APOLOGETICS. STUDENTS. WORLDVIEW.

A Summer viewing beautiful mountains and learning a Defense of the Faith?  Yes, please.  Consider an apologetics or worldview camp for your student.  Act quickly for the Summit Ministries Camps; they fill up fast.

I will be on the faculty with Summit Ministries this Summer and would enjoy helping your student be equipped for the questions and situations he or she will be placed in as a Christian.  Christians have the best answers to the most difficult questions; send your student our way and we'll make sure they are prepared to give an answer.

Will I Be Speaking Near You This Summer?

May 15th
"Common Grounds" Student Ministry
Nassau Bay Baptist Church
Houston, Texas

May 23rd
Summit Ministries
Colorado Springs, Colorado 

June 9th - 12th
Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting
Houston, Texas

June 18th
Sagemont Church
Houston, Texas

June 20th
Summit Ministries
Colorado Springs, Colorado 

July 9th

Sagemont Church

Houston, Texas

July 1st
BOOK RELEASE!!!
"In Defense of the Bible"
B&H Academic Publishers

July 25th
Summit Ministries
Colorado Springs, Colorado 

July 29th-30th
Send North America Conference
Dallas, Texas

August (TBD)

First Baptist Church

Sulphur, Louisiana

August 5th
Summit Ministries
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Free Live Stream Tonight!

May 10-11, 2013

La Mirada, CA

Join us as we celebrate 20 years of Stand to Reason and clear thinking Christianity. The event kicks off Friday night with stimulating apologetics lectures and a celebration! Join us for the full conference on Saturday featuring lectures from the Stand to Reason speakers and friends. Can't make it to Biola? This event will be available via live stream online.

Featuring Greg Koukl, J.P. Moreland, Sean McDowell, Craig Hazen, Brett Kunkle, Alan Shlemon, J. Warner Wallace, Mary Jo Sharp, and more! 

Conference Schedule:

Friday Night, May 10 (7:00 - 9:30 pm)

6:15 pm - Doors Opens
7:00 - 8:05 pm - Lectures from J.P. Moreland, Sean McDowell, Mary Jo Sharp, 
     and Craig Hazen
8:05 - 8:25 pm - Break
8:15 - 9:30 pm - Panel featuring Stand to Reason's Speakers Greg Koukl, 
     Brett Kunkle, Alan Shlemon, and J. Warner Wallace
9:30 pm - Cake & Book Signing in the Courtyard

Saturday, May 11 (9:00 am - 12:30 pm)

8:00 am - Registration Opens
8:30 am - Doors Opens
9:00 - 9:50 am - Session 1: "Who's Waiting for Your Kids?"
         Lecture by Stand to Reason's Brett Kunkle
9:50 - 10:00 am - Break
10:00 - 10:40 am - Session 2: "Compromise Is Not an Option"
         Lecture by Stand to Reason's Alan Shlemon
10:40 - 10:50 am - Break
10:50 - 11:30 am - Session 3: "Cold-case Christianity"
         Lecture by Stand to Reason's J. Warner Wallace
11:30 - 11:40 am - Break
11:40 am - 12:30 pm - Session 4: "Still Standing"
         Lecture by Stand to Reason's Greg Koukl

 

Conference Location:

Friday Night & Saturday:
Sutherland Auditorium
Biola University
13800 Biola Avenue
La Mirada, CA 90639
View Map

Dove Hires a Criminal Sketch Artist

The Dove company hired an experienced criminal sketch artist to draw women as they describe/perceive themselves and then to draw them as someone else perceives them. The result was a powerful video demonstrating to women the overly critical view they are carrying of themselves. At the end of the video, the Dove company chose to include this statement, "You are more beautiful than you think."

Being involved in apologetics, I began to analyze the video. Maybe the criminal sketch artist had a biased view going into the drawings because he was informed as to the goal. Maybe the "strangers" caught onto the intentions of the producers who were filming this video. Maybe...and then I stopped. I remembered that this video initially caught my attention because of the concept: we have a different view of ourselves than others. We also have a different view of ourselves than God. It's probably a less charitable view than the Lord's view of us. To be sure, I am not saying that humans are perfectly good or that God doesn't care about the evil found in individuals. However, watching the video was a reminder of the truth of God's love of his beautiful creation (Genesis 1:31).

My provost at Houston Baptist University, John Mark Reynolds, calls people, "beautiful souls." I think the Dove company has found a way to convey a reflection of that beauty found in us, that sometimes takes a stranger to see.

Summit Ministries

Check 'em out!  I'll be teaching 4 separate times this summer and would love to have you join us!



Student Conferences Promo from Summit Ministries on Vimeo.

Free "Defending the Faith" Book!

For our SPRING FUND RAISER we are reserving 100 new copies of "Defending the Faith" for ministry partners who give a one-time donation of $50!  Will you help us reach our goal by supporting Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry?  Click above to reserve your free copy!

MJ

Jesus, Lazarus, and Rick Warren

To live your life striving to be a reflection of Christ is hard. To live your life as a leader in the church trying to help others live as reflections of Christ is hard. To live your life on a large public platform as a leader in the church trying to help a global community live as reflections of Christ is probably close to insanity. (James 3:1)

This past week, the family of Rick Warren suffered a tremendous loss: the life of a child.

They are public figures and as such have taken on a responsibility to public life, which includes publicly sharing this loss of life. At a time when I would want the world to turn a blind eye to me, the Warrens have garnered worldwide attention with their tragedy.  Some of that attention has shown the goodness of God’s love prevalent in the world. Some of that attention has shown the sickness of the human heart. I paused today after seeing some inappropriate responses to the Warren’s situation that were related to criticizing his theology and/or ministry:  Why would these things even cross a person’s mind at such a time?  There is one most excellent example in responding to death from the Scriptures:

Jesus wept.

 

When the Lord’s friend died, he did not give lengthy discourses on sin or evil or even on why death comes upon us all. He did not analyze Lazarus’ theology, ministry, or life. Jesus, being God, had the knowledge to critique his friend's life and to do so with perfection. But what did he do? He grieved…out loud. 

Rick – It is hard to be a public figure. It is certainly harder when a loved one dies. Press on, brother.  You are greatly loved. 

MJ

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

Book Review: "Cold-Case Christianity" by J. Warner Wallace

I’m going to admit my bias at the onset on this review. I heard Jim Warner Wallace of Please Convince Me speak on this material at the Apologetics Canada Conference in 2012, almost a year before his book released. I was ready to dig into anything he put into print because I so enjoyed his crime scene investigator-type presentation. So, when I had the opportunity to review his book, I was excited to do so! And Wallace’s book did not disappoint.

I have the privilege of speaking at conferences on similar topics as Wallace.  One of the main questions I field after giving a presentation on the reliability of the transmission of the New Testament is, “But why should I trust the authors who wrote these letters?” More specifically, the question usually refers to “how can I know these authors were telling the truth?” Jim Warner Wallace’s book, Cold-Case Christianity sets out to answer this question, as well as make a cumulative case for the Christian faith.