News

Andy Bannister on the Ed Stetzer Podcast

Anyone who has heard Andy Bannister speaking about conversational evangelism, or has read How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking LIke An Idiot.. will know the concept of the Undercover Christian. That is, the Christian who hides their faith away so discreetly that no one ever knows what they really think about life, God, the Bible, Jesus… or anything that really matters.

Ed Stetzer invited Andy onto his programme to explore the Undercover Christian phenominon more deeply. It’s a lively, and fast-paced discussion as you would expect which you can hear through link above.

 

Why should I believe in the resurrection of Jesus?

“Surely there’s no good reason to think that Jesus really rose from the dead – the early disciples made it up to start their new religion!” In this Short Answers video, Steve Osmond highlights how the early Christian community considered the resurrection of Jesus to be the most important thing about their faith. He also shares three reasons why the documents that describe the resurrection of Jesus are trustworthy and not inventions.

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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 29: Questions at the pub

Time and time again, it’s been shown that creating spaces where people can ask their honest questions about faith is a powerful way to share the gospel; not something churches have always been good at.

However, one village church in Cheshire put on a Q&A night in their local village pub. The pub had no function room, so they reserved a corner of the main bar (which had the advantage that even more people saw the event). They booked a Solas speaker to come and do a very short pump-priming talk on ‘If There’s a God, Why is the World So Messed Up?’ and Christians began to invite their friends.

“It was so easy to ask my colleague to come!” one church member said. “All I had to do was invite them to the pub for a drink. It was the easiest ask ever!”  On the night, about 20 people turned up, half of whom were not Christians; and there were some great questions and significant conversations. Not a bad turnout at all for a tiny village church!

Another church we know started a weekly event called “Table 5 at the Dog and Duck”. They spread the word that every Monday night, the pastor would be at the pub next door to the church, and people could come for a chat and ask any question they liked. Within a few months, it had become a really popular event—with so many people coming that the pub gave the pastor his beer for free!

Some keys to making these kind of events work …

  1. Pray: before you start planning, during the planning, before the event, and afterwards.
  2. Find a neutral venue (this is why pubs and cafes are so excellent).
  3. Chat to the landlord or the owner and book the venue. (You may need to pay a small fee, or guarantee a certain amount of sales on the night).
  4. Invite a speaker if you need one. But sometimes you can just do Q&A.
  5. Have follow up ready (Alpha, Christianity Explored etc.)
  6. Don’t be afraid of questions. With practice it gets easier, and there are great resources to help you.

Pray: Jesus, help us to welcome not just questions but especially questioners—and to be bold in reaching out beyond the doors of the church. Amen!


Previously: Launch Pad #28 Blog Your Testimony!

Next: Launch Pad #30 Invite a Well-Known Christian to Give Their Testimony

 

 

The Faith and Culture Show

Andy Bannister was invited onto the Faith and Culture Show in the USA for a wide-ranging and fast-moving discussion with host Kathryn Camp. The programme can be played above, via the Rumble platform, or accessed on Bitchute here, and Clouthub here.

They talk abut all kinds of things from cultural differences between America and Europe,  evangelism and boldness, post-Christianity, the Bible, student work, Uber-drivers, conversation and much more.

With Lena Dacca

Here at Solas we love partnering with Christian Union groups on university campuses across the UK. Today we speak with a student from Lancaster University where Andy spoke at their mission week this year. So what is a mission week? What sort of topics appeal to students? And how would you convince a history student that Jesus really rose from the dead? All that and more in this episode of PEP Talk.

With Lena Dacca PEP Talk

Our Guest

Lena Dacca is a history student at Lancaster University, and recently served on her Christian Union’s committee as the Mission Week Coordinator. She is an aspiring historian and evangelist, and is especially passionate about sharing the gospel in a way which points people toward both the evidence for Christianity, and the transformative love of Jesus.

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.

Launch Pad 28: Blog Your Testimony

Pete is a prodigious blogger. He writes about his work as a GP, books, life and cricket! Whatever he is writing about, what regularly comes through it is his faith in Jesus.

