European Apologetics Network

- We Have Some Big News
- Two Things We Need From You
- The Five Networks at the Forum
- The Focus - Clarifying our Vision
- EAN Member Spotlight
- Monthly Article by Dr. Lars Dahle

We Have Some Big News
EAN’s annual meeting EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP FORUM is going to be held
in Sopron, Hungary from May 31st to June 5th, 2003. We are very
excited about how this venue meets our needs.

1. The European Leadership Forum will include not only the European
Apologetics Network, but also four new networks. More detail on
these new Networks is provided below.

2. We have reserved the Sopron Convention Center, which has a
variety of brand new meeting rooms.

3. The Plenary Sessions will be led by Don Carson and Ravi Zacharias
in a Larger Conference hall and the Network and break out sessions
will be held in smaller conference rooms on site.

4. Sopron has reasonable hotels which will be able to feed and house
EAN participants only a short distance from the Convention Center.

5. Because the conference is going to be held in Hungary, most
Central and Eastern Europeans will not need visas to attend.

6. Because Sopron is located about an hour from Vienna’s airport,
participants from Western Europe will be able to fly into Vienna and
to easily travel by bus or train to Sopron. Participants from
Central and Eastern Europe will be able to travel inexpensively by
train.

Go to Application Form on web site
http://euroleadership.org/application.htm

Two Things We Need From You
1. Remember to book the conference in your schedule today.

2. We need you today to send in your recommendations for 5 different
types of Christian leaders (see the 5 networks below).

The European Leadership Forum is an invitation only congress. We
welcome applications and recommendations. Each person recommended
should be a spiritually mature Evangelical, seeking to grow on one
of the Network areas of specialization. To apply or recommend
someone else:

1. Go to EuroLeadership.org and fill out an online Application Form
and/or Recommendation Form for the European Leadership Forum, or

2. Send an email to application@EuroLeadership.org and request an
application and/or recommendation form. Complete the appropriate
form and email to application@EuroLeadership.org.

Go to Recommendation Form on web site
http://euroleadership.org/recomm.htm

The Five Networks at the Forum
In addition to the European Apologetics Network, four new networks
will meet at the European Leadership Forum. The five Neworks are:

European Apologetics Network (EAN)
Participants will include EAN members and applicants who have gifts
in evangelism or apologetics. The topic for the week is Removing the
4 Major Objections to Christianity. This network will be led by
Stefan Gustavsson, Director of Credo Institute in Stockholm and
Chairman of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance and Richard Cunningham,
Executive Director of Areopagus Ministries, and Michael Ramsden,
Director of Zacharias Trust.

European Pastors Network
Applicants should be gifted local church pastors who want to develop
their skills in expository preaching and pastoral leadership. This
network will be led by David Jackman, Director of Proclamation Trust
and Andrew Page of Langham Partnerships. This Network will require
advance preparation.

European Theologians Network
Applicants should be Theology, New Testament and Old Testament
teachers and professors. PhD students in some branch of Theology
are encouraged to apply to this network. Don Carson, Research
Professor at Trinity International University will be teaching a
Master Class to this select group on Current Trends and Challenges
in New Testament scholarship. This network will require advance
preparation.

European Educators and Leaders Network
Individuals invited to this Network should be involved in
Leadership, Discipleship and Educational ministries who want to
investigate the biblical model of leadership and education. This
network will be led by Dr. Greg Pritchard, Director of Communication
Institute.

European Leaders in Society Network
This network is for those who feel passionate about taking their
faith to the whole of life. It will focus on vocation and bringing a
Christian worldview to bear on society, culture, and the church. Dr.
Michael Schluter, Director of Jubilee Center, Cambridge will be
leading this Network.

The Focus - Clarifying our Vision
In the midst of modern Europe’s relativistic and pluralistic fog,
the clarity of a biblical vision is desperately needed. Dr. Don
Carson and Dr. Ravi Zacharias are going to speak on the Convictions
and Commitments of Biblical Christians.

Dr. Carson is going to do Bible readings each morning on central
Biblical Worldview Convictions – What do Jesus’ Disciples believe?
Each evening Ravi will lay out the fundamental Commitments for
Jesus’s disciples – How are Jesus’ Disciples to live? We are hoping
and planning that the meeting will bring clarity on where we are as
God’s people and what he is calling us to.

For those of you who don’t know them, let us briefly introduce our
two main speakers. We are thrilled that one of the leading
Apologists in the world, Ravi Zacharias is speaking on the cutting
edge issue of biblical Ethics and Apologetics. He has been
rightfully recognized as a leading international spokesman for the
faith, speaking recently in New York at the United Nations yearly
prayer meeting.

We are also very happy that one of the world’s leading New Testament
scholars, Don Carson, will be joining us. Dr. Carson has for 25
years been a leading voice in the best of solid Evangelical
scholarship and recently his massive work Gagging of God:
Christianity Confronts Pluralism received a Gold Medallion award for
excellence in a Theological work.

We are greatly pleased that two such international Evangelical
leaders are excited about the EAN vision and are willing to lead us
at the European Leadership Forum.
As you review the speakers at the other networks we are thrilled
that gifted leaders like Don Carson, David Jackman, Andrew Page, and
Michael Schluter will be leading these Networks.

We are excited about working together on our common vision.

Under the mercy,

Richard Cunningham
Stefan Gustavsson
Greg Pritchard

EAN Member Spotlight
Part of the struggle of many EAN members is that we don’t know who
each other are or what we are doing. We plan to have regular
spotlights on specific EAN members and their Apologetic ministries.
We want to describe what they are doing and how to contact them.

This month we want to focus on the work of EAN member Ranald
Macaulay. Ranald is the son in law to Francis Schaeffer and has
founded the English L’Abri ministry. Recently Ranald has been
located in Cambridge England and has initiated the Cambridge Summer
School of Theology.

Now in its 5th year, the Cambridge Summer School of Theology
continues to promote solid systematic theology in the UK and at the
same time to compensate for the westward drift of some of the
country's best theological minds. In 2003 the theme is "The
Christian Life: The Doctrine of Sanctification." The following is a
brief explanation of their 2003 program.

* * * * * * *

As in 2001 we are again delighted to have two principal lecturers.
Gerald Bray, who taught at Oak Hill Theological College in London
before going to the States, will be leading the first week, and Don
Carson, who did his Ph.D. in Cambridge, the second.

Systematic Theology helps to create an ordered biblical framework.
This safeguards interpretation within the church and also shines a
clearer light into the world. The truths that unite all bible
Christians become more vivid and the application to a lost culture
becomes more relevant. Both the church and the world can benefit as
a result.

What the CSST attempts, in a small way, is to help the church
recapture an igniting passion for God’s truth so that lives are
radically changed and the world forced to take notice. Amidst both
the cynicism and credulity of an increasingly dysfunctional society
nothing is more needed than the fire of God’s Word. Yet this fire
must be kindled with all the resource, commitment and care possible.
The Summer School is a chance to do this.

I do hope you will be able to join us or, if not, to encourage
someone else to attend.

Ranald Macaulay
Co-ordinator
Christian Heritage

Click here for details posted on EAN web site
http://apologeticsnetwork.org/articles/november2002-spotlight.htm

Monthly Article by Dr. Lars Dahle
Dr. Lars Dahle is the Academic Dean of Gimlekollen School of
Journalism and Communication, Kristiansand, Norway and is also a
member of the EAN Steering Committee. Dr. Lars Dahle recently
finished his Ph.D. at Open University under the supervision of EAN
member Dr. E. David Cook. The title of Lars’ dissertation is
Acts 17:16-34. "An Apologetic Model Then and Now?" The following
article comes from his research and lays out a biblical foundation
for Apologetics.

Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34):
A Biblical Resource for Contemporary Apologetics

The Need for Biblical Foundations

Apologetics has traditionally been described as the rational
justification of Christian truth claims over against relevant
questions, objections and alternatives. Despite its prominence
historically, apologetics is seen as controversial in many
contemporary Christian circles. Wherever practised, however,
contemporary apologetics seems largely to be characterised by a
neglect of biblical foundations and models. This is true also of
much evangelical apologetics. Remarkably little has been done by
evangelical theologians in terms of biblical research in the area of
apologetics and most evangelical textbooks and studies seem to lack
a proper discussion of the biblical material. Where biblical
material is used, Acts 17:16-34 keeps recurring as the most popular
biblical paradigm for apologetics.

I would like to suggest that the theological validity of apologetics
is established a) if it could be shown that the science and art of
apologetics goes back to a reflective practice of apologetics in the
New Testament, and b) if such a practice could be shown to be in
accord with key theological convictions of the New Testament.

Click here for full text of article
http://apologeticsnetwork.org/articles/november2002.htm

Europe Apologetics Network - email: info@apologeticsnetwork.org