Rev. Richard Fisher	Dr. Gary E. Gilley	Dr. Robert Lightner	Dr. Paul L. Maier	Dr. Ron Rhodes	Rev. Dave Swavely

Plenary Session Leaders and Titles:

• Rev. G. Richard Fisher

The Bondage of Ancestral Bondage Teaching (CD or Tape #1008)
“Are we determined by our ancestors’ sins?’’ ‘‘Are we trapped because of the transgressions of our grandparents?’’ Such admired teachers as Bill Gothard, Neil Anderson, Rebecca Brown and others say, Yes.  They instruct that the bondage of personal or ancestral sins has to be broken with special prayers or rituals. This session will explore and answer questions such as: ‘‘Is the ancestral bondage teaching truly biblical or is it merely another form of bondage?’’ ‘‘Why do we function so much like our parents, and why do we repeat their sins and failures?’’ ‘‘Does God really visit iniquity to the third and fourth generation?’’ This session will provide answers to these questions.
 

• Dr. Gary E. Gilley

Is the Modern Church Reaching Out or Selling Out? (CD or Tape #1001)
Many church leaders, riding the faddish waves of our times, have adopted philosophies of ministry that they believe will enable the Church to better reach out to people.  But what price has these leaders and their churches paid in order to fill the pews?  This plenary lecture will briefly examine both the “seeker sensitive” movement (including Rick Warren) and the emergent “conversation” in the light of Scripture.  It will also call on God’s people to remain faithful to both the biblical teachings and God ordained paradigm for His Church.

A Faithful Church in Deceptive Times (CD or Tape #1027)
From its inception, the Church of Christ has had to “contend earnestly for the faith” against those who can only be described as deceivers. But in an age in which even kind critique is considered repulsive and un-Christlike, it has become increasingly difficult to take a stand for the truth. The pressure is immense for even the most conservative of Christians and churches to ignore serious error in order to avoid being labeled negative and unloving. Yet the Lord has called for His people to expose and refute heresy. What are we to do?
 

• Dr. Robert P. Lightner

Contending for the Faith Without Being Contentious (CD or Tape #1007)
Christians are called to hold fast to sound doctrine, contend for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints, and be always ready and able to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in them.  Yet the same Scriptures which command us to “hold fast,” “contend,” and “be ready” also instruct us to “speak the truth in love.”  Our objective as believers is not to defend the faith in a gangbuster manner — a way which dishonors God and disgusts the hearer — but to employ meaningful influence and significant persuasion.  This session will define how the Christian can be on the offensive without being offensive.
 

• Dr. Paul L. Maier

Jesus of Nazareth – What Else Do We Know? (CD or Tape #1020)
In the past four decades we have seen an outpouring of sensationalist books, motion pictures, and television specials in which Jesus is barely recognizable. Drawing scantily from the New Testament, these Bible “scholars” and critics often subtract from Scripture and add events to the life and person of Christ until He is radically different and beyond recognition. This seminar will examine, with emphasis, the sources of information on Jesus outside the Gospels — what’s fact and what’s fiction.
 

• Dr. Ron Rhodes

Where Is the Discernment? (CD or Tape #1021)
The modern Church shows a real lack of — and disdain for — discernment. In losing its will for discernment, the Church has given way to mysticism, the Word-Faith movement, eschatological extremes (date-setting), “Christian” psychics and psychic phenomena (even among our kids), “Christian” Wicca and paganism (and vampirism), and a host of horrible books including The Shack and Your Best Life Now.  Yet, as the Scriptures prove, God cares about biblical discernment; and true biblical discernment answers each of these issues. This session will also provide a summary of the benefits of discernment, setting forth tips on how to increase discernment, and closes with a call to urgency.
 

• Rev. Dave Swavely

The Case Against Judging (CD or Tape #1014)
All Christians have, at one time or another, borne the brunt of inappropriate judging and the burden of legalism. Likewise, believers easily fall into the error of making spiritual judgments and creating moral standards outside what God has revealed to us — we often judge others who don’t keep our rules. This session will explore: “What is the sin of judging?” “Why is it the cause of so many interpersonal problems?” and “How can we avoid it?”

