Here you’ll find Andy Bannister’s presentation slides from his four talks at Cirencester Baptist Church on 17 November 2024.
News
Why Are So Many Christians Such Awful People?
Why does it hurt so much when Christians fall short? Could it be because, deep down, we know the church should be different—a reflection of Jesus in some way? In this thought-provoking Short Answers video filmed live at the Cairngorms Convention in Scotland, Andy Bannister explores the reasons Christians aren’t perfect, the messy truth of transformation, and how Christianity offers hope even when we fail.
Share
Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more Short Answers videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.
Support
Short Answers is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose a free book as a thank-you gift!
Launch Pad 47: Take a Stand
An easy and fun way for your church to reach out is to set up a table or stall at a fete, market—or even the local car boot sale. Events like these often draw big crowds and the even your very presence can help raise the profile of the church in your village, town, or suburb.
We spoke to Geoff Naylor from Discovery Church in Wroughton. For several years they have had a stall in the annual village carnival. We asked Geoff about their vision in this: he explained that the main goal was quite low key; the first priority was that people in the community would know the church existed. Taking part in and being in the midst of this key event in village life was a great step toward that.
The practicalities were really simple, Geoff explained. You simply book a space, turn up with a collapsible gazebo, some folding seats, and a mixture of leaflets, gospel books and resources, along with some free snacks and see what happens! Activities like face painting are also a huge draw—you can offer that for free and whilst youngsters get painted you get to talk to the parents. The free drinks and face painting really draw people.
We asked Geoff about the fruit of this and he replied that as a relatively new church plant in the village, what Discovery Church wanted was presence, profile, and relationships. Having a stall did all of this so Geoff would strongly encourage other churches to try it!
Another church we spoke to was using the annual town fete to reach out, in their case using puppets. Every 30 minutes, they would put on a puppet show, telling a story from the Bible. Kids love puppets, parents love a free cold drink and as the pastor said, “The puppets can say things quite directly about faith, God, and Jesus and there’s no pushback, because ‘the puppet said it’.” After each performance, they give out Bible booklets with the story that was in the show. There have been some amazing conversations over the years, along with opportunities to pray with people.
So, give it a try—take a stand!
Pray: Lord, please lead us to those local community events where we can be a presence; and help us use them to build connections and sow gospel seeds. Amen.
__________
Previously: Launch Pad #46 The Power of Dialogue
Next: Launch Pad #48 Run A Creative Outreach Event
Spotlight on suffering
Where was God when my unborn baby died?
“You say there’s a God, so where was he when my unborn child died?”
This was the heartfelt question I was asked in a recent Q & A session. Sarah had been sharing her faith with a friend, only for her friend to then suffer a miscarriage. Suddenly all of her talk about a loving God rang hollow with her friend. Why had she been allowed to suffer in such a devastating way? Sarah wanted to know how to respond to her friend’s deep anguish.
I began by encouraging Sarah to support her friend at this time. I shared how my wife and I had experienced three miscarriages on our way to having our first child. What we valued as much as answers was the presence of Christians standing beside us, loving us and praying with us.
Next, I gently suggested that the Christian faith makes far better sense of our anger and frustration when pain and suffering strike. According to atheism, a failed pregnancy is just nature shrugging its shoulders and disposing of some unwanted molecules. But we don’t respond like that. Instead we grieve, we rage, and we protest “that’s not right!”. And I believe we do that because deep down, we instinctively know that the Christian story is true. Death is not the way things should be.
Finally, I suggested some ways Sarah could draw her friend into the biblical story. We know from the Bible that death is not the last word, that God has done something about the problem of pain, that God the Father has experienced the death of a child in Jesus and the cross. And because of Jesus, whilst we grieve, we do not grieve without hope, nor do we walk through the shadow of the valley of death without God’s presence. I also recommended a book, Sheridan Voysey’s Resurrection Year, that deals honestly, powerfully, and beautifully with this issue.
Thank you so much for helping us to support people like Sarah, as we seek to share the good news of Jesus persuasively, and equip Christians for evangelism practically. If you’ve found these resources helpful, you can find more articles, short answers and the PEP Talk Podcast on our website, as well as all the latest news from Solas.
Main menu
- Where was God when my unborn child died?
- Is Christianity credible in a suffering world?
- Where is God in the midst of suffering?
- Terminal illness: hope in the face of death
- What about natural disasters?
