talk show.

Publications Their publications offer in print what their public presentations do in person. This includes in-house publications, like their bi-monthly publication Solid Ground and their monthly ministry letters, as well as books published by major publishing houses. They also have their own articles republished in magazines and journals.

Mission Statement [ Back to top ]

Stand to Reason uses the following to express its mission:

Stand to Reason trains Christians to think more clearly about their faith and to make an even-handed, incisive, yet gracious defense for classical Christianity and classical Christian values in the public square.

Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]

Need Program Accomoplishments info

Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

Stand to Reason uses the following to express its Statement of Faith:

1. The Bible, consisting of all the books of the Old and New Testament, is the Word of God, a supernaturally given revelation from God Himself, concerning Himself, His being, nature, character, will and purposes; and concerning man, his nature, need and duty and destiny. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are without error or misstatement in their moral and spiritual teaching and record of historical facts. They are without error or defect of any kind in the autographs.
2. There is one God, eternally existing and manifesting Himself to us in three Persons-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Our Lord Jesus was supernaturally conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, a lineal descendant of David. He lived and taught and performed mighty works, wonders and signs exactly as recorded in the New Testament. He was put to death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. God raised from the dead the body that had been nailed to the cross. The Lord Jesus, after His crucifixion, showed Himself to be alive to His disciples, appearing to them in the space of forty days. After this the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, and the Father made Him to be head over all things, including the Church.
4. The Lord Jesus, before His incarnation, existed in the exact form of God, and of His own choice, laid aside His divine glory and took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. He is a divine person possessed of all the attributes of deity and should be worshipped as God by angels and men. "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
5. By His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus made a perfect atonement for sin, by which the wrath of God against sinners is appeased and a ground furnished upon which God can deal in mercy with sinners. He redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse in our place. He Who Himself was absolutely without sin was made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
6. The Lord Jesus is coming again to this earth, personally, bodily and visibly.
7. The Holy Spirit is a person distinct from the Father and the Son, and possesses all of the divine attributes. He is God.
8. Man was created in the image of God, after his likeness, and therefore has transcendent, intrinsic worth. The whole human race fell in the fall of the first Adam. All men, apart from spiritual regeneration, are lost, darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, hardened in heart, morally and spiritually dead through their trespasses and sins. They cannot see nor enter the Kingdom of God until they are born again of the Holy Spirit.
9. Men are justified on the simple and single ground of the shed blood of Christ and upon the simple and single condition of faith in Him Who shed His blood, and are born again by the quickening, renewing, cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, through the instrumentality of the Word of God. These alone become children of God and receive eternal life. At death their spirits depart to be with Christ in conscious blessedness, and at the second coming of Christ their bodies shall be raised, transformed into the likeness of the body of His glory.
10. All those who persistently reject Jesus Christ in the present life shall be raised from the dead and throughout eternity exist in a state of conscious, endless torment and anguish.
11. The Church consists of the host of the regenerate, wherever they may be found. It is the body and bride of Christ which Christ loves and for which He has given Himself.
12. There is a personal devil, a being of great cunning who can exert vast power only so far as God allows him to do so. He shall ultimately be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and shall be tormented day and night forever.
13. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life and to perform good works that are the necessary evidence of their genuine faith in Christ.

History [ Back to top ]

Need History Info

Ministry Needs [ Back to top ]

Stand to Reason has communicated the following needs:

• Pray for STR's people and projects
• Purchase resources from the STR store
• Contribute financially
• Volunteer your talents

Research Analysis

Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]

Transparency Grade of : A
Criteria category	Grade	Other Comments
Timeliness:	100
Financial Information:	100
Foundational Clarity:	100	12/12/2007 9:03:32 PM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough.
Level of Cooperation:	100	12/10/2008 - Proactive in sending information.

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MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]

Ranking Category	Rating	Overall Rank	Christian Growth Sector
Overall Efficiency Rating		146 of 352	12 of 43
Fund Acquisition Decision		160 of 352	15 of 43
Resource Allocation Decision		192 of 352	18 of 43
Asset Utilization Decision		136 of 352	11 of 43

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Shining Light [ Back to top ]

2007 MinistryWatch.com Shining Light top ministry list