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Disordered Affection and Allegiance

20 May 2023 | Andrew Fellows

This Pre-forum talk addresses the following topics:

1.       Desiring with a Disordered Affection: the Seduction of Hedonism
Hedonism encourages us to live by our appetites alone with the promise that this is the way to achieve the pleasure God made us for. The church’s enculturation means we have forgotten that Christ is our supreme good.

Disordered Trust and Vision

20 May 2023 | Andrew Fellows

1.       Living in a Disordered Trust: the Egoism Trap
This talk examines Egoism as a cultural value that promotes humans to the highest place and how this has infected the modern church. To overcome this aspect of our worldliness, we must recover the knowledge of Christ’s supreme glory.

What Does It Really Mean to Be Worldly?

20 May 2023 | Andrew Fellows

This Pre-forum talk addresses the following topics:

1.     What Does It Really Mean to Be Worldly? This talk begins by dismantling the trivial versions of what it means to be worldly.  The church becomes truly worldly when they forget who they are because they forget who Christ is.  This makes us lose our distinctive character so we blend in and become enculturated.

John's Gospel: The Author Who Is Present in the Story

21 May 2023 | Dirk Jongkind

Literary analysis can help us to see more in any written text, and Scripture is no exception. Without giving up on historicity, we trace in this talk how the ‘narrator’ functions in John’s gospel, how he is ever present, and what we can learn from this. 

How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like an Idiot

24 May 2023 | Andy Bannister

Many Christians are nervous to talk about their faith at work, university, or among their friends for fear of the consequences. In this very practical talk, Andy will help address this nervousness and introduce some easy-to-use tools for everyday conversational evangelism that anybody can use to share Jesus more confidently.

Neuroscience and Human Identity: Are We Just Our Brains?

21 May 2023 | Sharon Dirckx

What exactly are human beings? Are we advanced apes? Are we machines? Are we souls confined to a body? Questions of core human identity are central to many contemporary discussions. One often expressed view is that human beings are their brains. Our behaviours, choices, personality, even religious beliefs are dictated by the chemical and electrical activity in our neurons. Is this true? Or is there more to us than simply matter? If God is real, does that change how we think about this topic?

Developing an Online Apologetics Ministry

22 May 2023 | Bjorn Hinderaker

Through Damaris Norway and NLA University College we are strategically placed at the heart of a growing apologetic ministry in Norway, where online presence has been a significant part. Central in this growth has been the annual national “Veritas Conference” and the many strategic initiatives that have sprung from it. This talk focuses on the wider picture of how this ministry has developed, with a special focus on the online dimensions. The talk provides reflections on what we can learn from this experience about developing strategic online ministries.

Development and Strategic Planning: An Important Pyramid

22 May 2023 | Greg Long

In this talk we cover the importance of having a long-term vision and mission for your ministry. Most ministries do not have a well-conceived, organized strategic direction. But a strategic plan is so much more than words on a page. It provides a roadmap for relationships so everyone involved in your ministry, including staff, board, trustees, volunteers, donors and other stakeholders all know what the journey is – and more importantly where they can join you on the journey.