In 1 Peter 3:15, the disciple urges his fellow Christians to “always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason of the hope that you have.”
“Peter knew that the gospel would be most effectively shared in [his] culture through hopeful living and strategic conversations,” said Kevin Blackwell, Samford University’s assistant to the president for church relations and executive director of the university’s Ministry Training Institute (MTI).
In the same way, Blackwell said, “we live in a time when traditional orthodox beliefs are being questioned and challenged and most believers are not properly prepared to ‘give a defense’ for the hope we have.”
Equipping Christians
“If we are going to reach this culture for Christ … it is critical that we equip and train Christians in apologetics.”
That’s why MTI is partnering with The Alabama Baptist, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and Tactical Faith to hold the Defending the Faith Apologetics Conference.
At the Aug. 7 event, participants will dig into the nuts and bolts of defending their faith in various sessions and will have the opportunity to ask questions during a lunchtime Q-and-A.
Session topics include “Apologetics Overview: Defending the Christian Faith,” “Evidence of the Resurrection,” “Christianity and Culture” and “The Atheist Challenge.” Each session will be led by either Jay Watts or Gary Habermas.
Watts is a national speaker and a writer for the Life Training Institute, an organization that trains Christians and pro-life advocates to defend the humanity of the unborn. Habermas is a distinguished professor of apologetics and philosophy for Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity in Lynchburg, Virginia, who has dedicated the majority of his professional life to the examination and understanding of the issues surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus.
“It is my greatest hope that participants will leave the workshop with a greater grasp of their own beliefs and also a desire and confidence to share the gospel with a lost world,” Blackwell said.
The conference will be held in Samford University’s Regions Room, on the fourth floor of Cooney Hall. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the conference ends at 4:30 p.m. (TAB)
_______________________
For more information or to register, visit https://www2.samford.edu/eve/index.php?formid=1638.
Share with others: