WHAT IS THE CREDIBLE FAITH FOR A SKEPTICAL WORLD CONFERENCE?
The Credible Faith for a Skeptical World Conference is an event aimed to strengthen believers' faith and their confidence in God's Word and, if unbelievers are in attendance, to demonstrate some of the intellectual credibility of the Christian faith from the standpoint of history, science, and/or philosophy. Paul has a passion for seeing people living out their faith confidently, joyfully, and verbally; he wants to see much of the church having the boldness and confidence both to proclaim and defend the gospel and God's Word in an unbelieving world. The Credible Faith for a Skeptical World Conference utilizes evangelistic message(s) and/or educational apologetics talks that utilize scientific, historical, or philosophical evidence in favor of Christian truth claims. The conference can also provide a school of apologetics on big and important questions of human existence and the Christian life. The school of apologetics is a series of talks fit into a condensed period of time, giving listeners a significant amount of training in a few hours.
WHAT TOPICS CAN BE COVERED IN THE CFSW CONFERENCE?
At this point, there are a limited number of apologetics talks that have been prepared for delivery in a Credible Faith for a Skeptical World conference. Those talks (or something like them) are marked below with a double asterisk (**). Other talks listed are talks that Paul would like to develop and give in the future; if you would like a Credible Faith for a Skeptical World conference at your church and see a talk a listed here that has not yet been developed, let Paul know and he could prioritize the research and development for that talk such that it would be ready for the conference at your church.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
**1. A positive case for the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ
**2. Can other theories explain away the resurrection?
**3. Are there good scientific or philosophical objections to the resurrection?
4. Do the resurrection accounts contradict each other?
Christianity & World Religions
1. Why Hinduism & Buddhism are not true
2. Why Islam is not true
3. Examining Mormonism, Spiritism, Jehovah's Witnesses, & the Bah'ai faith
4. Examining Christian Science, Scientology, Unitarian Universalism, & the Theosophical Society
Who Wrote the Bible?
**1. Why objections to the traditional authorship of the gospels fail
2. Why the apostle Paul is the author of the Pastoral Epistles, Ephesians, Colossians, & 2 Thessalonians
3. Did Moses write the first five books of the Bible?
4. Are Daniel and Isaiah really the authors of the books of Daniel & Isaiah?
Intelligent Design
1. Intelligent design in cellular biology
2. Intelligent design in astronomy
3. Scientific problems of New-Darwinism and universal common ancestry
4. Philosophical arguments for God's existence
Is Christianity Good?
**1. How could a good God allow so much pain, suffering, and evil? And why a God who wants to save sinners must permit horrendous evils
2. Is the Old Testament God a genocidal maniac who condones slavery?
3. Is eternal torment in hell just?
4. Does Christianity's denial of homosexual marriage make it outdated and pernicious?
Do We Have the Right Bible?
1-2. When did the New Testament canon develop and why does it matter? Parts 1 & 2
3. When did the Old Testament canon develop and why does it matter?
4. The self-aware authority of New Testament writers, the textual focus of early Christians, and the textual trasnsmission of the New Testament
Who is Jesus Christ?
1. What Jesus said about himself
2. What Jesus taught about his own divinity
3. What Jesus' disciples said about his divinity
4. What Jesus' enemies said about him: The existence, life & death of Jesus in non-Christian sources
EXAMPLE SCHEDULES FOR THE CFSW CONFERENCE
SUNDAY ONLY (CHURCH)
Sunday, October 11, 2099
9:00 AM Why objections to the traditional authorship of the gospels fail (Sunday School)
10:30 AM The Resurrection in a Secular Age
1:00 PM How could a good God allow so much pain, suffering, and evil? And why a God who wants to save sinners must permit horrendous evils
FULL WEEKEND (CHURCH)
Saturday, October 10, 2099
12:00 PM Can Other Theories Explain Away the Resurrection?
1:30 PM Are There Good Scientific or Philosophical Objections to the Resurrection?
3:00 PM Objections to the Traditional Authorship of the Gospels and Why the Objections Fail
7:00 PM The Resurrection in a Pluralistic Age (Optional Sermon/Message)
Sunday, October 11
9:00 AM The Resurrection in a Secular Age (Sermon/Message for Sunday Service)
10:30 AM A Positive Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Sunday School)
7:00 PM Bold Witness in a Hostile World
TWO DAY (UNIVERSITY)
Tuesday, October 13, 2099
12:00-1:45 PM A Positive Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (and Q&A)
7:00 PM The Resurrection in a Secular Age (and Q&A)
Wednesday, October 14
12:00-1:45 PM Can Other Theories Explain Away the Resurrection? (and Q&A)
7:00 PM The Resurrection in a Pluralistic Age (and Q&A)
THREE DAY (UNIVERSITY)
Tuesday, October 13, 2099
12:00-1:40 PM A Positive Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (and Q&A)
7:00 PM The Resurrection in a Pluralistic Age (and Q&A)
Wednesday, October 14
12:00-1:40 PM Can Other Theories Explain Away the Resurrection? (and Q&A)
7:00 PM The Resurrection in a Secular Age (and Q&A)
Thursday, October 15
12:00-1:40 PM Are There Good Scientific or Philosophical Objections to the Resurrection? (and Q&A)
6:00-7:45 PM Why Objections to the Traditional Authorship of the Gospels Fail?
EXAMPLE PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE CFSW CONFERENCE
Endnotes:
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