By Sharon Mager
OLNEY, Md.—Olney Baptist Church will host the Greater Washington Apologetics Conference from 8:30 am to 4 pm on April 9.
The event will feature at least eight speakers, and the format will be similar to the popular “Ted Talks,” with each speaker sharing on a topic for about twenty minutes followed by ten minutes for questions and answers.
“Apologetics is crucial in this day and age,” said Olney Baptist Church Pastor Brian Tubbs. “We live in a post modern era and many Christians are not able to really explain what they believe and how to defend it. We’re losing a lot of young people because of this,” he said.
Some of the topics include, “Why should I believe in God?”, “Are all religions the same?”, “Are God and Allah the same?, and “Are demons and angels real?”
Speakers are Ron Blankenship, Montgomery Baptist Association director of missions; Colin Seager, senior pastor of Derwood Bible Church, Derwood, MD; Michael Mattar, pastor of Hope Fellowship Community Church, Sterling, VA, and a language church planting strategist for the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network; Daniel Abraham, who will discuss Islam, Marcia Montenegro, founder of Christian Answers for the New Age (CANA); Jon Waller, associate pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA; and Brian Tubbs, senior pastor, Olney Baptist Church.
“This conference is important because our faith must be well thought through, said Colin Seager, who will speak on the topic, “Why would an all-powerful, loving God allow evil? Why did He create the devil?”
“For the question I’ve been given, we see evil and suffering all the time,” Seager said. “Americans are worried about ISIS. We’re worried about those who would harm us in our neighborhoods and such. Answering the question of the existence of evil is very important for Christians…for the strength of our own faith but also our ability to communicate our faith to others,” Seager explained.
Ron Blankenship will share during the breakfast, speaking on the topic of, “Ready to Give an Answer.” He’ll refer to those who were seeking after an unknown god based on Acts 17:16-34, “…about being ready to dialogue with anyone seeking God and explain to them that Jesus Christ is the Unique Son of God in a world which believes in many false gods,” said Blankenship.
Michael Mattar will address the common misperception that “all religions are the same.”
Marcia Montenegro, who leads the ministry “Christian Answers for the New Age,” will share the truth about angels and demons. Montenegro was a professional astrologer with clients from a wide range of New Age religion including Wiccans and pagans, Hare Krishna devotees, Silva Mind trainees, followers of Rajneesh, Sai Baba, Muktananda, and others. She both taught astrology and wrote for New Age publications, conducted workshops and was featured on various television shows.
After accepting Christ, Montenegro turned her energies to helping Christians understand alternative religions and occult beliefs and to respond to those involved in such religions by sharing the truth and love of Jesus Christ.
For more information about the event, see the church website. Register online. The cost is $20 and includes a light breakfast and a lunch.