Great Commission Apologetics Conference Schedule of Speakers and Topics Sunday February 15th: Plenary Session 7:45-9PM Dr. Richard Land

Prior to becoming the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary, Richard Land served as the President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Currently, he serves as the Executive Editor of The Christian Post. Dr. Land was appointed to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2001 and was

subsequently reappointed to three additional terms of service through 2012. In 2007, The Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement was established by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where Dr. Land is a Visiting Professor. Dr. Land also received the Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth from Biola University in 2010. In 2012 Dr. Land received The Champions of Justice Award, presented by the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (also known as the Hispanic Evangelical Association).

Dr. Richard Land is a well-respected commentator on issues related to religion, politics, history and culture, and has appeared in thousands of media interviews in most major media outlets over the course of his career.

Title of Talk: Apologetics: The Key to Missions, Evangelism, and Discipleship in the Twenty-First Century

Sunday, February 15th Breakouts (6:30-7:30pm): Adam Tucker:

Adam Tucker holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from University of North Carolina, and is pursuing an M.A. in Apologetics and in Philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary. While still working as a freelance graphic designer, he also serves as a Mission Service Corp missionary with Pleasant Garden Baptist Church; he is both a Certified Apologetics Instructor and an Interfaith Evangelism

Specialist with the North American Mission Board, and serves as the campus director for the UNC Greensboro chapter of Ratio Christi. Adam's goals are to, one, equip the saints to think and take the blindfolds off their faith, and two, help unbelievers, regardless of their worldview, understand the truthfulness of Christianity and why it alone is trustworthy.

Title of Talk: It’s Only Natural: Responding to Popular Arguments for Homosexual Behaviour and Same-Sex “Marriage.”

Synopsis: One cannot live in our culture and not engage in the debate regarding homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage. Generally, approaching these issues in the public square by simply saying, "The Bible says..." will not get you very far. This presentation examines the natural law case against homosexual behavior and same-sex "marriage" and responds to several popular arguments used to promote and rationalize such thinking. Care is given to address these issues in a sensitive and respectful, though uncompromisingly biblical, way.

Dianna Newman:

Dianna Newman holds an Hon. B.Sc. with a double major in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Toronto, and an M.A. from Southern Evangelical Seminary, in Apologetics and Philosophy. Dianna’s passion is to help equip college and university students defend their faith while on the secular campus or in the marketplace; as a member of TEAM, she travels both nationally and internationally to speak at universities,

churches, women's conferences, and community events. Dianna is a member of the speaking team for the International Society of Women in Apologetics (ISWA).

Title of Talk: Christianity and New Age Movement.

Synopsis: Christianity is accused of being New Age and the New Age Movement is called Christianity. Is there any truth at all to these claims? In this session, we will uncover both the theological and philosophical differences between Christianity and the New Age Movement and see why it’s vital that every Christian know the difference.

Jim Damron:

Jim received his BA in Biology/Spanish from Queens University, his MA in Intercultural Studies from Columbia International University, and is completing his MDiv from SES. Jim also holds an AS in Respiratory Care and has worked as a Respiratory Therapist for the past 16 years mostly in critical care. Title of Talk: Is Today A Good Day To Die? The Changing Landscape of Healthcare Ethics in the 21st Century

Synopsis: Ethical decision-making has shifted its focus over the past generation. In this talk we will discuss this focal shift from where it was to where it is now and where it may be headed.

Dr. Brian Huffling:

Dr. Brian Huffling’s research interests include: Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Theology, Philosophical Hermeneutics, and general issues in Apologetics and Biblical studies. Dr. Huffling has been involved in various types of ministry, including 2 American churches as well as 2 Korean churches (in America). He has served in the Marines, Navy, and is currently a chaplain in the Air Force

reserves at the United States Air Force Academy. Dr. Huffling has taught for The Art Institute of Charlotte as well as Arborbrook Christian Academy. Title of Talk: Apologetics How to Teach It and What Resources to Use. Cornelie Brace:

Nel Brace holds a B.A. and Diploma of Higher Education from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, and an M.A. degree in Philosophy with a major in Philosophy and Biblical Studies from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Nel’s interest in apologetics and the Christian mind was prompted by her interaction with Muslims and those of other world views at Speaker’s

Corner in London. Here she became aware of her personal lack of training in Christian thinking and the need for such training in the church at large. Title of Talk: The Christian Mind as Pertaining to Women.