Have you ever considered writing your testimony and sharing it online? Simple free tools like Blogger provide the platform; you provide the words. Your story is unique, interesting and compelling. Why not write up your story and share it with the world?

When you do, here are few pointers:

1) Just tell your story. If you are a former axe-murder then tell that story—but if you were sitting in your office wondering if there was more to life than budgets and spreadsheets when one day someone gave you a Bible, then tell that. Don’t add, subtract, or embellish the truth—nor deny what God has done.

2) The power of testimony is that it speaks directly to people like you. If you came from a Christian home and had to wrestle with making your faith your own then that will speak to people like you. If you came from another faith, that will be helpful to others who share your background. If you came to Christ in later life, or had to wrestle with a particular doubt or objection, share it so that it will encourage fellow-travellers on the same road.

3) Always emphasise your faults and weaknesses, not your strengths. A story told humbly draws people in; but triumphalism repels!

3) Keep it up to date, don’t only talk about how you became a Christian, but talk about what Christ in doing in your life now. (see Paul in Acts 25 as an example).

4) If you are an experienced writer, post your blog; but if not, maybe get a friend to proof-read it and help knock it into shape.

5) Share the results. Each blog post you create has a unique web address and can be posted across social media platforms. Send it to your friends and ask for their comments. Ask Christian friends to share it more widely.

6) Consider taking a lead, writing your story—and then suggesting to your church leader that you collect and publish testimonies from around the church family?

Pray: Father, thanks for what you have done in my life! Please give me the courage and words to share it with others. Amen.


Previously: Launch Pad #27 Gear life-events for non-Christians

Next: Launch Pad #29 Questions at the Pub

Dissident Dialogue: Richard Dawkins versus Ayaan Hirsi Ali

What would you if one of your “absolutely favourite people” accepted a belief that you had both spent much of your lives fighting against? That was the prospect facing famous scientist Richard Dawkins, when he heard his erstwhile New Atheist colleague, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, had become a Christian. His response was to write an open letter to her in which he declared “Ayaan, you are no more a Christian than I am”. It was simply inconceivable to him that an atheist intellectual could ever come to believe enough to be considered a “real Christian”. Instead, he concluded, “you are just a decent human being who mistakenly thinks you need a religion in order to remain so.”

So it was not without reason that there was a great deal of excitement around the discussion between the two at the “Dissident Dialogues” conference in New York earlier this month. The fascinating exchange explored everything from truth and the merits of religious belief, to morality and what will win the hearts and minds of young people today.

Spiritual bankruptcy

The exchange started with Ali explaining how she became a Christian. The human rights activist and former politician spoke about her decade-long struggle with depression, anxiety and self-loathing. As she wrestled with suicidal thoughts, none of the “self-medicating” and counselling helped. That is until one psychiatrist suggested she might be suffering from “spiritual bankruptcy”. This resonated with her so, feeling she had nothing to lose, she desperately prayed to God. She acknowledged that what happened was subjective and difficult to explain, but she felt a miraculous sense of being connected with a higher power. The experience brought back her “zest for life”, and started her on the path to becoming a Christian. It also gave her a healthy dose of intellectual humility, as someone who had previously criticised those who believe in God.

Types of Christian

The revelation led to much discussion around what types of “Christian” there are. Dawkins confessed that he was a cultural one, in the sense that he was moved by some expressions of religious music and art. He appreciated Ali felt comforted at a time of need, but he reminded her that to be a Christian she had to believe “lots of nonsense”, like Jesus being born of a virgin or rising from the dead. Ali responded by saying that when you become open to there being a God, you can see certain ideas make “a great deal of sense”. Rather than being stupid, as she had once thought, they gave people of faith something of value that atheists lacked. Moreover, this was a layered process, backed up by the “wisdom of millennia”. So she clarified that she was not just a “moral” or “cultural” Christian, but believed what the Bible said about Jesus, as well as the possibility of life after death. Surprised by these admissions, Dawkins incredulously responded “It sounds like you believe it!”

