Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig among speakers at Prestonwood apologetics conference<\/h2>\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/assets\/img\/icon\/chat-rect.svg\")
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<\/source><\/picture>Jeremiah Johnston, Lee Strobel and Justin Brierley on stage during Prestonwood Biblical Worldview Conference Sept. 24, 2023.<\/span> | Courtesy photo via Facebook\/Prestonwood Christian Academy School System<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nStudents from more than a dozen schools in and around North Texas gathered this week at Prestonwood Baptist Church for what organizers are calling the nation\u2019s \u201cpremiere\u201d Christian worldview conference.<\/p>\n
Hosted by Jeremiah J. Johnston, the dean of spiritual development at Prestonwood Christian Academy, and featuring a speaker lineup that included author Lee Strobel, Prestonwood Senior Pastor Jack Graham, and apologist William Lane Craig, the Biblical Worldview Conference<\/a> is aimed at equipping believers to respond to mainstream cultural views with the truth of the Gospel.<\/p>\nWhile the conference has been an ongoing event since 2005 \u2014 including last year, which saw over 3,000 registrations both in-person and online \u2014 this year\u2019s theme was focused on the character of Jesus as the great \u201cI AM\u201d of the Old Testament and \u201chow to look like Jesus and act like Jesus in the increasingly complex world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strobel, whose book The Case For Christ<\/em> has sold more than 14 million copies, pointed the audience to two main findings of modern science that have led to the conclusion that God is, in fact, real.<\/p>\nFirst, said Strobel, is the study of the origin of the universe, known as cosmology, which, as science now overwhelmingly states, supports the idea of a universe that is not eternal, but rather one that began to exist at a point in the ancient past.<\/p>\n
Even if one were to concede to the multiverse theory \u2014 which states that our universe is one of a near-infinite number of universes in existence \u2014 Strobel said this still suggests a beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever begins to exist has a cause,\u201d he said. \u201c… We now know the universe began to exist, so it must have a cause.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Strobel, there are two main challenges to the theory of special creation: the popular atheist\u2019s question of \u201cThen who created God?\u201d and the theory advanced by the late astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who suggested that because gravity exists, the universe can indeed create itself from nothing.<\/p>\n
Both cases, said Strobel, fail to grapple with an ultimate \u201cfirst cause,\u201d one which must be transcendent, immaterial, eternal, powerful, personal, intelligent, creative and loving.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf gravity caused [the universe], where did gravity come from?\u201d he said. \u201cYou still need a Creator. Hawking\u2019s theory fails to do away with God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second finding of modern science that supports the existence of God, Strobel added, is the historical record of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he called the \u201clynchpin of our faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave the audience four key terms to help summarize the evidence of the resurrection:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Execution: Jesus was truly dead after the Cross, a fact demonstrated even in texts from Josephus and other secular historians;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Early: within months of the crucifixion of Christ, we have early accounts of the subsequent resurrection of Jesus, most notably the Apostle Paul\u2019s first letter to the church at Corinth, which was circulated during the lifetime of Jesus\u2019 contemporaries, who could have easily contradicted these reports;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Empty: the tomb in which Jesus was buried is empty, a fact, Strobel said, which even His enemies admitted but pinned rather on the disciples\u2019 alleged theft of the body, which Strobel called akin to saying \u201cthe dog ate my homework;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Eyewitnesses: Jesus, said Strobel, appeared alive in a dozen different instances to more than 500 different people.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With these historical truths on our side, he added, Christians have no reason not to share Christ with everyone they know.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a world out there that needs to know this,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a world out there dying who needs to know this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Barnett, a Canadian adjunct Bible and science teacher and speaker for the Christian apologetics ministry Stand to Reason, expanded upon Strobel\u2019s argument for the statistical impossibility of a finely-tuned universe by taking students to the words of Psalm 8<\/a>: \u201cWhen I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established, What is man that You remember him, And the son of man that You care for him?\u201d<\/p>\nCovering the historical trends of long-standing theory of geocentrism to Copernicus\u2019 introduction of heliocentrism in the 1500s, Barnett spoke on secular science\u2019s \u201cprinciple of mediocrity,\u201d which essentially states that far from being God\u2019s footstool, the Earth is hardly unique or special in any way.<\/p>\n
In fact, said Barnett, some of the best evidence for a Maker is found in the reality of the universe\u2019s fine tuning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn naturalism, if there is no Creator there is no Savior,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there is no maker, then you\u2019re just stardust \u2026 you have to create your own meaning, and that\u2019s exhausting, by the way.<\/p>\n
But it was Graham\u2019s impassioned argument against the trend of \u201cdeconstruction\u201d that provided what was perhaps the conference\u2019s most visceral message.<\/p>\n
Teaching out of John 6, Graham said the objective of every Christian is to \u201cconstruct faith, not deconstruct.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed to Jesus\u2019 challenge to the disciples after His \u201chard teaching\u201d led many to \u201cturn back and no longer follow Him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey couldn’t take it and they left,\u201d said Graham. \u201cWhatever faith they had, they deconstructed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The longtime Prestonwood pastor said the purpose of the conference was to not only deepen and develop their faith in Christ, but to \u201cbelieve and be confident that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are incurably religious, instinctively religious,\u201d Graham said in regard to non-Christian faiths. \u201cAnd many people who turn from Jesus Christ turn to other religions, false religions, in reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c… Buddha is still in the grave. Confucius is still in the grave. Muhammad is dead. And every founder of every major religion in the world no longer lives. Yet the claim of the Christian faith is, Jesus has the words of eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/images\/cache\/image\/15\/05\/150521_w_760_507.webp\")