- Recommended resources
- Bible verses on suffering
- What should I do if I am struggling?
Where is God in the midst of suffering?
Terminal illness – Natural disasters – When God feels distant
Terminal illness: Jeremy Marshall on living with the big ‘C’.
Natural disasters: Sharon Dirckx discusses our ‘broken planet’.
When God feels distant: Steve on when feel alone.
Is Christianity credible in a suffering world?
“I have never forgotten James. When he was a toddler, James had fallen down several flights of stairs in an Edinburgh tenement, and as a result he suffered irreparable brain damage…“
David Randall, former chair of Solas, takes an in-depth look at suffering, in the first ever Solas Paper (published back in 2013).
Recommended resources
Why? Looking at God, Evil and Suffering by Sharon Dirckx
A combination of theological reflections and hard-hitting real-life accounts of how God has worked through suffering
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller
Wisdom gleaned from pastoring people through the many trials and tribulations of life
Resurrection Year by Sheridan Voysey
Exploring how Christians can try to move on from pain and disappointment
Where is God in all the suffering? by Amy Orr-Ewing
A sweep of the many different types of suffering we face and how Christians can respond to it
The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
Contrasting perspectives of suffering (one more theoretical and the other informed by personal grief)
Beyond the Big C: Hope in the Face of Death by Jeremy Marshall
A short Christian reflection on the author’s protracted battle with cancer
Unspeakable: Facing up to Evil in an Age of Genocide by Os Guinness
An examination of how we make sense of evil and the damage it causes
Where is God when it hurts? by Philip Yancey
A response to those who feel that life doesn’t make sense because of physical, emotional or spiritual pain
Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff
Christian reflections on an unwanted journey of grief caused by a family tragedy
Bible verses
There are many parts of scripture that we can turn to help us when we are going through pain and suffering. The Psalms have been a source of comfort for people throughout the ages with the ‘Lord is my shepherd’ being a particular favourite, while the book of Job is often explored when thinking about why bad things happen. There are lots of other verses that remind us of God’s love or comforting power, but one of the most powerful is God’s ultimate promise that there will be a time when He will put an end to all suffering:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21: 1-7)
Other resources: Tim Keller, John Lennox and Warren Furman
Tim Keller looks at the human reaction to suffering and how the Bible informs us of a different perspective, as we walk with God through pain and trials.
On the anniversary of 9/11 John Lennox addresses students in New York about how we can begin to make sense of suffering from a Christian perspective.
A light-hearted testimony from Warren Furman (Ace from Gladiators) on rejecting God after a bereavement, and then finding fame, fortune and faith.
What should I do if I am struggling?
If you are struggling to cope with something right now, it is really important to reach out to someone for help: it could be a friend, family member, your church, or you can speak to organisations like the Samaritans anonymously. We also pray that these resources are helpful for you.
Spotlight on suffering
Where was God when my unborn baby died?
“You say there’s a God, so where was he when my unborn child died?”
This was the heartfelt question I was asked in a recent Q & A session. Sarah had been sharing her faith with a friend, only for her friend to then suffer a miscarriage. Suddenly all of her talk about a loving God rang hollow with her friend. Why had she been allowed to suffer in such a devastating way? Sarah wanted to know how to respond to her friend’s deep anguish.
I began by encouraging Sarah to support her friend at this time. I shared how my wife and I had experienced three miscarriages on our way to having our first child. What we valued as much as answers was the presence of Christians standing beside us, loving us and praying with us.
Next, I gently suggested that the Christian faith makes far better sense of our anger and frustration when pain and suffering strike. According to atheism, a failed pregnancy is just nature shrugging its shoulders and disposing of some unwanted molecules. But we don’t respond like that. Instead we grieve, we rage, and we protest “that’s not right!”. And I believe we do that because deep down, we instinctively know that the Christian story is true. Death is not the way things should be.
Finally, I suggested some ways Sarah could draw her friend into the biblical story. We know from the Bible that death is not the last word, that God has done something about the problem of pain, that God the Father has experienced the death of a child in Jesus and the cross. And because of Jesus, whilst we grieve, we do not grieve without hope, nor do we walk through the shadow of the valley of death without God’s presence. I also recommended a book, Sheridan Voysey’s Resurrection Year, that deals honestly, powerfully, and beautifully with this issue.
Main menu
- Where was God when my unborn child died?