Moral musings

Dawkins acknowledged that although he had never met a vicar he didn’t like, Christianity was morally problematic. It was, he claimed, “obsessed with sin”, whether it was original sin, the immaculate conception, or God’s son needing to die for it. He conceded that Jesus was a loving character, but said that St Paul and others had made the religion bad. Ali pushed back by saying that Christianity was not about fear and control, but was “obsessed with love”. She said this central narrative, which was connected with the themes of redemption, renewal and rebirth, was important for humanity, as well as her personally. She added that the teaching about good and evil running through every person, also made sense. Her conclusion was that Christianity offered a much-needed and powerful recipe to connect with both the universe and other people. Crucially, she said it allowed a place for reason, as well as faith and subjectivity. Dawkins’ response was that he had meaning and hope in life without believing in God, and that moral philosophy could tell people how to live.

Moral vacuum

Ali’s major concern was that secular humanists had not succeeded in making everyone good and rational, but had instead created a moral vacuum in western society. By mocking Christianity and squeezing it out of the public square – which she regretted her previous part in – they had undermined the very values that had not only shaped the culture, but made it so special. She referred to G. K. Chesterton who said that once people stop believing in God, they don’t then believe in nothing, but they start believing in anything. As a result, she saw western society as being in grave danger by allowing the spread of dangerous totalitarian “mind viruses”, such as woke culture and radical Islam. Dawkins said he believed enlightenment ideas had been a reaction against Christianity, rather than a product of it. Nevertheless, he admitted that atheists hadn’t won people over, but he insisted that the answer was therefore to push harder. He accepted that dangerous ideas were now spreading, but he insisted that he had never been too optimistic about rationality being able to replace religion anyway.

Relative beliefs

Dawkins conceded that some beliefs were better for society than others – or at least less bad. He claimed Christianity was the best of the religions and that, despite its many flaws, it had at least grown out of its violent past. He maintained, however, that it didn’t really matter whether beliefs made people feel better, were good for society or gave meaning. The key question was whether or not they were scientifically true. So even though he acknowledged that the hypothesis of theism was one of the most exciting of all, he reiterated that he believed all religions were false. Ali disagreed, and said that neither side could prove their position. She stressed that we don’t know why there is something rather than nothing, nor can we even explain a phenomenon like consciousness. She added that it is rewarding to study the hypothesis of theism academically, but we are more than just material beings.

Going viral

The discussion ended on a humorous note. After Ali spoke of the “clash of civilizations” and how radical Islam threatens to overthrow western society, Dawkins said it all came down to “two epidemiological theories”. He argued we have to decide whether it is best to combat a “vicious mind virus” by vaccinating it with a milder version of it or whether “we say no viruses at all and go for enlightened rationality”. This led to the memorable final remark from the moderator, UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers, that Dawkins had declared himself to be a “religious anti-vaxxer”!

Conclusion

There are many aspects of the discussion that would stand out to a Christian. One is that it’s an absolute gift for opening up interesting conversations. Speaking about God is not always easy, but this dialogue gave me the opportunity to speak to both an atheist friend and a Jehovah’s Witness who happened to knock on the door! Irrespective of what worldview you hold, it is fascinating that two world-renowned atheists have come to understand reality in such different ways, using different “planes of perception”. Indeed, Ali’s experience shows us that even the most strident advocate can change their mind. This is an important message in today’s starkly divided age, as winning over opponents can often seem like a hopeless task. Yet Ali experienced God in spite of what she previously believed.

The other striking feature of the debate was the question of whether we can live by the ideas we hold, on a personal as well as societal level. Ali and Dawkins agreed to disagree on many things, but they both accepted that we should only hold beliefs that are true. Ali’s contention, however, was that humans need more than the nothingness offered by atheism, and that Christianity offers something of great value. Her story underlined that there are many different reasons for believing in God, and that people come to faith in different ways. Ultimately, perhaps Dawkins and Ali’s most important message was that world is facing an ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of its people. That is why discussing the big questions of life will always remain both a vital and rewarding exercise. Indeed, the outcome of debates like this could well shape the very future of humanity – for better or worse.