Synopsis: The study of theology proper, philosophical theology, and apologetics has traditionally been dominated by male thinkers. The relatively small number of noteworthy female scholars in these disciplines attest to this. Why is this the case? Is the content of these disciplines of little or no value for women? What is a Christian woman's responsibility as pertaining to her mind? And is there spiritual and practical value in cultivating well developed Christian thinking? This presentation will explore these and other related questions and will evaluate the importance of the life of the mind as pertaining to the Christian woman.

Monday February 16th Plenary Session 7:45-9PM Simon Brace:

Simon Brace holds a B.A. in Religious Studies, an M.A. in Apologetics and an M.A. in Philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Simon serves as the Director of Evangelism at Southern Evangelical Seminary and leads TEAM on local, national, and international events. Simon also serves on the Board for Ratio Christi, which is a student campus ministry devoted to developing the Christian mind in light of the

ideological challenges that confront students while on the college and university campus.

Title of Talk: Spiritual Warfare Synopsis: What are the principalities and powers of this world? Are ideologies a part of spiritual warfare? This subject is one of the most important and misunderstood subjects in the Church. This talk will take a look that the true nature of spiritual warfare

Monday February 16th Breakouts 6:30-7:30PM: Simon Brace:

Title of Talk: Evangelism in the New Testament: Synopsis: In an age of skepticism evangelism remains one of the most challenging tasks for many Christians. There are many books that have been written about evangelism. This talk will briefly examine some of the current methods and their strengths and weaknesses. It will focus primarily on some of the instances of evangelism found in the Scriptures in order to derive a biblical model of evangelism.

Kevin Duffy:

Kevin hails from Nebraska where he graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1994. He and his wife moved from Richmond, VA, to Fayetteville in 1998 and have attended Village since that time.

Kevin joined the Village staff in 2007. Kevin oversees VBC’s evangelistic and adult discipleship efforts. Kevin has facilitated & organized Apologetics /Evangelism conferences and training seminars in New York City, NY, Southport/Wilmington, NC, as well as in Uganda, Democratic

Republic of Congo, and Honduras. In addition, he has spoken and worked on evangelistic missions in Hungary and Romania.

Title of Talk: World Changing Apologists: Preparing the Next Generation to Reach our World for Christ

Chris van Allsburg:

Chris Van Allsburg is as bright as he is hilarious, and the team is pleased to have recruited a scholar who manages to make every student and ministry partner feel like they have a new big brother. Chris is the Chapter Director at Lenoir-Rhyne University, serves as an RC Academy curriculum developer, and is a seasonal Itinerant Apologist for the RC International team in Africa. His undergraduate and graduate degrees are in Literature, Biblical Languages, Theology, and Philosophy; he

studied at Western Michigan University, Grace Theological Seminary, and Southern Evangelical Seminary. Chris and his wife Monica are stationed in Hickory, North Carolina, where Chris also manages to homeschool their three daughters (being sure to teach them Latin and Hebrew while they're still in primary school because that's what nerdy apologists do).

Title of Talk: How much evidence do I need in order to believe the Bible? Synopsis: After a stressful day, Bill and his wife decide to watch the latest documentary on A&E’s “Mysteries of the Bible,” where scholar Pete, who claims to be an orthodox Christian says there is no evidence whatsoever for the Exodus, and that the Old Testament account is a myth, and is best understood as a theological and moral lesson. Upon seeing the program, Bill experiences an “epistemic crisis” (his wife, fortunately, fell asleep during the program). Bill wonders, “How could scholar Pete, who is an orthodox Christian, say the Exodus never happened, and why would he say such things?” This talk will discuss the theory of knowledge (epistemology) and how evidence (or even the lack of it) fits into believing the historical reliability of the Bible, namely, the Exodus account.