Workshop Session Leaders and Titles:

Rev. G. Richard Fisher

• Are There Alternative Christianities? – Bart Ehrman and the Gnostics  (CD or Tape #1002)
Were there competing Christianities in the early Church each vying to become the “truth”? Is the Bible untrustworthy and merely a human production, rather than the inspired and infallible Word of God?  Best-selling author and Bible scholar Bart Ehrman wants us to believe both to be the case. This session will examine Ehrman's view of the Bible and why he thinks “truth” is up for grabs. We will also look at “Who are the Gnostics?” “Why are they having a twenty-first century revival?” and “What is the basis for their attack on the Christian faith?”

• Does Beth Moore Have a Hermeneutic?  (CD or Tape #1022)
Beth Moore is one of today’s most popular Christian authors and seminar leaders — her books sell by the millions and she speaks to auditoriums packed with her adoring fans. Yet few know or care to ask what is Moore's hermeneutic or method of Bible interpretation? By her own admission, she employs hyperbole and overstatement — and in other cases she ignores the historical, generational, and cultural setting of the Bible. This workshop will consider Moore’s hazardous method of handling Scripture; how she has an interpretive scheme in which she mishandles the Bible leading to misinterpretations, misapplications, and aberrant teachings.

Richard Fisher is director for Personal Freedom Outreach and the senior researcher/writer for The Quarterly Journal.  Pastor Fisher served as pastor of Laurelton Park Baptist Church in Bricktown, N.J., for over 40 years, from 1968 until his retirement in June 2009.  He also was part of the teaching staff at Central Jersey Bible Institute for over three decades, where he had served as Dean of the school.  He has led over 30 tours of the Holy Land and has co-authored The Confusing World of Benny Hinn.

 

Dr. Gary E. Gilley

• The Ancient-Future Faith Movement  (CD or Tape #1009)
The Ancient-Future faith movement is one of the newer stages in the emergent church movement. It is seekers who repudiate Church history and behave as if the Church was born yesterday. The Emergent adherents not only want a link to the past, but a return to the past. While these elements have always been present in Emergent, they are just now rising to the top of the conversation. For them it is not enough to complain about the modern Church or to brush aside all truth-claims as relative. Roots of some kind must anchor the movement if it is to last. What is it that will give this conversation a fixed point of reference and at the same time launch it into the next stage? This seminar will contend that it appears to be what some call “Ancient-Future faith.”

•  The Godless Crusade of the New Atheism  (CD or Tape #1003)
Atheism in any form and any era is deadly. Consider the impact on our modern society of such 19th century atheists as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Nietzsche. Yet the 21st century is not without its activists engaging in an atheistic campaign. The New Atheism of men like Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great) is aggressively seeking converts and disciples, taking their godless crusade to the masses. This workshop will consider key factors of this movement, including its environment, gain of popularity, major themes and arguments, and a defense of Christian theism.

•  Joel Osteen – The Prosperity Gospel Goes Mainstream  (CD or Tape #1015)
Many Christians can discern the obvious error of New Age teachings behind The Secret and Eckhart Tolle’s The New Earth, as well as the over-the-top proclamations of many within the prosperity gospel movement. However, when similar teachings are repackaged, reworded, and presented in a winsome fashion, a larger number will fall prey. Enter Joel Osteen and his brand of the prosperity gospel-lite. As some have observed, Osteen has achieved the dubious success of making the “name-it-and-claim-it” philosophy mainstream. This workshop will explore how Osteen teaches essentially the same theology as his Word Faith mentors, but he gives it an updated twist.