Teatime@Trinity

It was a great privilege to be invited to speak at Teatime@Trinity, an informal Sunday evening meeting at Perth’s Trinity Church of the Nazarene. For me it was a return visit to Trinity after many years, as I preached there many times when they had a long pastoral vacancy, long before Solas had started. Andy Bannister from Solas had spoken at a Teatime@Trinity event last year, and Solas has many friends there. For me, it was my first opportunity to speak there for Solas, and the opportunity to catch up with many old friends too – as well as admire their amazing new premises!

Teatime@Trinty events are low-key guest services which attract people from all over the place. While there were lots of folks from Trinity and several other churches, there were a good number of people from outside the church too.

With food served around beautifully decorated candlelit tables, they created a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for everyone. They had music, and a quiz around the tables too – which got everyone involved.

Pastor Ian Wills then interviewed me about Solas and evangelism. As well asking me to describe our work of evangelism and evangelism-training, Ian asked me some really probing questions about gospel work today. He asked about the changing nature of objections to and questions about Christianity in our society. I tried to explain that our speakers get asked fewer evidential questions (eg science and faith) these days and many more around questions such as identity, value, purpose, and agency. Tshi affects our starting point in sharing the gospel.

My favourite question that Ian asked me was “Are you optimistic about the future?” That’s a brilliant question, because by nature I am a card-carrying, ‘glass-half-empty’ pessimist! I spoke about the difference between optimism, which is a baseless feeling that things will turn out OK, just because it will; and personal faith in a personal God, who can redeem even very difficult circumstances.

After some singing, I was asked one final question: “What is the purpose of life?” In less than ten minutes I pointed the people there to John 1, where it says, “the word became flesh and dwelt among us”. The Greek philosophers had been debating whether there was a ‘word’  (logos), meaning a point to it all. John writes that the point of everything is not a book, thesis, philosophy or thing; but a person – Jesus Christ. That’s why later in the New Testament, Paul said that he ‘counted everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.’

It was such a joy to see everyone at Trinity, so talk about evangelism, culture, contextualisation of the gospel and our shared mission. It was also an honour to be able to speak a bit about Jesus and to tell people who don’t know him yet, that life in all its fullness is found in Him.

We hope we can work with Trinity Church again soon!

Isn’t it circular reasoning to prove Christianity from the Bible?

“You can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible! That’s circular reasoning!” Is this true? Sometimes people think that the Bible can’t be used a source of the truth about Christianity because it was written by Christians – but is this really the full picture? In this Short Answers video Steve Osmond explains why this is incorrect and gives a few reasons why the documents of the New Testament are trustworthy historical documents.

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 27: Gear life events towards non-Christians too

A little while ago our church was preparing a baby dedication service. The pastor reminded the congregation to get there early to get seating because there would be lots of visitors coming along to support the families.

A few weeks later I was officiating a wedding for a young couple, and I was absolutely astounded by the number of non-Christian friends that attended. The bride was the captain of one of the national sports teams, and had invited all of her friends and team members – and had asked me to share the Gospel as clearly as I could, because she really wanted her friends to come to know Jesus too!

Church-Life events are gospel opportunities to which people outside the church are often willing to come to. But we need to make sure that everything done at these events clearly points to Jesus, and that the Gospel is made really clear, not buried beneath obscure language or customs. This is especially true for big celebrations like baby dedications, baptisms, weddings and engagements parties. But, it’s also true of more sombre events, like funerals. Just as much as friends and family will readily come to celebrate with us in things like dedications and baptisms, they will also be there to support us through the tougher things life will throw our way. But funerals, perhaps even more so than the other events, are a time to point to Jesus – even in the midst of sorrow. Oftentimes the reality of our finitude is made all the more stark as we consider our mortality – especially at funerals, and the hope of the Gospel is perhaps more clearly seen for many when confronted with the reality of death.

So, how do we do this? In the lead up to any of these events, why not speak to your pastor and mention that there will be those coming along who aren’t Christians, and ask him to make the Gospel clear, and give a clear invitation for next steps. If you are leading the service or sharing the message, don’t be afraid to share boldly about what the gospel is and of what Jesus has done in your life! And whether you are leading, participating or attending, invite everyone you can to attend!

Prayer: ‘Lord, please help me to see all the opportunities you lay before me to share the Gospel’.