<\/source><\/picture>Students from more than a dozen schools in and around North Texas gathered this week at Prestonwood Baptist Church for what organizers are calling the nation\u2019s \u201cpremiere\u201d Christian worldview conference.<\/p>\n
Hosted by Jeremiah J. Johnston, the dean of spiritual development at Prestonwood Christian Academy, and featuring a speaker lineup that included author Lee Strobel, Prestonwood Senior Pastor Jack Graham, and apologist William Lane Craig, the Biblical Worldview Conference<\/a> is aimed at equipping believers to respond to mainstream cultural views with the truth of the Gospel.<\/p>\n While the conference has been an ongoing event since 2005 \u2014 including last year, which saw over 3,000 registrations both in-person and online \u2014 this year\u2019s theme was focused on the character of Jesus as the great \u201cI AM\u201d of the Old Testament and \u201chow to look like Jesus and act like Jesus in the increasingly complex world.\u201d<\/p>\n Strobel, whose book The Case For Christ<\/em> has sold more than 14 million copies, pointed the audience to two main findings of modern science that have led to the conclusion that God is, in fact, real.<\/p>\n First, said Strobel, is the study of the origin of the universe, known as cosmology, which, as science now overwhelmingly states, supports the idea of a universe that is not eternal, but rather one that began to exist at a point in the ancient past.<\/p>\n Even if one were to concede to the multiverse theory \u2014 which states that our universe is one of a near-infinite number of universes in existence \u2014 Strobel said this still suggests a beginning.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever begins to exist has a cause,\u201d he said. \u201c… We now know the universe began to exist, so it must have a cause.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Strobel, there are two main challenges to the theory of special creation: the popular atheist\u2019s question of \u201cThen who created God?\u201d and the theory advanced by the late astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who suggested that because gravity exists, the universe can indeed create itself from nothing.<\/p>\n Both cases, said Strobel, fail to grapple with an ultimate \u201cfirst cause,\u201d one which must be transcendent, immaterial, eternal, powerful, personal, intelligent, creative and loving.<\/p>\n \u201cIf gravity caused [the universe], where did gravity come from?\u201d he said. \u201cYou still need a Creator. Hawking\u2019s theory fails to do away with God.\u201d<\/p>\n The second finding of modern science that supports the existence of God, Strobel added, is the historical record of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he called the \u201clynchpin of our faith.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave the audience four key terms to help summarize the evidence of the resurrection:\u00a0<\/p>\n Execution: Jesus was truly dead after the Cross, a fact demonstrated even in texts from Josephus and other secular historians;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Early: within months of the crucifixion of Christ, we have early accounts of the subsequent resurrection of Jesus, most notably the Apostle Paul\u2019s first letter to the church at Corinth, which was circulated during the lifetime of Jesus\u2019 contemporaries, who could have easily contradicted these reports;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Empty: the tomb in which Jesus was buried is empty, a fact, Strobel said, which even His enemies admitted but pinned rather on the disciples\u2019 alleged theft of the body, which Strobel called akin to saying \u201cthe dog ate my homework;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Eyewitnesses: Jesus, said Strobel, appeared alive in a dozen different instances to more than 500 different people.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n With these historical truths on our side, he added, Christians have no reason not to share Christ with everyone they know.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a world out there that needs to know this,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a world out there dying who needs to know this.\u201d<\/p>\n Tim Barnett, a Canadian adjunct Bible and science teacher and speaker for the Christian apologetics ministry Stand to Reason, expanded upon Strobel\u2019s argument for the statistical impossibility of a finely-tuned universe by taking students to the words of Psalm 8<\/a>: \u201cWhen I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established, What is man that You remember him, And the son of man that You care for him?\u201d<\/p>\n Covering the historical trends of long-standing theory of geocentrism to Copernicus\u2019 introduction of heliocentrism in the 1500s, Barnett spoke on secular science\u2019s \u201cprinciple of mediocrity,\u201d which essentially states that far from being God\u2019s footstool, the Earth is hardly unique or special in any way.<\/p>\n In fact, said Barnett, some of the best evidence for a Maker is found in the reality of the universe\u2019s fine tuning.<\/p>\n \u201cIn naturalism, if there is no Creator there is no Savior,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there is no maker, then you\u2019re just stardust \u2026 you have to create your own meaning, and that\u2019s exhausting, by the way.<\/p>\n But it was Graham\u2019s impassioned argument against the trend of \u201cdeconstruction\u201d that provided what was perhaps the conference\u2019s most visceral message.<\/p>\n Teaching out of John 6, Graham said the objective of every Christian is to \u201cconstruct faith, not deconstruct.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed to Jesus\u2019 challenge to the disciples after His \u201chard teaching\u201d led many to \u201cturn back and no longer follow Him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey couldn’t take it and they left,\u201d said Graham. \u201cWhatever faith they had, they deconstructed it.\u201d<\/p>\n The longtime Prestonwood pastor said the purpose of the conference was to not only deepen and develop their faith in Christ, but to \u201cbelieve and be confident that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are incurably religious, instinctively religious,\u201d Graham said in regard to non-Christian faiths. \u201cAnd many people who turn from Jesus Christ turn to other religions, false religions, in reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c… Buddha is still in the grave. Confucius is still in the grave. Muhammad is dead. And every founder of every major religion in the world no longer lives. Yet the claim of the Christian faith is, Jesus has the words of eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n