Gary Gilley is pastor of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Ill.  Dr. Gilley is also a director for Personal Freedom Outreach and a researcher and writer for The Quarterly Journal.  He received his B.A. from Moody Bible Institute and his M.B.S. and Th.D. from Cambridge Graduate School.  He is a frequent speaker at Bible conferences and the author of five books including, This Little Church Had None, Is That You Lord? and This Little Church Went to Market.  He is also a board member of Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission and New Tribes Missions.

 

Dr. Robert P. Lightner

•  The Angel Called God and His Angels (CD or Tape #1010)
The names and titles of Christ used in the Old Testament often lend strong support for His eternal existence as the second person of the Godhead. This workshop will first present a biblical study defining “the Angel of Jehovah” as none other than Christ in His pre-incarnate state. Several common descriptions of the work of Christ’s angels are given in the Bible — one of which is “ministers.” This session will then examine, from the Scriptures, the general and continuing ministry of holy angels to God’s people in our present day.

•  The Angel Called Satan and His Angels  (CD or Tape #1016)
With the rise of the occult, interest in demonology and Satanology have become very prominent — both within Christian and non-Christian circles. However, systems of theology generally include very little about Satan and his demons. Thus into the vacuum created by this dearth of information have come subjective and unscriptural teachings. Regrettably, much of what is offered today in the books by best-selling authors is more fiction than fact. This workshop is a study which biblically defines Satan and his demons, wicked angels, and their opposition to God’s people.

Robert Lightner is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Adjunct Professor in Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.  Dr. Lightner joined the Dallas Seminary faculty in 1968 after teaching for seven years at Baptist Bible College/Seminary in Johnson City, New York, and also teaches at the Seminary’s extension sites.  A professor of all the doctrines of Systematic Theology, Dr. Lightner has authored Handbook of Evangelical Theology, Portraits of Jesus in the Gospel of John, and over twenty other theological volumes.

Dr. Paul L. Maier

• The Apostle Paul and the Spread of Christianity  (CD or Tape #1023)
The book of Acts as well as Paul’s Epistles offer us a powerful and dynamic source of information to illuminate the life of this great missionary and church planter. Yet secular writings also exist which shed light on the missionary journeys of Paul, as well as his voyage to Rome, his trial there, and his death. This workshop will survey and present both the “sacred and the secular” sources about the enormously successful preaching efforts by Paul and how God used this man and his ministry to change the course of history.

• The Reformation – Reclaiming the Church from Corruption  (CD or Tape #1017)
The Christian Church emerged from the Middle Ages encumbered with medieval spirituality, mysticism, religious abuse, and a denial of the Gospel of grace alone. While there were those who made attempts to rescue a Church gone astray, it was Martin Luther, “a man who changed the world,” whose efforts succeeded when others had failed. This workshop will explore the history and background of reformation efforts by the prime catalysts of sixteenth century reform such as Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and others.

Paul Maier is Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University.  Dr. Maier serves as Second Vice President of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and is also a historical novelist whose expertise in first-century history and extensive travels in the Middle East and Asia Minor provide historical authenticity to his writing.  He has authored numerous scholarly books including, In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter and the Early Church, Josephus – The Essential Writings, and Eusebius – The Church History.

Ms. Marcia Montenegro

•  Oprah and the Invasion of the New Spirituality: A Biblical Response (CD or Tape #1004)
Oprah is one of the most influential women today.  Receiving her “endorsement” can place one on the fast track to fame and fortune. But just what are her spiritual beliefs and those of many of her guests, and how do they line up to a Christian worldview?  This workshop will explain and discuss the roots of this new spirituality, the God and Jesus of the New Age, the deception of New Thought, what Oprah has said she believes, and how this conflicts with Christianity, so that the believer can be better equipped at recognizing and responding to this new spirituality.

•  The Vampire Bites – A Biblical Look at Today’s New Heroes (CD or Tape #1024)
Books, television, and movies in our culture have featured psychics, witches, vampires, and other similar figures as heroes and heroines. Is this trend merely a passing fad, innocent fun, and harmless entertainment — or should Christians be concerned?  This workshop will explore this modern phenomenon of the supernatural and bring you up to date on recent “new heroes,” especially in literature and movies for young people.  Also discussed will be relevant biblical issues, as well as how the believer can respond.

•  What’s Your Sign? The Bible & Astrology in the Age of Aquarius  (CD or Tape #1011)
Do you know what to say when someone asks, “What’s your sign?”  While some see horoscopes as amusement, others take astrology in a more serious vein. Astrology’s influence continues to be a factor in a world looking for guidance and direction in all the wrong places. This session will discuss the difference of astrology with astronomy, what a horoscope is based on, the worldview of astrologers, the Age of Aquarius, what the Bible says about astrology, as well as a good way to respond to the issue of reading horoscopes and how to answer those who say astrology works.

Marcia Montenegro, who trusted Christ in December 1990, is a former professional astrologer, past president of the Metropolitan Astrological Society, and taught astrology for over five years. She was also involved for a number of years in psychic development, and in various Eastern, New Age and occult beliefs. She now has a ministry, Christian Answers for the New Age (CANA), and the author of Spellbound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids.  Marcia is a member of Cherrydale Baptist Church, Arlington, Va.

Dr. Ron Rhodes

•  An Overview of World Religions  (CD or Tape #1012)
For most Christians, the religious beliefs of non-Christians are a collection of confusing beliefs, practices and worldviews. And earlier generations would have had to embark onto a foreign mission field to encounter those who held beliefs other than their own; not so today with the invasion of world religions into America. This session will be your guide for answers and understanding to the world’s major religions. Various world religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto will be compared and contrasted. Also examined is why Christianity is utterly unique in terms of divine revelation, its view of God, Jesus Christ, sin, salvation, and the afterlife.

•  Unlocking the Mysteries of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol  (CD or Tape #1005)
Following the phenomenal success of his novels, The DaVinci Code and  Angels and Demons, author Dan Brown has written yet another runaway best-seller, The Lost Symbol. However, every literary offering Brown serves up is an affront and attack on the very heart and foundation of the Christian faith. While he writes under the “banner” of fiction, he presents his plotlines as fact. This workshop will evaluate the alluring seduction of mysticism (which is a thread that runs throughout his latest book). Various claims made by Brown, including how mystical religions like Rosicrucianism and Kabbalah contain "truth" for us, the deification of man, and man controlling reality by the power of the mind, will be biblically disproved. Also Brown’s esoteric approach to the Bible (so that the Bible is made to appear to support such ideas) will be considered and refuted. This session will deconstruct Brown piece by piece.

•  What You Need to Know About Homosexuality  (CD or Tape #1018)
One of the most “hot button” concerns facing the Church today is the issue of homosexuality. In their response to “political correctness,” some local churches reject with contempt and entirely ignore the homosexual, while other congregations welcome them in open and affectionate fellowship. How are Christians to understand the balance between compassion and biblical principle? This session will focus specifically on what the Bible says about homosexuality, including misinterpretations of specific Bible verses.  Also examined will be the charge that the Apostle Paul was only giving his private opinion when he spoke on the matter of homosexuality.  Modern arguments related to twin studies, hypothalamus studies, and the issue of whether homosexuals are born or made will also be addressed. 

Ron Rhodes is the President of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries.  Dr. Rhodes is an Adjunct Professor of Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, Texas), Veritas Evangelical Seminary (Murrieta, Calif.), and Biola University (La Mirada, Calif.).  With over 1.5 million books in print, he is the author of the popular “Reasoning from the Scriptures” series and over fifty other apologetic works including, The Complete Guide to Bible Translations, The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations, and The Wonder of Heaven.

Rev. Dave Swavely

•  Decision Making Questions – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly  (CD or Tape #1006)
Life is made up of more decisions than we can count. We face so many choices every day that often lead us to anxiety and desperation. This confusion occurs, in large part, because many Christians have misconceptions in their minds about how God leads and directs them in their personal decision making. This workshop will present what biblical decision making is by investigating what questions we should ask ourselves, and what questions we should not (even though most Christians do!).

•  The Seven E’s of Entertainment  (CD or Tape #1025)
What kinds of movies, television programs, music, novels, et cetera, can a Christian enjoy and still be honoring to the Lord? No other issue has been the source of more friction between Christians in our media-soaked, pleasure-worshipping society, and no other issue has given rise to so many legalistic rules in an attempt to keep us from being contaminated by the world. This workshop will examine how — using “The Seven E’s of Entertainment” — the Christian can understand the issues in a way that avoids the extremes, maintains a biblical, God-honoring balance, and makes their entertainment choices easier.

Dave Swavely is pastor of Faith Church in Malvern, Pa.  Pastor Swavely (M. Div., The Master’s Seminary) began his ministry as an assistant to Dr. John MacArthur and a staff member at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles. He has over fifteen years of extensive experience in biblical counseling, and is the author of Decisions, Decisions and Who Are You to Judge? and has co-authored the books, Life in the Father’s House: A Member’s Guide to the Local Church and From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church.

Dr. Steven Tsoukalas

•  Christ as God through What He Says and Does  (CD or Tape #1026)
In presenting Jesus to cultists, an area that is somewhat neglected by Christians is this: What Jesus does and says is what Yahweh in the Old Testament did and said. This seminar will offer some exegetical (and therefore practical) insights on, for example, "The Storm Stiller" of Matthew 8 and Psalm 107, and "The Cloud Rider" of Matthew 24 and Isaiah 19. A wonderful outcome of this evangelistic goal is not only more effective evangelism of cultists, but also getting to know Jesus better!

•  A Foundationalist Christian Epistemology and Postmodernism  (CD or Tape #1013)
This seminar begins with an outline of a Foundationalist Christian Epistemology (Epistemology: How we as Christians come to know what we know) and ends with a short discourse on Postmodernism. Relatively recently, Postmodernism has posed a threat to the unique truth claims of Christianity, and many theologians have embraced it, even those who call themselves Christian. Moreover, many professors in secular universities set forth Postmodernism as the way to view various truth claims. Through this seminar, Christians can begin to possess a solid epistemology that aids in combating the philosophical and theological relativism of Postmodernism.

•  Uniqueness of Christianity: Highly Probable or Absolutely Certain?  (CD or Tape #1019)
It has been stated that one cannot be absolutely certain about anything! Employing a Foundationalist Christian Epistemology learned in the Epistemology and Postmodernism workshop, we probe an answer to the question, "Can we be absolutely certain that Christianity is uniquely true?" There are practical consequences that follow the answer to this question, positive or negative depending on your view. We shall probe these consequences in a practical way, with the hope that each seminar attendee will be equipped to walk in this world of doubt and unbelief with confidence and compassion.

Steven Tsoukalas is Assistant Professor of Apologetics and Christian Thought at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson Mississippi.  He has also been a researcher and missionary to adherents of pseudo- and non-Christian religions since 1986 and is Executive Director of Sound Doctrine Ministries in Exeter, N.H.  Steve is the author of Masonic Rites and Wrongs, Knowing Christ in the Challenge of Heresy, Christian Faith 101, and The Nation of Islam.

Compact Disks (CDs) of all sessions are available for a cost of $4.00 each (plus shipping).

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Cassette Tapes of all sessions are available for a cost of $3.00 each (plus shipping).

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The complete set of 27 Conference Sessions on compact disk (CDs) is available for $100.00 (plus shipping).

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The complete set of 27 Conference Sessions on cassette tape is available for $75.00 (plus shipping).

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Shipping Charges:
1-8 items – $3.00
9-16 items – $4.00
17-23 items – $5.00
24+ items – $6.00

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The 2008 Conference included seven plenary lectures
and 16 workshops.

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A complete listing of all conference session titles, leaders,  biographies, along with workshop descriptions are here provided.