Previously: Launch Pad #26 Harness Your Passions!

Next: Launch Pad #28 Blog your testimony!

Has the Bible Been Corrupted, as Some Muslims Claim?

Andy Bannister was recently invited to contribute to the ‘Challenging Questions’ series, by our friends at the C.S. Lewis Institute. In the article he adresses the common objection to the Christian faith from Muslims that the Bible has been changed, and is therefore unreliable. Andy looks at the origins of this claim, and examines whether it is a reasonable objection to Christian faith.

The full article is in the link below.

Has the Bible Been Corrupted as Some Muslims Claim?

Steve reports from Culloden

One of the best aspects of the work I do with Solas is that I get to travel to different churches and venues all around the country– sometimes even further afield. Recently I had the opportunity to head up to head up from Perth to Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church, just outside Inverness.

This was the fist time Solas has worked with the church, and I was invited to preach in the morning service on one of my favourite texts, 1 Peter 3:15 – a clear call to the discipleship of the mind and being able to share our hope in Jesus with those around us. It was a great time of worshiping the Lord together and also really good to meet some new people. My wife, Robyn, was able to join me and we were warmly welcomed.

In the afternoon I was scheduled to do some evangelism equipping with the church – but first we headed off to explore Inverness for a few hours. What a beautiful city!

The afternoon session was on The Art of Conversation, an equipping session on how to better engage in conversations that can lead to spiritual things, and on to the Gospel. This was followed by a great time of Q&A with 40 or so attendees. I’m always encouraged to see how churches are intentionally trying to reach the community around them with the hope of the Gospel, and Culloden-Balloch Baptist is definitely committed to this.

This is the first time I’ve done this format – preaching in the morning service and then doing a training session in the afternoon. It seemed to work very well, and slotted in well with the regular rhythm of the church, where they try to do something different in the afternoon/evening on Sundays.

Why not consider getting a Solas speaker out to your church to do the same!? We love serving the local church in this way, and maybe this is the format that may work for you.

With Clare Williams

This week we have the return of Clare Williams, who contributed three chapters to our book, Have You Ever Wondered? She explains how contemporary questions around race and social justice so quickly point to the gospel when you take the time to wonder about their importance.

With Clare Williams PEP Talk

Our Guest

Clare Williams is the founder of Real Questions, a platform which explores the intersection of race and faith within the Black British context.  She is also a speaker and tutor at The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Prior to her work in apologetics, she was an English teacher in London secondary schools for ten years. Clare has a degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford University, and Masters in Leadership (2012) and Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity (2021) from the University of London. She is now a doctoral student conducting research in Sociology at The University of Westminster.

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.

Launch Pad 26: Harness Your Passions

I will never forget the T-shirt evangelist! For years he wore T-shirts with Christian slogans on them, hoping that someone on the morning commute would ask him about the gospel. Sadly, no-one ever did, so rather despondently he gave up, grabbed an ordinary T-shirt and went to work. Slumped in the train carriage in a well-worn and much loved Harely-Davidson T-shirt, he was asked by a stranger, “So, do you ride a Harley?” After much motorbike chat, the conversation moved through from questions of the relative merits of various classic bikes to the year off from riding he had been forced to take from illness—into questions of life and faith. The T-shirt evangelist got further by harnessing his passions to connect with people.

Natural communities form around all kinds of interests, passions and hobbies, both in the real world and online, and often in both. Sometimes niche, unusual (or just plain weird) interests often have lively well-connected social scenes attached to them.

I am a fan of British 1970s rock and prog music, which probably qualifies under several of those aforementioned pejorative adjectives! Several years ago, I joined an online forum about one of these bands, which (although a secular band) have written some very thoughtful and indeed spiritual lyrics. Every Monday there is a “track of the week” to discuss, when everyone can chip in their thoughts and responses to the song. Sometimes it’s esoteric discussions about chord-progressions and time signatures; but I have also had the chance to post about love, faith, Jesus, hope and church. Reactions can be mixed to say the least. However, it has led to some really interesting private conversations on email with people who have wanted to know more. Meeting up at gigs has then deepened these relationships.

