Apologetics: Foundational

Lars Dahle is a theologian, educator, preacher, and apologist. He works as Principal at Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication in Kristiansand, Norway, where he has lectured in worldviews, ethics, and apologetics since 1991. He wrote his PhD on Acts 17:16-34. It is titled: An Apologetic Model Then and Now? (Open University, UK). He is Chairman of Damaris Norway Steering Committee, a member of the European Leadership Forum Steering Committee, and has previously served as Vice-Chairman of NKSS (the Norwegian student movement within IFES). In addition, he leads the European Leadership Forum Media Communicators Network with his wife, Margunn.

Stefan Gustavsson is co-leader of the European Apologetics Network: Advanced Track and a member of the European Leadership Forum Steering Committee. He is director of Credo Academy, a Christian study centre in Stockholm, which focuses on cultural analysis, worldview studies, apologetics, and evangelism. He is the author of a book on Christian apologetics, and writes regularly for different Swedish magazines. He also serves as General Secretary of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance.

Ellis Potter, a native Californian, is a former Buddhist monk who became a Christian under the influence and ministry of the late Dr Francis Schaeffer. He worked for many years with Schaeffer at L’Abri Fellowship, Switzerland, and was the pastor of the Basel Christian Fellowship for ten years. His unique background includes music and the arts, theology, and philosophy, which qualifies him to lecture on a variety of subjects, including the relevancy of Christianity to the arts, and modern philosophical and social movements. He often lectures on a comparison of biblical and other worldviews, seeking to establish the clear truth of God’s Word. He now works as an independent missionary, based in Basel, Switzerland, and directs most of his attention and energies eastward to the developing nations of Central and Eastern Europe. He is co-founder of Eastern European Renewal (EER).

Day 1

The Vision and Strategy of the Apologetics Network
Bjørn Hinderaker

This session will provide participants with a basic overview of the European Apologetics Network. It will present the biblical basis for apologetics, briefly explore the pressing need for a strong apologetics movement in Europe, discuss the Forum’s vision for creating and sustaining such a movement, and provide illustrations of how the Forum is currently working to make this vision a reality both at the annual Forum conference and throughout the year.

The Lordship of Christ Over All of Life: How We Use Our Minds
Andrew Fellows

No one who is a believer would consciously deny the full Lordship of Jesus Christ. There are, however, a number of ways we inadvertently diminish His Lordship. This talk explores how a diminished Lordship impacts the way we use our minds as believers. A strong foundation for apologetics must begin with an acknowledgment of Christ's full Lordship. How ought this to impact the way we think?

Day 2

Acts 17 and the Biblical Basis for Apologetics
Lars Dahle

Despite its prominence historically, apologetics is seen as controversial in many Christian circles. Where and when it is practised, contemporary apologetics is often characterised by a neglect of biblical foundations and models. This lecture seeks to identify, explore, and apply such key biblical material. The focus will be on Acts 17:16-34 as a relevant case study.

Comprehensive Spirituality
Ellis Potter

If we grew spiritually, what would that look like? Do we become more transcendent and less visible? This lecture explores the spiritual nature of people as originally created by God and the spirituality of the resurrected Christ. It helps people to understand the lordship of Christ over all of life.

Day 3

Jesus as Apologist
Stefan Gustavsson

Jesus was a preacher, healer…and an apologist! This session will explore the role of apologetics in Jesus’ ministry by examining John 5, a passage which provides an excellent example of how Jesus related to the questions and objections of his contemporaries. It will conclude with a discussion of how Jesus’ model of apologetic engagement can and should mould and shape the modern apologetic task.

Comparative Worldviews
Ellis Potter

How do we understand the people with whom we are trying to communicate? Do we start with questions when we talk to people? Or with answers? How do we even know which issues are important to address? How should a Christian relate to radically different worldviews? How can we understand how and why intelligent and lovely people maintain a very unbiblical worldview? In this session, we address questions such as these while systematically discussing the major competitors to the Christian worldview.

Day 4

Christianity Is True: The Right Relationship Between Faith and Reason
Andrew Fellows

Understanding the connection between faith and reason is foundational to apologetics. In our engagement with unbelievers, we confront a range of options in how 'faith' and 'reason' relate to each other. There are a number of fallacies that need to be exposed (many of which are also held by believers). In this talk we explore five models, expose 'untruths,' and lay down the proper connection between the two reflecting the reality that Christianity is a REASONABLE FAITH.

Led Discussion and Q&A
Andrew Fellows