August Conference to Help Teens Answer the
Toughest Questions About Christianity
By Jim Day

The third annual Big Dig Teen Apologetics Conference will be in Raytown, Missouri, August 15-16, 2008. The conference, hosted by Focus on the Family, will feature many prominent Christian theologians, including best-selling authors Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel.

Christian apologetics is the discipline of defending or proving the claims of the faith. Apologetics and worldview content has become a main focus in churches across America. Approximately 2,500 teens, youth leaders and parents are expected to attend the two-day event. The conference includes both large and small group sessions, allowing for the rare opportunity to hear many of the speakers up close in a smaller setting.

Knowledge of apologetics has become mandatory for Christian teens and their parents. The numerous beliefs and movements which are now competing for the souls of America’s teens, include: Islam; wicca; occultism; atheism; cults (such as the Jehovah's Witnesses); homosexuality; moral relativism; secularism; evolution; eastern religions (such as Zen Buddhism and Hinduism); political correctness, and a “po-mo” mindset which assumes that we each make our own truth.

A number of recent media releases are contributing to young adult’s doubts and questions regarding spiritual issues. Many websites (some of which are intentionally aimed at teens) are devoted to debunking the Bible. Books like The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and Bart Ehrmann’s Misquoting Jesus have brought coverage to “the new atheism,” along with questions about the Bible’s integrity.

Many of the questions raised by these high-profile skeptics are on the minds of youth who attend Focus on the Family’s Big Dig. The event brings together scholars who have researched the tough questions, and have themselves concluded that the Bible can stand up to serious scrutiny.

Alex McFarland has spent the last 19 years speaking with teens and college students about the Christian faith. He says, “Every generation has its share of critics who attempt to prove that the Bible contradicts itself. The good news is that virtually every conceivable quibble over the problem passages was plausibly answered long ago. The Big Dig event is a place where young adults learn that questions of seekers and objections of critics receive credible answers.”

Past Big Dig events have drawn attendees from all 50 states and internationally. The 2008 list of speakers includes: Lee Strobel who was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist until 1981. He wrote the Gold Medallion-winning books The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith and was recently featured on an episode of ABC’s 20/20 called The Resurrection: Searching for Answers. Josh McDowell who is an internationally-known speaker, author and traveling representative for Campus Crusade for Christ. He has written more than fifty books, including Evidence that Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. The conference will also feature best-selling authors Mark Mittelberg, Sean McDowell (son of Josh McDowell), Ryan Dobson (son of James Dobson), and Alex McFarland.

The cost to attend is $55 per person, and registration includes lunch on Saturday. The host church, Raytown Baptist, is convenient to the Kansas City Airport, major highways, and numerous area hotels. For more information about the Big Dig teen apologetics event and Focus on the Family, visit www.bigdigevents.com, or call 1-800-A-FAMILY.