Tuesday February 17th Plenary Session 7:45-9PM Thomas McCuddy:

Thomas McCuddy has been serving in the church since he was 17 years old. A native of Memphis, TN, Thomas earned a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics before attending Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte where he earned his Master’s in Biblical Studies and Apologetics and where he now pursues a Doctorate of Ministry. Currently, Thomas ministers as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Dublin, NC, while also serving as Professor of Apologetics and Biblical Languages at Carolina College of Biblical

Studies in Fayetteville, NC. Thomas’ passion is to disciple believers to live their faith consistently and think deeply and logically about their faith. To this end he pastors and writes on his blog at faithdefense.com

Title of Talk: Allah vs Yahweh

Synopsis: Many today claim that Islam is a religion of peace and worships the same God as Christians. People say this frequently, but is it true? If Allah and Yahweh were pitted against each other, would God be shadow boxing? And what name would He go by and why? Rather than setting up a duel as did Elijah on Mt. Carmel between Baal and Yahweh, this talk seeks to answer the question by setting up a duel between the Allah as presented in the Qur’an and Yahweh as presented in the Christian Bible. May the best and true God win.

Tuesday February 17th Breakouts 6:30-7:45PM Robert Kornegay:

Robert and Josie have been members of Chapel By The Sea since 1981. Active in his church and community, Robert’s custom home-building company constructed the classroom additions at the Chapel and the sets of the outdoor drama Worthy Is The Lamb. Robert also served as the founding board chairman of the Coastal Pregnancy Care Center in Morehead City.

In 1990 the Kornegays joined Mercy Ships for over a decade of missionary service in more than 30 nations in Europe, Africa, and Central America. Robert subsequently led the Relief and Development program on the M/V Anastasis in Africa, the Mercy Ships Center in Switzerland, and the Resource Development program at the International Operations Center in Texas. In 2001 the Kornegays returned to Carteret County for Josie to care for her elderly mother. Robert continued to represent Mercy Ships while serving as part-time associate pastor at Chapel By The Sea. In 2005 Robert was accepted into the Veritas Graduate School of Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Kornegays moved to the Charlotte area, where Robert worked the seminary administration as he earned his Master of Arts in Religion. The Kornegays returned to Carteret County in 2008 for Robert to serve as Director of the Carteret General Hospital Foundation for two years. In addition to his part-time pastoral duties at Chapel By The Sea, Robert currently serves on the boards of the Carteret Pregnancy Care Center and the QH2O Ministry, a Christian non-profit funding water projects for the poor around the world. Robert is also a commentator on FaithMatters, a Christian radio talk show aired each week on WTKF 107.1 FM and WJNC 1240-AM.

Title of Talk: 3-D Evangelism: Demonstrate Mercy, Defend Truth, & Declare the Good News

Jason McCraken: After becoming a Christian the summer following his senior year in high school, Jason majored in Religious Studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. He then received his Masters in Religion from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC and is currently working towards a PhD in Philosophy of Religion at Southern Evangelical Seminary. Through this journey his focus of interest has been on Comparative Religions, Philosophy and Arguments for God's Existence. Jason now lives in Huntersville, NC with his

wife Anna and their three kids. Title of Talk: Of Elephants and Men: Making Sense of Truth and Tolerance Synopsis: What is truth? What is tolerance? People define these concepts in different ways. Many in society say truth is relative and that if you do not accept the beliefs of others as true then you are being intolerant. But is a relative view of truth coherent? And is this picture of tolerance truly tolerant? Does an absolute view of truth necessarily lead to intolerance or can it actually lead to the most respectful approach to the beliefs of others? Our aim will be to explore these questions and ask what Christians should do with truth and tolerance.

Nathan Pierce: Title of Talk: TBA

Wednesday February 18th Plenary Session 7-9PM Dr. Frank Turek

Dr. Frank Turek is a dynamic speaker and award-winning author or coauthor of three books: Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to make their Case, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, Correct, Not Politically Correct and Legislating Morality. As the President of CrossExamined.org, Frank impacts young and old alike at colleges, high schools and churches with hard yet entertaining evidence for Christianity.

Frank hosts a hour long TV program each week called I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist that is broadcast Wednesday nights on DirecTV Channel 378 (the NRB Network). His radio program called CrossExamined with Frank Turek airs on 144 stations every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. eastern and is available continuously on the freeCrossExamined App. Frank also writes a column for Townhall.com and has appeared on many TV and radio programs including: The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, Faith under Fire, and Politically Incorrect. He has debated atheist Christopher Hitchens twice and several others. A former Aviator in the U.S. Navy, Frank has a Masters from George Washington University and a Doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He and his wife Stephanie are blessed with three grown sons. Title: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist