PEP Talk

Today on PEP Talk we explore the changing relationship of culture and Christianity, with a look into the example of Northern Ireland. How do we adapt as Christians and churches to be authentic salt and light whether we are a cultural majority or marginalised minority? Andy and Kristi speak to a pastor, author and poet for some great thoughts on reaching out.Andrew Roycroft recently became pastor at Portadown Baptist Church, before that he served 10 years at Millisle Baptist Church. He is married to Caroline with two children. Read his blog on theology, poetry and literature at thinkingpastorally.com He is also the author of Kristi's favourite exam survival guide.Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

When sharing the gospel, perhaps no response is more common or more scary than "How can God allow suffering?" It's an ancient question, but can relate to the present moment more than anything else. Sharon Dirckx joins us today to think about how to navigate this particularly sensitive and personal area of evangelism.Sharon Dirckx is a Senior Tutor at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA). She has a PhD in brain imaging from Cambridge and has held research positions in the UK and USA. Sharon speaks and lectures in the UK, Europe and North America on science, theology, ‘mind and soul’ and the problem of evil. She is also the author of the award-winning and recently re-released book on suffering, entitled Why?: Looking at God, evil and personal suffering. Her latest book, Am I Just My Brain? (2019) examines questions of human identity from the perspectives of neuroscience, philosophy and theology.Support the show

With all the topics, arguments and questions one could address in speaking about the gospel, sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Today we hear from someone who decided to investigate the simple question "Was Jesus the Son of God?" and was surprised at the overwhelming amount of convincing evidence he found. Derek McIntyre comes from a science background and came to Christianity in middle-age when he discovered the wealth of compelling evidence pointing to Jesus being the Son of God. When he became a Christian, he was compelled to share this evidence with others and so developed the "Jesus: The Evidence" website, presentation and booklet to allow him to do this. Read his testimony on the Solas website here.Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

The life of a Hindu monk can seem extreme–celibacy, poverty, thousands of miles of pilgrimage–but what are they searching for? Today we hear from a former priest about how Christianity met his heart's desire. He offers some important guidance on how to reach out to others from Eastern religions, when the cultural gap can seem so daunting.As a Hindu priest Rahil Patel was a renowned international speaker whose spiritual counsel was received by politicians, industrialists and celebrities. His life changed dramatically after encountering the love of Jesus, and he is now involved in ministries at Holy Trinity Brompton, Balham Vineyard Church and the NowBelieve Ministry, a missionary organisation serving in the UK, India and South Africa. His testimony is available in his book Found By Love: A Hindu priest encounters Jesus.Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

During the periods of restrictions we've had during the pandemic, some churches have become very creative with their outreach activities. Today Andy speaks with the pastor of a small church plant about their "drive-in church" and Christmas carols on the back of a tractor and trailer. Full of ideas and enthusiasm, it's great to hear how a small church is having a big impact.Richard Gibb is on the leadership and preaching team at Loch Leven Church in Kinross. He is married to Alison and works as a Director for a management consultancy firm. Richard, who helps lead activities within the new church, studied Theology at Wheaton College near Chicago and at the University of St Andrews. He swims each day and had a mid-life crisis a couple of years ago when he took up judo!Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

Street Evangelism. A phrase conjuring up images of crazy preachers with placards reading "The End is Nigh", one that strikes fear in many Christians. Is it a thing of the past, with no place in our multicultural 21st century cities? Or is it still a means that God can use, even one He still calls us to? Dominic  Muir is an evangelist, teacher, author ('God Hunger: Meditations from a Life of Longing' and ‘Firebrand: Devotions from a Life of Burning’) and revivalist with a passion for street ministry and the priesthood of all believers. Dominic co—leads a ministry vehicle of gospel proclamation and demonstration called ROAR (www.roarthegospel.org) with Evangelist Daniel Chand. Before founding Jesus Fields, Dominic ran an itinerant ministry called Now Believe (www.nowbelieve.com) and is also founder of 'David's Tent', a three day annual Christian worship event in the UK (www.davidstent.net).  Dominic and his wife Thea  run a movement together that celebrates true identity called I Am So Many Things (www.iamsomanythings.com).Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

Today we are joined by historian and academic Mike Licona to discuss his specialist topic, the resurrection of Christ. Although we'd expect our secular society to dismiss such a miracle, Mike shows us that the supernatural is a real part of more people's lives that we might expect. Michael R. Licona, Ph.D. is associate professor of theology at Houston Baptist University and president of Risen Jesus, Inc. He is the author of several books, including The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (IVP Academic) and Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? What We Can Learn From Ancient Biography (Oxford University Press). Visit Mike’s web site and YouTube channel.Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

For many people, God and faith aren't the things they're most interested in. But most people are interested in (and have an opinion on!) big questions about life. What are those questions? How have they changed over the years? And how can we show that a Christian worldview makes the best sense of these life questions?Michael Ots was Minister of Evangelism at Lansdowne Baptist Church in Bournemouth for five years before becoming a travelling evangelist. He is passionate about sharing his faith through university missions in the UK and outreaches in Europe with organisations such as IFES and the European Leadership Forum. His books include “What Kind of God?”, “What Kind of Hope?”, “But Is It True?” and his latest title “Making Sense of Life”. Find them all at 10ofThose.comSupport the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

What has driven the shift in recent years from hostility towards apathy in relation to the gospel? When people don't care about the questions of God and faith anymore, what DO they care about? Answering that can help us return our conversations back towards the joy in our salvation and pique the interest of the apathetic.Kyle Beshears is teaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Mobile, Alabama and teaches courses on worldview and religion at the University of Mobile. He holds a Master of Theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he is currently a PhD candidate.. He’s the author of Apatheism: How We Share When They Don’t Care.Support the show (https://www.solas-cpc.org/podcast-book-offer/)

One of the biggest reasons for people to reject Christianity is because of their experience of the Church or other Christians behaving badly. How can we deal with abuse of power, hypocrisy and loss of trust? In an age of scandal, misinformation and conspiracy theories how can we point people to the love, truth and safety of Jesus Himself? Andy and Kristi speak with author and pastor Mark Meynell about these incredibly important questions.Mark Meynell  is Director (Europe and Caribbean) for Langham Preaching (one of the 3 programmes of Langham Partnership). An ordained Anglican minister, he has served in churches in the UK (in Oxford, Sheffield and London) and taught (and for a year was Acting Principal) at a small seminary in Kampala, Uganda. He is married to Rachel and they have 2 grown-up children. He is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) at Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis, MO,He is the author of Cross-Examined (IVP, 1998, 2010), Good Book Guide to Colossians (GBC, 2008), The Resurrection (10ofThose, 2013), What Makes Us Human? (GBC, 2015) He is passionately concerned to cross the bridge between the Bible’s world and the contemporary world, which led to A Wilderness of Mirrors. (Zondervan, 2015)Support the show