- Is Christianity credible in a suffering world?
- Where is God in the midst of suffering?
- Terminal illness: hope in the face of death
- What about natural disasters?
- Recommended resources
- Bible verses on suffering
- What should I do if I am struggling?
- SPECIAL OFFER!
Where is God in the midst of suffering?
Terminal illness – Natural disasters – When God feels distant
Terminal illness: Jeremy Marshall on living with the big ‘C’.
Natural disasters: Sharon Dirckx discusses our ‘broken planet’.
When God feels distant: Steve on when feel alone.
Is Christianity credible in a suffering world?
“I have never forgotten James. When he was a toddler, James had fallen down several flights of stairs in an Edinburgh tenement, and as a result he suffered irreparable brain damage…“
David Randall, former chair of Solas, takes an in-depth look at suffering, in the first ever Solas Paper (published back in 2013).
Recommended resources
Why? Looking at God, Evil and Suffering by Sharon Dirckx
A combination of theological reflections and hard-hitting real-life accounts of how God has worked through suffering
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller
Wisdom gleaned from pastoring people through the many trials and tribulations of life
Resurrection Year by Sheridan Voysey
Exploring how Christians can try to move on from pain and disappointment
Where is God in all the suffering? by Amy Orr-Ewing
A sweep of the many different types of suffering we face and how Christians can respond to it
The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
Contrasting perspectives of suffering (one more theoretical and the other informed by personal grief)
Beyond the Big C: Hope in the Face of Death by Jeremy Marshall
A short Christian reflection on the author’s protracted battle with cancer
Unspeakable: Facing up to Evil in an Age of Genocide by Os Guinness
An examination of how we make sense of evil and the damage it causes
Where is God when it hurts? by Philip Yancey
A response to those who feel that life doesn’t make sense because of physical, emotional or spiritual pain
Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff
Christian reflections on an unwanted journey of grief caused by a family tragedy
Bible verses
There are many parts of scripture that we can turn to help us when we are going through pain and suffering. The Psalms have been a source of comfort for people throughout the ages with the ‘Lord is my shepherd’ being a particular favourite, while the book of Job is often explored when thinking about why bad things happen. There are lots of other verses that remind us of God’s love or comforting power, but one of the most powerful is God’s ultimate promise that there will be a time when He will put an end to all suffering:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21: 1-7)
Other resources: Tim Keller, John Lennox and Warren Furman
Tim Keller looks at the human reaction to suffering and how the Bible informs us of a different perspective, as we walk with God through pain and trials.
On the anniversary of 9/11 John Lennox addresses students in New York about how we can begin to make sense of suffering from a Christian perspective.
A light-hearted testimony from Warren Furman (Ace from Gladiators) on rejecting God after a bereavement, and then finding fame, fortune and faith.
What should I do if I am struggling?
If you are struggling to cope with something right now, it is really important to reach out to someone for help: it could be a friend, family member, your church, or you can speak to organisations like the Samaritans anonymously. We also hope that these resources are helpful for you.
Southampton CU Unite
Here are the presentation slides from Andy Bannister’s talk at Southampton CU in November 2024. For a deeper dive into the question of the differences between Christianity and Islam, check out his book, Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? or the Premier Unbelievable episode Andy did on it here.
PEP Talk with Randy Newman on Questioning Faith
Though we might not like to admit it, all of us struggle with doubts in our Christian walk. And for those who don’t yet have a faith, doubt can feel like an insurmountable obstacle to truly embracing Christ. So whether we are helping others on their journey, or treading the path ourselves, safely navigating the terrains of doubt can be a challenge.
Our friend Randy Newman recorded this interview with us just before he passed away earlier this year. He wrote about doubts in his final book, Questioning Faith: Indirect Journeys of Belief through Terrains of Doubt.
With Randy Newman – PEP Talk
Our Guest
Randy Newman (1956-2024) was senior fellow for apologetics and evangelism at the C. S. Lewis Institute. He was formerly on staff with Cru, ministering in and near Washington, DC. He authored several books, including Questioning Evangelism, Unlikely Converts and Mere Evangelism. He has contributed a number of articles to the Solas website. Randy went home to be with the Lord in May 2024.
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
First Time Here? Watch This
Launch Pad 46: The Power of Dialogue
We live in an increasingly pluralistic age and it can sometimes be a challenge helping people see the uniqueness of Jesus given all the religious options surrounding them. But a powerful way to explore those differences is with a dialogue event.
Solas’s Andy Bannister has been involved in many dialogue events over the years, especially between Christians and Muslims. Andy says his highlight was in Toronto a few years back where over 1,000 people attended—of which 600 were Muslims—to hear a panel with Christian and Muslim speakers discuss a number of topics, including questions like “Who was Jesus?”
More recently, Andy helped the Christian Union at Lancaster University organise a dialogue. The CU partnered with the university Islamic Society, who invited the Imam from the local mosque. On the night, he and Andy were interviewed about the differences between Christianity and Islam. It was a friendly, robust dialogue in which Andy had many opportunities to share why he believed in Jesus not Muhammad. And afterwards, Christian students got to talk over coffee with Muslim students late into the night.
Andy said: “I love dialogue events! They are are easy to invite friends to; you quickly get to the differences between belief systems and to the uniqueness of Jesus; but you also get to model Christianity by the manner in which you respond to the other speaker.” And you don’t just need to try a Muslim-Christian dialogue event; dialogues with atheists also work well.
So why not try a dialogue event in your church or CU. If you need help planning, or with topics, or in finding a speaker, do contact us at Solas: we’d love to help. And if there’s a mosque near your church, try reaching out to ask if they’d be interested in organising a dialogue event. Dialogue events are an easy way to build friendships with your local Muslim community; a bridge of friendship over which the gospel can cross.
One other tip: remember to prepare Christians so they get the most out of your dialogue event. Andy’s top tip is to ensure Christians don’t all sit next to each other, but distribute themselves among the audience and talk to the strangers they meet.
Prayer: Jesus, in the gospels we see how you reached out to those who didn’t believe in you. Give us the courage and confidence to try using dialogue as an evangelistic tool. Amen!
Previously: Launch Pad #45 Run a Book Table
St Andrews Literature Festival
The St Andrews Literature Festival (rather confusingly) isn’t in St Andrews, but down in England. Unfazed by this geographical misnomer, Andy had a great trip talking books, writing, and of course specifically Christian writing. The full story is in the video above.
Why Are We Drawn to the Idea of Restoration?
What is it about repair and restoration tv shows that is we find so intriguing? Why do they pull on our heart strings so much, and give us such a sense of satisfaction when we see the big reveal at the end? Whether it’s an old house or car being restored, someone getting a full makeover, or some old broken trinket getting a new lease on life – there is something about seeing something restored that makes our hearts sing. In this Short Answers video, Steve Osmond explains how God has hard-wired us for restoration, and that God Himself is in the business of restoration.
Share
Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more Short Answers videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.
Support
Short Answers is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose a free book as a thank-you gift!
Confident Christianity at Riverside Church Ayr
Further Resources
For those looking to read a little more on the topics we explored in our time together, I recommend the following books:
- How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like an Idiot by Andy Bannister
- Have You Ever Wondered? by Andy Bannister & Gavin Matthews
- If God, why Evil? by Norman Geisler
- A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
- Can Science Explain Everything? by John Lennox
- The Return of the God Hypothesis by Stephen Meyer
- The Living Out website https://www.livingout.org/ – some very good resources to think about faith and sexuality
Here are a few clips that speak to some of the questions from the Q&A time as well:
- https://www.solas-cpc.org/solas-rewinds-is-religion-the-cause-of-most-wars/ – Religion as the cause of war
- https://www.solas-cpc.org/shortanswers38/ – Christians being hypocrites
Confident Christianity in Bury
Below you will find the presentation slides from Gavin Matthews and Andy Bannister, along with some other recommended resources.
Further Resources
In addition to the slides we also have some other recommended resources we mentioned in the talks or referred to in the Q&A.
1) How To Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like An Idiot by Andy Bannister
2) Engaging the Apathetic. Solas podcast with Kyle Beshears
3) Answering tough Questions, Andy Bannister
4) Problems of Old Testament Violence: Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan
5) Islam: Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? by Andy Bannister
6) Islam: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
7) How to become a Christian (Short Answer video) Andy Bannister
8) A highly recommended further read in this whole area is Daniel Strange’s book: Making Faith Magnetic: Five Hidden Themes Our Culture Can’t Stop Talking About… And How to Connect Them to Christ (Good Book Company, 2021).
