Way Truth Life Apologetics

As a person who has developed a passion for apologetics starting back in 2009, I had not yet attended a conference. I’ve read numerous books, listened to hundreds upon hundreds of podcasts, but had never gone to an apologetics event. That changed this past weekend. In September 2021, while listening to the Stand To Reason (STR) podcast, Greg Koukl (founder and president) mentioned that they had locked in a location to hold their annual Reality Student Apologetics Conference in the northeastern US; this location happens to be less than 50 miles away from where I live. So, as soon as tickets became available, I purchased 2, one for me, and one for my teenage daughter.

   STR as an organization and individuals, have a love and concern for youth. They collectively strive to equip the next generation of believers to have the resources to engage the culture and be bold and confident witnesses for Jesus. This focus was on full display as the speakers gave their talks at this recent conference.

   To kick off the first session, Jon Noyes moderated a staged debate between Alan Shlemon (Mr Chaos) and Tim Barnett (Mr Clarity). Two things made this presentation personably memorable: 1) prior to the start, Jon Noyes introduced himself to my daughter and I and inquired if she would like to be one of the students who would ask a question for the “debaters” to engage (she did and she killed it) and 2) the session ended with a rap battle between Chaos & Clarity (which made my daughter realize this was not going to be a day and a half of Sunday church sermons). She was locked in and excited!

   Session 2 was brought by the wonderful Monique Dusan, raised in Los Angeles and with an attitude wholly embracing teachings in line with CRT (Critical Race Theory). She began her talk controversially, with many in the crowd likely wondering what she was doing at a Christian conference as a speaker. Having heard Ms. Duson on podcasts before, I had an idea that she was setting up her topic by being controversial to draw the crowd in and elicit a response, then she explained how God brought conviction on her and she realized the incompatibility between her attitude towards race relations and the Christian worldview. Before this session ended, Greg Koukl joined Ms Duson on stage and conducted an interview to probe further some of the nuances and talking points often given regarding the issue. It was a powerful presentation and very timely in this current cultural climate.

   Session 3 began Saturday morning with Morgan Almon speaking to the issue of abortion. Using a children’s story to lay a foundation upon which she would build her case, Mrs. Almon adeptly navigated this sensitive, emotionally charged, controversial, and politically divisive topic, all the while projecting compassion and care. One of my main takeaways from her talk is this: that when discussing / debating the issue of abortion, we are interacting with another human being. Regardless how the other person presents their case in support of abortion, he / she is a human, made in God’s image, and has intrinsic value and worth, just like the unborn children we are trying to protect and defend. This is not something where the Christian / pro-life advocate should be callous, dismissive, or hyper-critical / offensive when making our case.

   Following Session 3 was the first of two break-out sessions. Here, my daughter and I parted ways for a short while as I stayed to hear J Warner Wallace’s presentation regarding Christianity and Science and my daughter wanted to hear Tim Barnett’s presentation regarding Creation, Fine-Tuning, and the existence of God. I will admit some bias here; I believe Jim Wallace is a phenomenal speaker having interacted with him in a handful of Zoom meetings in recent months as part of the launch party group for his most recent book Person Of Interest. As thrilled as I was to see Jim speak in person, I was not going to force my daughter to stay with me if she was interested in another topic a different speaker was presenting.

   After lunch, Session 4 was brought to us by Becket Cook, who addressed the topic of sex and homosexuality. If you have not heard Mr Cook’s testimony, I do not want to take away from it at all. I highly recommend hearing it on one of several podcasts he has been on and / or reading his book (I picked up a copy to add to my already too long reading list). What I will say regarding Mr Cook’s talk is this: Jesus saves & no one is too far gone for Him to find you! Similar to Ms Dusan’s talk, this session wrapped with Jon Noyes interviewing Mr Cook, digging deeper into some of the questions and concerns that many youths struggle with personally, within their families, and / or with friends.

   Break-out session 2 followed, and my daughter & I wandered to where Greg Koukl was presenting his Tactics method for engaging in conversation. If you haven’t heard Greg on his podcast or read his book Tactics, again, I’m not going to steal his thunder. Greg’s Tactics book is a must have for Christians; please get a copy! His winsome and caring attitude that has led him through 50+ years of ministry and evangelism was easily apparent for those in attendance. I glanced at my daughter several times during the talk and she was absolutely focused on what Greg was sharing; I believe a passion for apologetics was being kindled in her.

   Session 5 was our last talk, brought by Jim Wallace, who spoke on Jesus and other religions. Similar to his break-out session, Jim summarized the first half of Person Of Interest and then transitioned to the cultural impact of Jesus on world religions, even those that pre-date Christianity. It is quite intriguing that most (if not all) earlier religions have adopted some aspect of Jesus into their teachings and doctrines. While other religions have acknowledged Jesus in their beliefs, Jesus does not return the favor. Instead, He declares He is the only way to God; no exceptions.

   Bottom line, I cannot imagine a better way to have spent 1 ½ days with my teenage daughter than worshipping and learning with a gathering of approximately 1,000 brothers and sisters in Christ. The time and energy invested by STR and the host church is greatly appreciated! These Reality conferences are annual events, held in 6 different locations across the US. If you have the opportunity to attend, I cannot encourage you enough to make the effort. I used two vacation days to be able to go with my daughter and the return on investment is exponential. Not only was I blessed with daddy / daughter bonding time, which is more valuable now that she’s in high school, but the opportunity to disciple and equip her to interact with these topics is priceless.

My daughter has been very inquisitive, asking a variety of questions, and often my answers are drawn from this very group of speakers we heard from and met in person. It was awesome to introduce her to my source material providers! I hope you will have the same opportunity to share this experience with your child(ren), youth group, etc. The speakers with STR are approachable and available during the breaks, and they love to engage personally with people. Christians cannot bury their heads in the sand in the face of the culture. We stand on truth, which brings hope, freedom, and peace. Jesus is not meant to be someone we keep quietly to ourselves; we need to share Him and STR’s Reality Conference helps show us how to do exactly that! My daughter and I cannot wait till next year’s conference (March 24-25, 2023) and my middle school age son will come along for that one, too!

~In Christ!