So what are your passions, interests or hobbies? How can you use these as a catalyst to build significant relationships with people who share your love of Shrewsbury Town FC, baking, reading, rock-climbing, stamp-collecting, the poetry of William McGonagall, ornithology, cinema, or whatever floats your unique boat? One friend of mine has found that the local cycle-touring community creates repeated opportunities for life-deep conversations as they pedal through the countryside together. It has become the frontline for his Christian witness.

Pray: Father, please enable me to use my interests to build meaningful relationships with others for you. Amen.


Previously: Launch Pad #25 Practice your testimony – and pray for an opportunity to share it

Next: Launch Pad #27 Gear life-events towards non-Christians too

Churches, schools and outreach too! Andy on the Isle of Jersey

At the invitation of the churches, and a school in St Helier, I went back to the Isle of Jersey for my second visit, I did three days of work in the school there, covering seven or eight different lessons, examining things such as the arguments for the existence of God, the differences between Christianity and Islam, Christianity and human rights – a whole range of topics. These were really enjoyable, and not just because the topics are really lively, but because in the classroom context you teach a bit, them get them discussing, then teach a bit, then do more discussion. It was good to see how engaged the students were with the subject matter, especially those 17-18 year olds doing ‘A’ level who were quite sharp and articulate which made the classes quite fun. It was really good to engage with the Religious Studies (RS) teachers too. One of them was a Christian while the other didn’t state what they believed, so that led to some good conversations there too. The school also has a Christian Union group so it was great to support them a little too.

Schools work is something which we are doing more of at Solas. It usually comes about as the result of an invitation from a Christian teacher. In this case it was a maths teacher called Simon, who also helps the Christian Union in the school, who took the initiative. He’s well-known as a Christian in the school, because he had taken to ending his tutor-group sessions with a short prayer. Students responded really positively to this, and started to bring him prayer requests. The headteacher heard about this, and asked Simon to stand up in the staffroom and explain what he was doing. That led to some really good conversations with other staff members. So, schools work always comes along as the result of a personal contact with a teacher or youthworker or school chaplain. Some churches are being really proactive in reaching out to their local schools and offering to help them, and doors open. Prayer too is really important, in my first ministry job which was as a schools worker, all the opportunities came about because a group of Christian parents started a prayer meeting.

Simon Lewis, the maths teacher at Jersey Girls College commented: “Andy’s lessons were really appreciated by the teachers. Andy joined the school C. U. meeting for lunch and it was a really helpful forum for Year 8 students , in particular, to ask questions about lots of aspects of Christianity –  for example, “Who wrote the Bible?”. I think students really appreciated his answers, and enjoyed his company!

St Helier is Jersey’s capital city and the church organised an outreach event there, which I spoke at one evening. I used the “Why am never satisfied?” title to open up the question of the human quest for hapiness and why we want it, and why it can be elusive! There was a small crowd who came to that, but importantly some non-Christian people came along, which was encouraging.

On Sunday I preached at the Anglican church in St Helier and looked at the vital subject of ‘The Uniqueness of Jesus.’ That’s a sermon which seems to help and encourage Christians to think through what it means when we affirm that Jesus really is “the way, the truth and the life!” It’s also something that brings the claims of Jesus into sharp focus for those who are perhaps associated with the church, but who aren’t really sure what they believe beyond a vague spirituality, a sense of something bigger and beyond themselves and are looking at the options. It helps them to focus on the claims of Christ specifically and to respond to him.

Then we did a Confident Christianity event to help Christians to share their faith more wisely and confidently. It was a follow-up event to one we did a couple of years ago, and it was encouraging that more people came this time, from seven or eight different churches across several denominations. The partnership between them and Solas is developing and we are hoping to go back there again to take things even further. On this occasion I looked at ‘engaging the apathetic’ because lots of Christians in Jersey say that many of their friends are “more disinterested than hostile” to the gospel. The other topic we did was “5 steps to answering any tough question”, because there is a fear of push-back which is stifling Christian witness.

So it was a real joy to work with Simon, the schools, the churches and meet so many interesting people on Jersey. They are talking about another ‘Solas-week’ in two years – and we’ll make that happen if we possible can.