Alex McFarland–and others–has noticed some threats to this generation, and future generations.
One of those threats is hostility toward the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“There are people all around us that don’t know Christ as Savior and uninformed about Christianity. Not only do they not know, but people are growing increasingly biased against Christianity,” McFarland explains.
He cites that example of a highly publicized billboard from this past Christmas. The billboard bore an image of the manger scene, but the text read, “It’s a myth.” Shortly thereafter, McFarland was on television engaged a debate. From that appearance, he received e-mails about the topic–many of them indicating surprise about the hostility toward the Gospel.
McFarland explains that there are threats from without the church, such as this hostility, but there is just as great a threat from within the church: biblical illiteracy.
“Many studies show that within the church there is not only unfamiliarity with the Bible, but a lack of knowledge about other belief systems,” says McFarland of the grim findings. “Of all beliefs in the country evangelical Christians are least informed about other religions–even their own. One researcher even found that some of the atheists knew more about Christian history than Christians.”
Through the upcoming seminar at The Cove, he, along with Frank Turk, an expert ofnthe biblical knowledge of God and Gary Habermas, resurrection expert, will equip the seminar attendees to better know truth for themselves and share the Gospel with others. The primary questions that they will examine are:
- What is the Christian worldview?
- What worldviews compete against Christianity?
- What evidence do we have that Christianity is true?
The Word of God commands us to (gently) defend our faith (1 Peter 3:15), and the three want to equip the church to do just that.
“I want this to not only inspire and encourage the seminar attendees, but I want them to leave equipped and empowered. My hope is that they will go home more able to share their faith confidently in any situation,” says McFarland. “I want this to change people’s walk and witness and draw them into deep intimacy with God.”
Alex McFarland, a renowned Bible teacher, author, and apologetics-based evangelist, is former president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and Veritas Graduate School. He is also host of the nationally syndicated radio program “Truth Talk Live.” He previously served as Focus on the Family’s first director of teen apologetics.
Gary Habermas is a distinguished professor and department chair of philosophy at Liberty University and the author of more than 35 books.
Frank Turek is a renowned speaker, award-winning author, and a former vice president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He hosts the TV program “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist” and the radio program “Cross Examined with Frank Turek.”