SeanMcDowell.org
This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak at the 2nd annual AMP conference, hosted by Reasons to Believe. While I get to speak at many different conferences (which I love), this event stood out to me as great model of how apologetics conferences should be done. Below are five takeaways that I hope will continue to mark how apologetics is done in the days to come:
1. A Heart for Evangelism. While Reasons to Believe is a science-based apologetics ministry, it is clear that they have a clear heart for reaching unbelievers. In particular, Hugh Ross told many memorable stories of how God has personally used his studies on Genesis to draw people to Christ. Here’s the overall feel I got from the conference: we need to be ready with an answer, but not to win arguments, but to draw people to Christ.
2. Graciousness. The RTB speakers (and really all the speakers) demonstrated graciousness towards both Christians (who viewed certain issues differently) and towards unbelievers, such as Richard Dawkins. There were no straw men fallacies or personal attacks. There was a real kindness towards others.
3. Relational. From before the conference started, until the end, the speakers went out of their way to interact with attendees. The RTB team set up the conference so it would be this way. I have been to some events where speakers give their presentation and then leave immediately afterwards. This conference was set up specifically so all of us could interact with as many attendees as possible and be present throughout the weekend.
4. Story-telling. Sometimes apologetics gets the reputation that it’s too cerebral (and sometimes this stereotype is well deserved!). Yet the speakers did a great job of telling interesting, relevant, and captivating stories. In fact, Fuz Rana framed his entire talk around the remarkable story of Blind Willy Johnson.
5. Fun. Apologetics is often viewed as stuffy and boring (again, I fully recognize that there is some truth to this). But the AMP conference was designed to counter this narrative. While the speakers certainly took their subjects seriously, they didn’t take themselves too seriously. Believe it or not, apologetics can be fun!
RTB is to be commended for so intentionally incorporating these principles (and more) into the AMP Conference. For the sake of the next generation, we need a continued renewal of apologetics in the church. But we can’t do apologetics the way we have always done it in the past. My hat is off to RTB, and I hope this is merely a sign of more good things to come from them and the church as a whole.
Sean McDowell, Ph.D. is a professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, a best-selling author of over 15 books, an internationally recognized speaker, and a part-time high school teacher. Follow him on Twitter: @sean_mcdowell and his blog at seanmcdowell.org.