The words apologist and apologetics come from the Greek word apologia, which means to defend or to convince and persuade.  So when Peter writes, “Always be prepared to give a defense (apologia) for the hope that is within you,” he is teaching that Christians must be willing and able to communicate the gospel persuasively to their neighbours.

Europe today is in great need of gifted persuasive evangelists who, like the Apostle Paul, can demonstrate that Christianity is true and relevant.  The Forum's Apologetics Network Foundational Seminar is designed to train, mentor and resource Christians so they can effectively demonstrate that orthodox Christian beliefs are reasonable, true, and relevant for the 21st century.  This seminar provides the vision and strategy for a renaissance of apologetics in Europe today.

Applicants should be those with evangelistic or apologetic gifts who have NOT attended the European Leadership Forum Apologetics Network in previous years. The purpose of the Network is to train, mentor, equip and resource those evangelists and apologists who are seeking to communicate the Gospel in their local communities. This Network will be led by Andrew Fellows.  Also speaking in this Network are Dr Lars Dahle, Stefan Gustavsson, Dr Douglas Groothuis, Bjørn Hinderaker and Ellis Potter. Prior preparation will be set for all applicants.

Andrew Fellows is leader of the European Leadership Forum Foundational Apologetics Seminar.  He is the Director of L’Abri Fellowship in the United Kingdom.  L’Abri is a community dedicated to both demonstrating and explaining the truthfulness of Christianity.  It does so by opening its doors to hundreds of seekers who experience the hospitality of this community.  Andrew has travelled extensively throughout Europe lecturing to students, artists and politicians on a wide array of subjects. 

Lars Dahle is a theologian, educator, preacher and apologist. He works as Principal at Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication in Kristiansand, Norway, where he has lectured in worldviews, ethics and apologetics since 1991. Lars wrote his PhD on Acts 17:16-34. It is titled: An Apologetic Model Then and Now? (Open University, UK).  He is Chairman of Damaris Norway Steering Committee, a member of the European Leadership Forum Steering Committee and has previously served as Vice-Chairman of NKSS (the Norwegian student movement within IFES).  In addition, Lars leads the European Leadership Forum Media Communicators Network.

Douglas Groothuis received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Oregon. He is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, where he has served since 1993. He is the author of Unmasking the New Age, Confronting the New Age, Revealing the New Age Jesus, Christianity That Counts, Deceived by the Light, Jesus in an Age of Controversy, The Soul in Cyberspace, Truth Decay, On Pascal, and On Jesus. He has written for journals such as Religious Studies, Sophia, Research in Philosophy and Technology, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Philosophia Christi, Trinity Journal and Asbury Theological Journal, as well as for numerous popular magazines such as Christianity Today, Moody Magazine and Christian Counseling Today. His books have been translated into French, German, Korean, Norwegian and several other languages. Groothuis's primary passion is to make Christian truth known in contemporary culture and in the church. To that end, he speaks at many colleges and universities on apologetics and ethical themes. He is married to author and editor Rebecca Merrill Groothuis.

Stefan Gustavsson is co-leader of the European Apologetics Network  Advanced Seminar and a member of the European Leadership Forum Steering Committee.  He is director of Credo Academy, a Christian study centre in Stockholm, which focuses on cultural analysis, worldview studies, apologetics and evangelism. He is the author of a book on Christian apologetics, and writes regularly for different Swedish magazines.  Stefan also serves as General Secretary of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance. 

Bjørn Hinderaker is an Assistant Professor at Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication, a Christian university with accredited degrees in Journalism and Communication, where he teaches Ethical Theory and Christian Apologetics. He is also a part-time senior pastor in a local church with regular preaching and teaching appointments there and in the surrounding region. Bjørn has been a missionary to Kenya and was recently involved in the founding of Damaris Norway, an organisation which is seeking to relate biblical faith to contemporary culture. He has extensive experience as a speaker on biblical, cultural and apologetic topics.

Ellis Potter, a native Californian, is a former Buddhist monk who became a Christian under the influence and ministry of the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer.  He worked for many years with Schaeffer at L’Abri Fellowship, Switzerland and was the pastor of the Basel Christian Fellowship for ten years.  Potter’s unique background includes music and the arts, theology and philosophy, which qualifies him to lecture on a variety of subjects including the relevancy of Christianity to the arts and modern philosophical and social movements.  He often lectures on a comparison of Biblical and other worldviews, seeking to establish the clear truth of God’s Word.  He now works as an independent missionary, based in Basel, Switzerland and directs most of his attention and energies eastward to the developing nations of Central and Eastern Europe.  He is co-founder of Eastern European Renewal (EER).

Day 1

The Vision and Strategy of the Apologetics Network

Bjørn Hinderaker

This session will provide participants with a basic overview of the European Apologetics Network.  It will present the biblical basis for apologetics, briefly explore the pressing need for a strong apologetics movement in Europe, discuss the Forum’s vision for creating and sustaining such a movement and provide illustrations of how the Forum is currently working to make this vision a reality both at the annual Forum conference and throughout the year. 

Christianity Is True: The Right Relationship of Faith and Reason

Andrew Fellows

Understanding the connection between faith and reason is foundational to apologetics.  In our engagement with unbelievers, we confront a range of options in how 'faith' and 'reason' relate to each other.  There are a number of fallacies that need to be exposed (many of which are also held by believers).  In this talk we explore five models, expose 'untruths' and lay down the proper connection between the two reflecting the reality that Christianity is a REASONABLE FAITH.

Day 2

Acts 17 and the Biblical Basis for Apologetics

Lars Dahle

Despite its prominence historically, apologetics is seen as controversial in many Christian circles. Where and when it is practised, contemporary apologetics is often characterised by a neglect of biblical foundations and models. This lecture seeks to identify, explore and apply such key biblical material. The focus will be on Acts 17:16-34 as a relevant case study.

Comprehensive Spirituality

Ellis Potter

If we grew spiritually, what would that look like?  Do we become more transcendent and less visible?  This lecture explores the spiritual nature of people as originally created by God and the spirituality of the resurrected Christ.   It helps people to understand the lordship of Christ over all of life. 

Day 3

Outthinking and Outliving the World for Christ: An Apologetic for Apologetics

Doug Groothuis

Christian witness today requires a Spirit-led and biblically faithful apologetic before the watching world. This talk will develop a biblical and logical case for apologetics, focusing on the spirituality of the apologist and the range of arguments that support a Christian worldview.

Jesus as Apologist

Stefan Gustavsson

Jesus was a preacher, healer…and an apologist!  This session will explore the role of apologetics in Jesus’ ministry by examining John 5, a passage which provides an excellent example of how Jesus related to the questions and objections of his contemporaries.  It will conclude with a discussion of how Jesus’ model of apologetic engagement can and should mould and shape the modern apologetic task.

Day 4

Comparative Worldviews

Ellis Potter

How do we understand the people with whom we are trying to communicate? Do we start with questions when we talk to people? Or with answers? How do we even know which issues are important to address? How should a Christian relate to radically different worldviews? How can we understand how and why intelligent and lovely people maintain a very unbiblical worldview? In this session, we address questions such as these while systematically discussing the major competitors to the Christian worldview.

How Christ Calls Us To Relate To Culture

Andrew Fellows

As creatures made in the image of the Creator we both shape culture and are shaped by culture.  This makes our relationship to culture an intrinsic part of being human. Understanding the nature of this relationship is foundational for the task of apologetics as the people we engage for the gospel are also embedded in culture.  In this talk we explore two core theological truths that determine the nature of this connection.