Valentine’s Day 2025, and Q&A

On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/14/25), Hank discusses the origins of Valentine’s Day, looking at the Orthodox Church’s veneration of Saint Valentine, the Presbyter from Rome, for his martyrdom and as for all its saints, honors St. Valentine as a model of the life in Christ. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the traditional association of St. Valentine’s Day with courtship is likely connected with certain customs of the pagan festival Lupercalia. If so, this would be another example of Christians usurping a pagan holiday and Christianizing it for the glory of Christ.

Hank also answers the following questions:

Can you comment on Reza Aslan’s book, Zealot, and his claim that there was no census at the time of Jesus’ birth? Tom - Kansas City, MO (15:12)
How do we understand Matthew 6:15 in light of salvation and the forgiveness we have in Christ? Mark - Wichita, KS (18:35)
My wife says you don’t need to attend church to be a Christian. Can you address this according to Hebrews 10:25? Ronald - Garland, TX (22:42)