Launch Pad 45: Run a Book Table
An easy-to-try but often overlooked type of evangelism is the book table. Find a busy public location (e.g. a street corner, a town square), set up a table (or if you’re ambitious, a display stand) and lay out some tracts, booklets, Bibles and Christian books (e.g. copies of Have You Ever Wondered?). Then simply wait for people to stop by and start conversations.
We spoke to Imtiaz Khan from London City Mission—an organisation that use book tables a lot in their evangelism. Imtiaz has been personally involved in this kind of outreach for years and said when he started, it was nerve-wracking, but he quickly discovered what a wonderfully easy form of outreach this was: many people are intrigued and stop to talk.
Imtiaz shared a story of an occasion when an Afghan man came up and just hung around, looking at books, but not talking. Finally he said: “Can I have a word?” He then opened up about his life and told how as a child in Afghanistan he’d been traumatised when he’d seen someone murdered. Imtiaz was able to pray and start a friendship with him.
Another time, Imtiaz was talking to a man who had stopped and asked what they were doing. Imtiaz explained: “We are Christians and we’re giving out free literature”. The man replied: “Do you know, I’m a Muslim—but the other day I was on a bus and saw a sign outside a church that said “Jesus is Alive”. And I thought: if he’s alive, why can’t he appear to me? Then a few nights later, I had a vision of Jesus!” As you can imagine, that opened the door to an incredible conversation!
Not all encounters are that dramatic. And not all involve Muslims—many different types of people are willing to stop and talk. Furthermore, book tables also raise the visual presence of Christians and locally: people realise their the local church is alive too!
So give it a go. Identify a good location; ask the local council if you need permission; get a foldable table and a range of books, tracts, and Bibles (including in multiple languages, if you live in a multicultural area). Don’t forget to pray. And remember: it doesn’t matter if you only speak to two people all morning, if those are the right two people!
Pray: Lord, give us the boldness to try a book table!
Previously: Launch Pad #44 Get Creative – Use the Arts
Bishop’s Stortford – An Encouraging Weekend!
Bishop’s Stortford Baptist Church were our gracious hosts for a weekend of ministry. Solas haven’t worked much in this area, so it was great to meet new people and serve alongside a great church there.
On the Friday night they invited me to speak at a youth event. About twenty young folks came – and they were really pleased with that number because not only was it during the school holiday when many were away -but there was also another big event on in the town that evening! Rather than asking me to speak on a given topic or Bible text, they asked for an open question night when the young people could fire any question they wanted at me! The young people who came were really great too and had so many questions that we overran the time and were still going when the parents were queuing up outside to collect them! Some of the kids there had a faith, others were there to find out more; but they were really engaged and remarkably thoughtful. So it was a real joy to help them think through some of the big questions they raised and what the Christian faith has to say about them. Hearing on e-mail after the event how appreciative the young people had been, was another encouragement!
Then on the Saturday we held a Confident Christianity conference with the church. We often invite guest speakers to join us for these – people with particular expertise in an area of evangelism and Christian witness. We were joined in Bishop’s Stortford by Sara Stevenson, actually for the first time at one of our events. Sara is well-known for her work at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. I spoke about conversational evangelism using the title, “How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like An Idiot”, and on way sin which we can engage the apathetic and disinterested with the gospel of Christ. That obviously meant that we spoke about the approach we have used in the Have You Ever Wondered? book.
Sara’s first session was called “Sharing your faith in a Culture Opposed to Christian Morality” which looked into helpful ways of addressing ethical objections to the gospel. She followed that with a session on engaging refuges with the gospel – an important mission field in the UK in 2024. Then as usual we opened the floor to Q&A which led to some good further interactions and lots of good conversations afterwards. Our friends at 10ofThose were there with their excellent mobile bookshop too, which seemed to be very busy which was encouraging too.
Amongst the hundred-strong congregation was at least one person who told me that he isn’t a Christian. Some Solas events are designed for and promoted to people who are not Christians. Typically our café-style outreach events address the kinds of questions that people outside the church have about the Christian faith. But Confident Christianity events are really intended for Christians, to encourage, equip and embolden them in sharing their faith – so it was an interesting choice of meeting for him to come to. We had a lovely chat at the end, and he said he had come to give someone (who is a Christian) a lift there, and thought he would hate it; but said he had found it really interesting! It’s a reminder to all of us who speak in church-settings that you never really know who is going to be in your audience and not to miss opportunities to present the gospel.
