Confident Christianity Talks by Andy Bannister

We live in a world that encourages us to find ultimate happiness in career, money, academic success, or our performance. But the evidence is clear that this isn’t working: more and more of us find ourselves stressed, anxious, or wondering “is there more to life than the 9-to-5”? In this talk, Andy will explore if there’s a better way to find true happiness, peace, and security.

Alternative Title: Am I More Than My CV?

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Atheists are fond of saying to Christians: “Where’s your evidence?” And that’s a perfectly good question. But in this talk, Dr. Andy Bannister will show how atheism is not the default position, but is a belief in it’s own right—and one that atheists also need to give evidence for. After all, the famous atheist Christopher Hitchens wrote: “That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence”.

Alternative Title: Are We Matter or Do We Matter? Why What You Believe About God Changes Everything

What is a human being? Are we just the stuff of which we’re made? A random collection of animals? A slightly more highly evolved primate? These are all answers we hear in our culture — but what are the implications of reducing humanity this way? And what, uniquely, does the Christian faith have to answer by way of an answer to the question “What does it mean to be human?"

Sometimes we can do okay when it comes to starting spiritual conversations with friends, but we then struggle to bring Jesus naturally into the conversation. This session will explore lots of practical and easy to learn ways all of us can weave Jesus more naturally into our everyday conversations.

Alternative Titles: Why Trust the Bible? or Is the Bible a reliable source?

Why should I trust the Bible? Are there good reasons to take it seriously, or is it just a bunch of ancient fables and fairytales? In this talk, Dr. Andy Bannister will explore some of the latest evidence when it comes to the Bible’s reliability as a historical source, especially when it comes to the most important question of all: who did Jesus claim to be and can we trust him?

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“This is the 21st century, surely nobody takes religion seriously any more, do they? And doesn’t religion just cause division, hatred, and intolerance?” In this talk, Dr. Andy Bannister will show why Christianity is as relevant today as it ever was—and indeed without it, we actually have no basis for taking a stand against hatred or injustice in the first place.

1 Peter 3:15 instructs Christians to always be willing to give a reason for the hope that we have. But many Christians find that prospect quite scary—what if we talk to our friends, neighbours, or colleagues about Jesus and they ask a question or raise a challenge we can’t answer? Well, don’t worry! Because in this popular and accessible talk, Dr. Andy Bannister will help equip us with some easy to use tools for everyday conversations about our faith—and some practical ways to feel more confident if our friends ask us difficult questions.

Alternative Title: Joined up Evangelism: How We Can Talk About Our Faith in a Way That Engages People?

How can we learn to share our faith in Jesus with our friends and colleagues in a way that is friendly, engaging, and winsome? In this practical and informative session, Andy will introduce the audience to some practical tools for everyday conversations that will help us “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5).

Today’s public square is largely a digital one, so it’s vital that Christians, ministries, and Churches think creatively and clearly about how to engage the world of media, social media, and other digital spaces. Andy Bannister, Director of Solas, a UK based evangelism ministry that specialises in digital content creation, will help us explore how we engage hearts, minds, and souls through the digital realm. How can we create content that will be read widely and shared? Do some things work better in digital spaces and others less effectively? What are the positives and what are the pitfalls of digital spaces? Does digital evangelism need huge budgets, or can one do a lot with a little? We’ll explore all this and more in this interactive session.

We often hear that Muslims, Christians, and Jews are all “Abrahamic Faiths”, and that all worship the same God. But is that true? What does the Qur’an teach about the nature of Allah, the God of Islam, and how does that compare to what the Bible teaches? Do in fact the differences outweigh the similarities? Drawing on material from his latest book on this very topic, Andy will show how examining the God of the Qur’an actually helps us see what is unique about the God of the Bible — and as we discover how amazing the biblical God is, think about ways to share that news with Muslim friends and neighbours.

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We often hear that Muslims and Christians are both “Abrahamic Faiths”. But is that true? We’ll explore what the Qur’an and the Bible teach about God—and as we do, discover how unique the God of the Bible is—and discover how we can share that news with Muslim friends.

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Alternative Title: Doesn’t Religion Cause More Harm Than Good?

Alternative Titles: Me & The Environment or Isn’t Christianity Bad for the Environment? or A Duty of Care: Christians, the Environment, and the Gospel

Christianity is often accused of being anti-environment, or Christians at best having nothing original to say when it comes to the natural world. But in this seminar we’ll discover how only Christianity offers any real basis for environmental concern—and learn how to share the gospel through this pressing issue. or Young people today are more passionate than ever to conserve the planet. “I can’t go to school if it’s underwater!” “But is God going to obliterate planet earth, and take us to heaven instead?” “I care about dolphins choked by plastic bags. I care about ice caps melting. Does God?”

Alternative Title: Sharing Your Faith In A Culture Of Confusion

The world is full of tough questions about the Christian faith, so how do we learn all the answers so we can engage our friends in conversation? Well the good news is you don’t have to learn every answer, because there are some helpful steps that you can use in any conversation any time a tough question or issue comes up. Andy will teach this very practical approach, and then show how it works by demonstrating it on two or three commonly asked questions about Christianity. or It's great to listen to apologetic talks on science, or suffering, or sexuality etc. But what happens if a friend or neighbour asks you a question you’ve never been to a seminar on? This session teaches five easy-to-remember steps that you can use to engage with any difficult question!

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What do we do when we encounter a question or challenge about our faith we haven’t heard before? Do we need to master every apologetic topic before we can feel ready to stand up and share the gospel at work or university? This session will share a simple five-step framework that, with practice, you can apply to any tough question that comes up during evangelism. It will take two or three common questions and work through them to show how it works in practice.

