2011 conference archives
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2011 Apologetics Conference Theme:
Defending Christianity and God’s Plan for Marriage, Family, and Life through Creative Arts such as Film and Literature
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Gene Edward Veith Jr.
Other Speakers:
Jason Jones | Dallas Jenkins | Dick Rolfe | Brian Godawa | Dr. Angus Menuge | Dr. Ryan MacPherson | Mikel Del Rosario | Anthony Horvath | Glenn Jones | Dr. Holly Ordway | Israel Wayne | Brian Auten | Jamie Greening
An apologetics conference held… entirely online! (Click here to see what a session is like)
April 7th, 8th and 9th, 2011.
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ALL SESSIONS RECORDED – Make up sessions you missed at your convenience. All conference registrants receive free access to these archives. Information on purchasing archive access coming soon!
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2011 Conference Goals:
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Jason Jones, presenter at this conference, co-produced the movie “Bella”, which will be screened on Saturday April 9th. |
Keynote:
(Topics, if listed, are tentative)
- Gene Edward Veith, Jr. Provost and Professor of Literature at Patrick Henry College, the Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, and columnist for World Magazine. Website. Topic: “Cultural Apologetics.”
Plenaries:
- Jason Jones, Co-executive producer of the award winning Bella and president of the Bella Hero Project and humanitarian project, I Am Whole Life. “Creating a Culture of Life, Love, and Beauty Through Film.”
- Dallas Jenkins, Producer/Director of Jenkins Entertainment (eg, What If and Though None Go With Me) “How to Convey the Christian Worldview To a Skeptical Audience”
- Dick Rolfe, CEO of the Dove Foundation “Using Hollywood to Win the World.”
- Brian Godawa, writer and director, “Storytelling Apologetics and Subversion.”
- Dr. Angus Menuge, Concordia University Wisconsin. “C. S. Lewis on Domesticated Living.”
- Dr. Ryan MacPherson, Bethany Lutheran College. President of The Hausvater Project. “The Biblical Model of Marriage.”
- Mikel Del Rosario, Apologeticsguy.com. “Families Under Fire: Defending a Biblical view of Marriage and the Family through the Visual Arts.” Info
- Mr. Anthony Horvath, Athanatos Christian Ministries, “The Enduring Impact of the Scopes Monkey Trial on Marriage, Family, and Life Issues.”
- 1st Prize Winner of ACM’s Christian Writing Contest.
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Trailer for “What If” the movie written and directed by conference presenter Dallas Jenkins, who will screen the movie at the conference on Friday, April 8th. |
Workshops
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“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Whether this is good or not, it is the reality. Today, attitudes and beliefs are often shaped by the things we see and the movies we watch. For some Christians, this would prompt them to consider withdrawing altogether from our media rich society. However, movies, music, art, and literature are all expressions of human creativity- and humans, though fallen, still are made in the image of the Creator God. Our artistic endeavors bear witness to our created nature and therefore have the potential to open eyes, hearts, and mind to the nature of the Creator.
The proper path, therefore, is to claim the arts as our own. When doing so, it isn’t with an eye towards using them as a means to an end (that would be propaganda) but because they have value in themselves. At the same time, however, we must recognize their impact. We must raise discerning and spiritually wise Christians who are able to recognize and thoughtfully critique the various messages that are communicated through different mediums.
In our day and age, many of those messages embedded in our television shows, movies, music, art, and books are hostile to God’s plan for marriage, the family, and human life. Men are portrayed as clods. Women are constantly asked to measure up to anorexic supermodels. The nuclear family is regarded as an anomaly. Romantic ‘love’ is given as the only basis and purpose of marriage, and almost anything is justified if it is in the name of ‘love.’ The notion that God ordained the family as his means for raising godly children- that is, bringing about and raising new life- is insulted, if it is even acknowledged at all. (Malachi 2:15)
Apologetics is basically the defense of the Christian faith and the overall purpose it has been put to over the years is essentially to win souls or retain them. However, there are many other aspects of the Christian world view that need defense and the stakes could not be higher. With divorce rates as high among Christians as non-Christians and abortion on demand continuing to rack up hundreds of thousands of death and a nation-wide movement to normalize homosexuality, thousands upon thousands of people find their lives thrown into turmoil… or snuffed out from the beginning.
It is time to think about how best to defend the biblical model of marriage and then to do it.
While not at all implying that other avenues to approach these problems are inferior, the purpose of this conference is to make the proposal that changing the the culture’s mind on these issues might be possible by encouraging Christians to make movies, sing songs, and write books that honor God’s plan for marriage- and not just in the eyes of secular society, but among Christians themselves.
To do this, Christians must actually know what that plan is. They must actually produce quality creative expressions. They must actually be supported in their work by the Church.
In this spirit, Athanatos Christian Ministries is proud to host and sponsor this second annual online apologetics conference dedicated to inspiring Christians to either express their faith through the arts or support those that do. This year’s conference will primarily focus on the power, potential, and impact of film and the visual arts, but other creative expressions will be under discussion, too.
The dates are April 7th, 8th-9th, 2011. The conference will be held virtually, that is, almost wholly online. Details will be added as they are firmed up.
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What was said about last year’s conference
To get an idea of what a session is like, please enjoy Pastor Jamie Greening’s presentation from last year. This is a low quality version just to give you a feel. To enjoy a high quality version that allows you to read the text, please view the archived presentations, which were recorded in full, for just $15! Buy access.
Jamie Greening’s Presentation [Direct Link]
Conference Sponsors:
