News

Spotlight on Islam: Equipping You For Gospel Conversations This Ramadan

by Simon Wenham

As Ramadan starts this month, we look at how we can reach Muslims around us. What are the main differences between the world’s two largest religions, and how can we begin to talk about Christ with Muslim colleagues, classmates, and neighbours? 

REACHING MUSLIMS

Two Main Reasons Andy Isn’t A Muslim

“I have a PhD in Islamic stuides. I’ve spent 25 years studying Islam. I read the Qu’ran in arabic… Why, given all I know, am I not a Muslim and why am I Christian?” Andy Bannister shares what his studies have taught him about the world’s second largest religion. 

Questions That Matter: Reaching Muslims

Questions That Matter: Reaching Muslims

“I have a PhD in Islamic stuides. I’ve spent 25 years studying Islam. I read the Qu’ran in arabic… Why, given all I know, am I not a Muslim and why am I Christian?” Andy Bannister shares what his studies have taught him about the world’s second largest religion. 

Listen And Learn How To Reach Muslims

[Back to the page menu]

EQUIPPING CHRISTIANS

Same God Or Different Religion? 

Many people think that different religions worship the same God. But is that true? Do Muslims and Christians really believe the same thing?

Find Out About The Key Differences

Jesus Through Muslim Eyes

“If there is one thing I want Muslims and Christians to have a productive conversation about, it’s Jesus!”

Find Out How Muslims View Jesus

[Back to the page menu]

STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION

A Battle Of Minds: How A Debate Led To Jesus 

“That friendship was absolutely critical in order for me to begin to hear the Gospel… After about a year, I came to the conclusion that the New Testament manuscripts were reliable…” 

Watch Nabeel’s Story

The Call And The Cost: A Pilgrim Finds Christ

“I was very devoted to Islam… During university I started to ask questions about the creator, because I felt a disconnection from him. I felt I couldn’t feel him…”

Hear John’s Story

[Back to the page menu]

RESOURCES YOU CAN SHARE

Do Christians and Muslims Worship The Same God? 

Discover the uniqueness of Christianity’s answer to the question of who God really is.

Find Out More

Reaching Muslims: A One-Stop Guide For Christians

A helpful introduction to Islam, covering theology, culture and much more. 

Get The Book

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christ 

A personal account of how arguing about theology led a devout Muslim to Christianity.

Find Out More

Explore More Resources On Islam

Further resources on Islam can be found on bethinking.org (UCCF’s website). 

Find Out More

Has The Bible Been Corrupted?

Muslims believe the Bible has been corrupted. Andy shares how we can respond.

Read His Response

Qur’an Tools: Learn More About The Qur’an

A free, helpful digital tool for exploring the Qur’an and how it was put together. 

Find Out More

[Back to the page menu]

GET INVOLVED

Host A Confident Christianity Event (Focusing On Islam) 

Are there lots of Muslims where you live? Would you like to be better at speaking to them about Christ? If so, why not invite Solas to do a Confident Christianity at your church with a focus on Islam? 

Invite Solas To Equip Your Church To Reach Muslims This Year

Do you know someone in your church who would benefit from this resource? Please forward this onto them!

[Back to the page menu]

Steve Goes to Lewis and Harris

by Editor

A visit to the Isle of Lewis and Harris marked another productive stretch of partnership-building between Solas and the Free Church of Scotland. It was great to welcome friends from several other congregations across the islands to the meetings we held there too. A good number of attendees from outside the Free Church joined the weekend’s events at the CCC, reflecting the widening reach of the collaboration.

The weekend opened with the Saturday Confident Christianity Conference, which focused on conversational evangelism and a discussion of “the truth about truth,” tackling the challenges posed by contemporary relativism. Although attendance was modest, engagement was strong, with a lively Q&A and a noticeably younger demographic than on previous visits.

On Sunday morning, I was able to preach at Carloway Free Church, where Rev. Thomas Davis—soon to assume the role of Principal at Edinburgh Theological Seminary—serves as minister. The evening service followed at Stornoway Free Church. Both sermons centred on the theme “Mission Manifests the Kingdom,” drawn from Matthew 5 where Jesus tells his people to function as ‘salt and light’ in the world

What had been planned as a small youth gathering after the evening service quickly escalated into a crowd of around 120. The expanded audience prompted a full presentation on the reliability of the New Testament and the resurrection, followed by an energetic question-and-answer session. Among those attending was a young woman first met during a previous youth event in Harris. Though not yet a Christian, she returned with evident openness, asking numerous questions and seeking conversation afterward. If you are a Christian reading this report, please do keep her in your prayers.

This was my second trip to Lewis and Harris, and it is a place I am quickly starting to love. The churches there take the word of God seriously and really engage with the material I present; and offer visiting speakers such a warm welcome and genuine fellowship. I’d love to go back!

 

Motivation for Mission #3: Like Sheep Without a Shepherd

by Editor

In Matthew 9:35 , it says,

“Jesus looked at the crowds and he had compassion on them, for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.”

That’s why his great heart was moved in compassion for them. And so should ours be for people today, because so many people in our world meet that description: harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. They don’t know right from wrong, they don’t know where they’re going, they don’t know where they came from, what they’re here for, or what their destiny is.

But we know the good shepherd. We know that Jesus the good shepherd will welcome them into his fold, will adopt them into his family, and ‘lead them beside still waters’. Jesus is the good shepherd. Evangelism is about introducing people who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, to the one who we know will care for their souls, who will look after them in this life and the next, and bring them safely home. We have found a place of love and security and peace in the care, protection and provision of the one truly Good Shepherd.

Jesus looked upon us in our confusion, lostness and sin – and he was moved by compassion towards us. Does he not look at the lost people of our cities, and communities today with that same compassion? When he sees them trying to bear the burdens and pressures of life on their own, alienated from the God who can help them – is his great heart not still moved? United with Christ, we must learn from the master, and look at the crowds around us with similar compassion and go to the harrassed and helpless to tell them of the Good Shepherd who will enfold them in his love.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you looked at me in my harrassed and confused state and had compassion on me. Forgive me for apathy and give me something of your compassion for the lost, those who don’t know you, who are like sheep without a shepherd.

The Temptation of Jesus is Good News for Us

by Editor

Culduthel Christian Centre in Inverness (CCC) is a church we’ve enjoyed working with over many years. Their pastor, Alistair Macleod was an undergraduate theology student along with our Director, Andy Bannister a few years ago! In more recent times, our late colleague Jeff Howarth was a member of CCC.

I was invited up to Inverness to update the church about the work of Solas, thanks them for their support – and speak at their Sunday morning service. Aware that along with the church members, their would be a lot of people who are not yet believers in Christ – I took them to the story of Jesus’ temptation from Matthew 4.

Often we use this narrative as merely an example of what we ought to do when we are tempted. That’s fine as far as it goes, but I went on to try to show people that the fact that Christ didn’t sin when tempted means that he is able to rescue those of us who have fallen. The message of this text is liberating news for all those of us who have fallen for temptation. The talk is available below.

If you would like a Solas speaker to come to your church, to tell your congregation about our work in evangelism and evangelism-training; please do get in touch via the connect button at the top of this page.

Evangelism in the Age of AI (with Stephen Driscoll)

by Solas

Is it the dawn of an utopian age? Or will humans be relegated to the Matrix? It certainly seems that recent developments in artificial intelligence will bring profound changes to our world. But right now, profound questions are there to be asked. How can we show that the Christian message gives the best answers, and use AI as a platform for the gospel? Andy Bannister and Simon Wenham chat with Australian author Stephen Driscoll about God, AI and humans.

Evangelism in the Age of AI (with Stephen Driscoll) – PEP Talk

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music
RSS Feed

Our Guest

Stephen Driscoll wrote Made In Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence and You (2024 Matthias Media). He studied at Moore College, the University of Sydney and the University of NSW. Stephen serves with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Canberra, where he disciples Christian students and shares the gospel with nonbelievers. He is married to Lauren and they have two young children.

About PEP Talk

The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, our hosts 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.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Jesus’ Last Command: Why Christians Can’t Stay Silent

by Simon Wenham

Why do Christians feel compelled to talk about their faith? Why not just keep it private? John Lennox explains why, if Jesus really is who He claimed to be — risen from the dead and Lord of all — then silence was never an option. From Jesus’ final command to His followers to the confidence that comes from knowing the truth, this video explores why Christianity has always been a shared faith. Sharing faith isn’t about being pushy or loud, it’s being a witness to something that has changed everything. Whether you’re a Christian wanting confidence, a sceptic asking honest questions, or simply curious about why faith motivates people the way it does, this conversation is for you.

A weekend of Solas ministry at Buccluech Free Church in Edinburgh

by Editor

A small team from Solas had the joy of spending the weekend with Buccleuch Free Church, which meets in a quite majestic building on the edge of “The Meadows” parkland, just south of Edinburgh city centre. It’s a warm, welcoming and quite diverse fellowship whcih is deeply committed to sharing the gospel of Christ with the community around them. So, we put a whole weekend of ministry together in conjunction with their minister, James Ross.

The weekend kicked off with an outreach event at the church on the Friday night, at which Steve Osmond spoke about finding hope. Our world seems to be sufferring from a profound hope-defecit at the moment, and in his thoughtful talk, Steve looked at human hopelessness, and some of the symptoms of that which experience in a daily basis. He examined some of the ways in which try to construc hope for oursleves as humans and why these so often fail. He commended faith in Christ as the basis for true hope, not based upon human performance, or on blind optimism; but on his resurrection from the dead and offer of eternal life for people who come to him.

On the Saturday, Gavin Matthews came down and joined Steve for a Confident Christianity conference. The church provided an endless supply of tea and coffee, home baking and musical worship; and Solas provided four sessions of equipping and encouraging Christians in sharing their faith. Steve kicked the day off with a session called “Conversations that Count”, which is really a primer on how to ask good questions which open up conversations which can lead to the gospel. Gavin then did a session entitled “5 Steps for Answering Any Tough Question”. After more coffee and cakes, Steve then looked at the subject of hell, and God’s promise to judge fairly and quarantine all evil for ever. Gavin then delivered the final session on ‘Engaging the Apathetic’ – which then led into a Q&A time.

It was great to get so many really thoughtful and insightful questions. Equally heartnening were some of the individual conversations we had with people who had come for the day, who wanted to speak more personally and individually about their own joys and struggles.

The minister James Ross said, “I have received so much encouraging feedback in the last few weeks about the impact of the teaching sessions and also the really helpful Q&A session. Your content was pitched at a perfect level so that everyone present could certainly feel more confident in their Christian faith and be more willing to share it. Since then I know that people (myself included) have an increased desire to look for gospel opportunities and have been thinking creatively about building pathways to connect non-church friends to the church and Christian friends. It came at the right season for us as a church and tied in so well to what we have been learning in the Book of Acts. Thanks again, James”

Steve then rounded up the weekend by preaching on the Sunday morning from 1 Peter 3. You can watch that message here:

We are hugely grateful to James and the folks at Buccluech for their warm welcome, and enthusiastic partnership in the gospel We were so glad to hear that it had been an encouragement to the church!

Sharing Hope in Fife

by Editor

Recently Steve had the opportunity to partner with Kirkcaldy Free Church for an outreach event that was hosted at their church. The church has a real heart for the community that’s it’s in, and this was evident by the number of guests who came along that evening, who were well known to the church there, even though they don’t necessarily come on a Sunday or consider themselves Christians. But they knew they were welcome and were keen to come share a meal and hear what the Bible has to say about finding hope in a world that can seem so hopeless.

Sharing food is a great way to make people feel welcome, to bless them and to get to know them. Being hospitable is biblical, as is sharing food together. If you want to know more about why eating together is a brilliant way to start an evangelisic meeting, read Tim Chester’s little book “A Meal With Jesus”, especially the section entitled, ‘meals enact the gospel’. It’s quite surprising the emphasis and importance scripture places on sharing food!

Following the meal, Steve gave a talk on ‘Is there any hope for the future’, which was followed by a time of Q&A. It was a great way to love people well and to point them to the hope that only Jesus Christ can truly bring.

At Solas we really enjoy doing these kind of events in whcih we get to engage the world with the claims of Christ. We do so, winsomely, persuasively and in a way which speaks directly to the questions people are asking today.

If you would be interested in running an outreach event in your community like this, please contact Solas to see how we can help your church host something like this. You can reach us here.

Spotlight on Student Mission

by Simon Wenham

Are university campuses secular spheres closed off to God or are they open spaces ripe for the gospel? 

STUDENT MISSION

Joined-Up Evangelism: Responding to Culture

What questions do young adults have today? How do we reach those around us? Andy Bannister encourages us to do “joined-up evangelism”.

Why Ministry To Students Matters

Listen to Naomi Brehm and discover for yourself why reaching young adults is so important.

Hear More Now

What Hope Is There In Education?

What education offers students the most hope? Michael Reeves looks at the  difference Christianity makes.

Find Out More

What’s Happening On Campuses?

Read inspirational reports from the Solas team about how God is working among students around us today. 

Read The Reports

STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION

“I Hated God, But God Loved Me!”

How could a good God allow all the suffering in the world? Find out how a voyage of discovery at university helped Nathaniel overcome his biggest doubt.

Read How Nathaniel’s Life Changed

“A War Between My Heart and Head”

What happens if you spend six months researching different religions? Lena Dacca describes her experience, and how that led her into student mission.

Hear What Lena Discovered

[Back to the page menu]

EQUIPPING CHRISTIANS

Five Steps For Answering Tough Questions

How can you help students have the courage to share their faith and not fear the “killer question”?

Read The Five Steps

How You Can Use Questions To Reach Students

Randy Newman shares why using questions is one of the best ways of reaching others. 

Find Out How You Can Use Questions

[Back to the page menu]

RESOURCES YOU CAN SHARE

Have You Ever Wondered What To Give A Student?

What do you give to someone who is thinking about the big questions of life, but who might not read the Bible? Many university Christian Unions are already using Solas’ popular Have You Ever Wondered? Exploring themes like beauty, justice, identity, love and hope, the book features 30 chapters that show why God makes sense of the world we see around us. 

Find Out How You Can Get A Copy

[Back to the page menu]

Witnessing On The Ward (with Kelvin Burke)

by Solas

Many Christians will be familiar with the practice of praying for and visiting those from their own church who might be sick in hospital. But the role of the hospital (or hospice) chaplain can allow for ministry to all kinds of people. What are the challenges, joys, and opportunities experienced in this unique role? This time on PEP Talk, we hear from a hospital chaplain who himself spent eight months in hospital after a car crash which left him permanently paraplegic.

Witnessing on the Ward (with Kelvin Burke) – PEP Talk

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music
RSS Feed

Our Guest

Kelvin Burke is an Anglican minister and Healthcare Chaplain. After his time as Priest-in-charge at St Andrew’s Wakefield Kelvin was called to Minister in Healthcare Chaplaincy, starting out as Honorary Chaplain at Wakefield Hospice and then Pinderfields Hospital where he had been an inpatient for nine months in 1979/80 following a Road Traffic Accident which left him paraplegic. He was appointed Chaplain at Leeds Teaching Hospital during which time he studied for and attained a Masters in Theology at Cardiff University. In 2010 he moved with his wife Jennie and three teenage daughters (Chloé, Katie and Ellie) to the Isle of Wight, and after a short time as Chaplain at Mountbatten Hospice and St Mary’s Hospital, he was appointed Senior Chaplain of Isle of Wight NHS Trust.

He is the author of “Lake of Tears”, a compelling book with a unique application of God’s partaking in the face of suffering.

About PEP Talk

The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, our hosts 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.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Motivation for Mission #2: Fearing God we seek to persuade others

by Editor

Why do we do evangelism? The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5, says these surprising words.

“Since then we know what it is  to fear the Lord, we seek to persuade others.” (v11)

We need to imitate his attitude because where people stand before God is a serious matter. Paul had his life turned around by the gospel, when he felt it’s full force on the Road to Damascus as he encountered Christ. And not only had he met Christ in all his grace and his forgiveness, he’d also seen something of God in all his glory. As a result he understood the sheer significance and importance of mission, because we stand before a God who is holy, and nothing actually matters more than our relationship with him.

There’s a sense in which Paul’s fear of God led him to simply obey Christ’s great commission to go into all the world with his message. Paul’s deep and reverent respect for God – and sense of His power and goodness meant that disobedience was never really an option for him.

However, I think there is more to it than that! If we fear God, if we respect Him and understand who he really is, we should be deeply concerned about those around us. That necessarily entails not merely walking in righteousness and faith and seeking forgiveness ourselves, but longing for other people to encounter his grace and his forgiveness too. Paul says, as we know what it is to fear the Lord, we seek to persuade others.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to revere you, and hold you in such awe that I seek to persuade others that being forgiven by you , and in a right relationship with you is the single most important thing in life. Amen

Motivation for Mission: #1 The Love of Christ

by Editor

Somebody commented recently on Solas’s ministry saying, “You’re always talking about how to share the gospel, but why should we share it?” The thought behind the question seemed to be that faith in Christ might be personally rewarding, but that it’s essentially a private thing. So why don’t we just keep it to ourselves?

The first answer to that excellent question comes from 2 Corinthians chapter 5, where Paul says,

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again

The Apostle Paul was compelled by Christ’s love because he was overwhelmed with what Jesus had done for him, dying on the cross. When he wrote “one died for all” he was specifically referencing the cross of Jesus. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son in the defining act of love in all history.

And if Christ really has died for us, then we should be compelled, first of all, by love for him, to offer our lives back in mission and service because we love him. But secondly, that love should overflow through us to people that have not yet encountered it. Our motivation for mission, the reason we take the gospel out, should be this first of all: “it’s the love of Christ that compels us.”

If a church has no desire to share Christ with the world it raises serious questions about whether that church community loves Christ and has been transformed by the message of the cross. The same is true for us as individual Christians. Perhaps if our passion to reach the lost has grown a little cold of late, then the place for us to start is not with an evangelistic strategy, but to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with the love of Christ afresh.​ Meditating on the cross of Christ – until are hearts are stirred again by the love of Christ for this lost world – is the place where true mission begins.

Prayer: Lord, please make me so aware of Christ’s love – which took him to the cross for me – that sharing the gospel is never a duty, but an overwhelming compulsion to respond to his great love. Amen.

Carols at the Rec

by Editor

It was really, really exciting and a huge privilege to speak at the 4th ever “Carols at the Rec” event at Bath Rugby ground.

The idea for the event comes from Widcombe Baptist Church, (where our friend Tom Heaseman is the pastor) and Grace Church Bath, which is an Anglican church plant in the city, lead by Michael Farrier. Rather than have a little carol service for the usual congregation within their usual premises they hired the rugby ground and invited the town!

Organiser, Sam Eaton said, “We advertised through flyers and posters distributed by our church families, social content, and local print media. We hoped that through this and the genuine excitement from our own congregations that a large crowd would appear, and wonderfully with God’s provision they did! The vision is simply to be sharing the Good News at Christmas. We know that increasingly Christ is being lost at Christmas and we want to take the opportunity to publicly show, in quite an unusual setting of a rugby stadium, what this time of year really means. In terms of non-Christians attending, we don’t collect that information, but have anecdotally heard encouraging stories of friends, family, colleagues being invited along and loving the event.”

The stand was full, with 2,000 people coming to sing carols, see the dancers, and hear the local primary school perform “Away in a Manger” too. I also had the opportunity to address the crowd in two five-minute segments either side of the carol ‘Silent Night’.

Thankfully – and in answer to prayer! – it wasn’t raining. The stage area was uncovered, so it was great that nobody talking part got soaked. It was cold though, and I took my coat off to speak in my Christmas jumper and tried not to shiver too much!

I spoke about the great subject of “peace”: why we long for it, and why the world struggles to find it. I told the story of the Christmas truce in World War One, which although inspiring was not transformative – as they went back to killing each other two days later. In the second half I explained that we need to be transformed from the inside out, in order to know peace ourselves, and not just peace with one another but ultimately peace with God. That’s what Christmas is all about. You can read my talk here.

Sam Eaton wrote, “Andy did nail it with the two 5 minute talks, hitting both his time and the tone of the event really well.” So that was encouraging! Helped by 10ofThose funding, they gave a copy of Colin Webster’s book, “Special Delivery” to everyone who attended and I encouraged people to read it, and go to church this Christmas to hear more. Folks were also given information about the Christmas services as well as follow-up courses in both churches.

It was a wonderful opportunity to present something of Christ to a large group of people -which was incredibly exciting. It was also a massive logistical effort on the part of the churches who did a mammoth job organising and staffing the event. Just as good is that they are keen to do it all again next year!