Alternative Title: Do All Religions Lead To God?

Are Muslims and Christians just Abrahamic cousins, worshipping the same God under different names? Or are the differences between what Muslims and Christians much more profound than that? Andy Bannister, a Christian who has studied Islam to PhD level and has 25 years experience of dialoging and debating with Muslims, will us explore this crucial topic.

Alternative Titles: Shouldn’t We Trust Science Over Faith? or Has Science Disproved God?

"Who needs God when we have science!” is the objection many people make to Christianity today. But does that claim stand up? Do we need to choose between the two? Does science in fact depend upon Christianity? And what about the limits of science, the questions that science can’t begin to touch? In this packed talk, we’ll address all these questions and more, and help Christians see that far from being afraid of science, it’s a powerful pointer to the God of the Bible.

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Alternative Titles: Good God / Bad World? Why Do We Experience Suffering and Evil if God is Real? or Good God / Bad World? Why Does A Loving God Permit Suffering? or If there is a good God, why is there suffering? or Where is God in the midst of suffering?

From plagues to pandemics to Putin, we live in a world where the media is daily filled with stories of evil, pain, and suffering. Many of us may also have experienced suffering in a very personal way. So where does God fit into all of this? Does suffering disprove the existence of a God of love? Or can only God help us make any sense of suffering? Andy Bannister will explore all these questions and more—and show how, in the person of Jesus, Christianity has something utterly unique to say about the problem of suffering.

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One only has to take a brief look through history to see it is sadly full of many examples of the Church, or people bearing the name “Christian”, behaving badly. This historical legacy is a massive stumbling block for many, especially younger generations who are very attuned to the issue of historical injustices. In this session, we’ll take a very honest look at the legacy of the Church—and explore how we can sensitively respond to people for whom this is a major issue preventing them considering Jesus.

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What are human beings? Just a “random collection of atoms”? A “1% bit of pollution in the universe”? Genetic puppets “dancing to our DNA”? Those are all answers given by well-known atheists and if atheism is true, they’re consistent. But if talk of justice, dignity, and human rights is to work, we need something more than. In this talk, Dr. Andy Bannister will explore the implications of the Bible’s teaching that human beings bear the “image of God” (the imago dei)—and show why it is so profound, so vital, and utterly unique.

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Why is it that human beings aren’t simply satisfied with survival and reproduction, but are concerned about pursuing happiness? And why do we tend to look for happiness in all the wrong places—trying to find it in success, performance, image, or stuff—things that only at best give us temporary happiness? Drawing on everything from science to spirituality, Andy Bannister will help us think deeply about to find a happiness that really lasts.

Alternative Titles: Evangelism to the Apathetic or Engaging/Witnessing to The Apathetic: Showing The Disinterested Why Jesus Matters

Many of our friends aren’t hostile to faith, they’re just disinterested; starting spiritual conversations with them can feel like nailing fog to the wall! In this session we’ll learn some practical ways to start evangelistic conversations with those who might say “I don’t care about God”.

Dr Andy Bannister looks at the concept of ‘Human Rights’ and argues that such values do not sit comfortably with an atheistic worldview. Andy will explain the history of the concept of human rights and discuss whether such values can have any meaning or relevance unless underpinned by some other higher philosophical moral framework.

With LGBTQI+ issues dominating our culture, Christians can be terrified of being accused of ‘homophobia’ or ‘transphobia’. In this seminar we’ll discover how to address questions around sexuality and identity positively and confidently—and most importantly, use them to show how only Jesus offers a true basis for our identity.

We live in a culture that is increasingly confused about everything — from spirituality to sexuality, from identity to gender. And a culture in which, especially in these post-pandemic times, hope seems in very short supply. We’ll take a look at how Paul tackled the very confused Greek culture he met in Acts 17, and draw out five lessons we can learn for how we engage our culture today with the hope that Jesus and the gospel offer.

Is the very best that Christmas has to offer fun, food, and family get togethers; endless repeats on TV; and costly consumerism? Or buried underneath everything that Western culture has piled onto Christmas, is there something more exciting to be found?

Alternative Title: Technology & Humanity: What the Digital World is Doing to our Soul

How are the Internet and digital technology shaping what it means to be human? How can Christians communicate to an increasingly distracted world? This seminar will explore the questions, challenges, and opportunities of living in a digital world—and how to share the gospel with friends increasingly struggling with technology.

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Is is true that atheism is rapidly growing today? What do atheists believe (and disbelieve)? Where has atheism come from (and where is it going)? And is it okay for somebody to merely say “I’m an atheist” and nothing more, or do atheists have some questions of their own to answer? Drawing on 20 years of dialoging with sceptics, Dr. Andy Bannister will help us ask some sceptical questions of our own.

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Too often when Muslims and Christians (and others) talk about “god”, everybody assumes we agree what the word means. But there are some vastly different understandings of what “god” is like—so how can we know? Does everybody get to define “god” for themselves, or are there ways we know what god is like? 

Alternative Titles: Dead Man Walking: Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead? or Is there evidence for the resurrection?

Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection. But what’s the historical evidence for the resurrection? Is it something Christians just believe by faith, or are there really good reasons to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Drawing largely on secular historians, Dr. Andy Bannister will give an overview of some of the powerful evidence for the resurrection. If you’re a Christian, this will terrifically excite you! And if you’re a sceptic or a seeker, there’s lots of food for thought.

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Islam stands or falls on two pillars: the Qur’an and Muhammad. In this talk, Andy Bannister, whose PhD was on the origins of the Qur’an, will look at the claims Muslims make for the Qur’an and show why they don’t stand up and why, whilst the Qur’an is certainly an important piece of world literature, is isn’t the Word of God.

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