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PEP Talk Podcast Highlights of 2020

by Solas

Whew! It is finally 2021 and everyone is glad 2020 is behind them. But wait, something good must have happened. Although it was different and challenging, there was still a lot to thank God for in terms of how His gospel was advancing.  Whether it was reaching new people online or a new openness brought about by difficult circumstances, Andy and Kristi reflect on the highlights of sharing the gospel in a very strange 2020.

Highlights of 2020 – PEP Talk

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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.

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MIND THE GAP: What Holds You Back From Evangelism?

by Editor

New Year is full of traditions: the parties, the fireworks, the falling-asleep-in-front-of-the-TV-and-missing-the-big-moment and, of course, the resolutions. Every year millions of us fall for idea that somehow, because it’s the 31st of December, we can boldly commit to improve our health or relationships, take up a new hobby, lose a bad habit, or in some other way radically restructure our lives. I’m not immune from this habit: I have, not once but on two separate occasions, foolishly made a New Year’s resolution to learn the harmonica—coming from a fairly musical family, I have long felt deeply inadequate that the best I can manage is the spoons.

Whatever our particular New Year’s resolutions, for many of us it is nevertheless invariably the case that come February, many of them lie in smoking ruins, our good intentions to improve our health, happiness, or the local cultural music scene shipwrecked on the reef of reality.

Why do our resolutions so often fail, despite us often having the very best of intentions when we make them? What accounts for the embarrassingly obvious gap between our intentions and the lived reality? There can be many reasons: not counting the cost, not being honest about our weaknesses, not appreciating how deeply ingrained habits can be, not making the time, not being realistic or, in my case, not accounting for my wife flattening my harmonica with a lump hammer.

Whether it’s a light-hearted intention (playing the mouth organ like Larry Adler) or a more serious one (losing some weight and improving our exercise regime), whatever it is we’re aiming to do, if we’re going to succeed and turn our intention into reality, we need to confront, honestly and head on, those things that risk holding us back. Rather than fall into the gap between intention and action, we need to identify the gaps so we can avoid them.

And the same is true in our spiritual lives. New Year can be a wonderful opportunity for reflection for Christians—we can look back and pray over the year behind, thanking God for the good things and repenting of where we messed up. We can look ahead to the new year with expectation for what God will do, and commit ourselves afresh to following Christ in the  next twelve months. Maybe we might also decide to set ourselves some discipleship challenges: perhaps we resolve to pray more this coming year, or read through the whole of the Bible, or share our faith more often with friends, colleagues, and neighbours.

Yet even those very noble intentions can, if are not careful, end up soon forgotten and covered in cobwebs—which then only leads to apathy, guilt, or frustration when we remember, sometime towards the back end of the following autumn, that once again we have fallen short.

In his marvellous little book, The Screwtape Letters, in which C. S. Lewis pens an imagined correspondence between a senior and a junior devil, the latter advising the former how best to torment and trip up his “patient”, Screwtape touches on this theme. He advises Wormwood, his young charge, to try to get the Christian he is tempting to either boldly overestimate his abilities, or to tie themselves up in knots at their inadequacy. Screwtape writes: “Tortured fear and stupid confidence are both desirable states of mind”.

And when it comes to evangelism, I think “tortured fear” sums up how many of us often feel when we think about sharing our faith with our friends. Fear that we’ll look foolish. Fear that we just don’t know how to begin talking about Jesus. Most Christians want desperately to share their faith more naturally and regularly; many of us have perhaps made New Year’s resolutions along the lines of “This is the year I’ll talk to my neighbours about Jesus”; and many of us have not followed through. There is a gap between what we know we should and wish we could do, and what we actually do.

Addressing that that gap is the very purpose of this brand new series on the Solas website. Over the coming weeks, we’re going to take a look at some of the gaps that, for many of us, stand in the way of us talking about Jesus with our friends and neighbours. It’s my hope that by naming those gaps—by looking at them honestly, wisely, and biblically—we can begin to tackle them. Rather than boldly proclaim “next year will be different!” we can more modestly promise “this year I’m going to take some practical first steps”.

I encourage you to track with this series over the next few months. This is not a series for experts but for ordinary Christians like you and me, that we hope you will find challenging and encouraging, honest and practical, and which will give you both food for thought and practical tools to help you evangelise more.

As you begin this new year—or if you’re playing catch up mid-year and wading through this series like a Netflix binge watching marathon—let me suggest a helpful spiritual exercise to try right at the start. Find somewhere peaceful and quiet and have a think about these three questions:

  1. Do I really want to share my faith more this next year? (If the honest answer is no, then pray that the Lord would give you an increased heart for the lost and a deeper motivation to reach them. Don’t try to whip yourself into an emotional frenzy by sheer willpower—ask the Lord to change your heart).
  2. What are the names of some of the people with whom I’d like to share my faith this year? (Make a list and put it in the front of your Bible: begin praying for each person, by name, once a week or more. Pray especially that the Lord would create opportunities for you to naturally speak with them).
  3. What are some of the fears that hold you back, the gaps that stand between you and sharing your faith more often and more confidently? (Naming them can be very helpful. You might also want to write these down and begin praying about them: e.g. ‘Lord, please help me overcome my fear of not knowing what to say …’)

You see the good news, in all of this, is that however much we want to share the gospel with our friends, however great our desire is for our friends to know Jesus, God’s desire is even greater than ours. His love for our friends is infinite more than ours. And so when we step out in faith—when we confront the gaps that keep us from evangelism—we do this not in our power, but in the power of his Holy Spirit that God gives us. As the Apostle Paul put it so memorably:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

The “Mind the Gap” articles can be seen here.

Review of the Year

by Editor

This is not a year I am likely to forget in a hurry! Who would have known that 2020 would have ended up being one of the most unusual, frustrating, and challenging—but also exciting years—in Solas’s history.

It all started so well. 2020 kicked off with one of the busiest few months I can remember, with dozens of events across the country. From helping churches put on small evangelistic events in coffee shops or at curry nights, to fantastic mission weeks at universities; from a packed Confident Christianity conference in Glasgow to speaking everywhere from Inverness to Dumfries to Derbyshire, the first three months flew by in a whirlwind.

And then came the COVID-19, lockdowns, face masks, social distancing, toilet roll hoarding, and general chaos. As I drove home from my final pre-lockdown event in Glasgow, I remember thinking “Well, it’ll be a few weeks of peace and quiet, and then things will open up again”. How I misjudged that one! Six months on and the New Normal is neither new, nor normal. Praise the Lord, however, that the gospel remains unchanged, no matter what the circumstances!

Like many organisations, Solas had to scramble to reinvent much of what we were doing when COVID hit. Thankfully we already had a large digital presence and I was terrifically encouraged to watch how the Solas team I’m privileged to lead, responded with creativity and energy as we moved all our work online. Evangelistic and training events became webinars and we were excited to see Christians, sceptics, and seekers tune in and engage with our live Q&As. With many secular magazines and newspapers reporting that more people than ever before were watching or engaging with religious content as the pandemic raised spiritual questions, we certainly saw that trend at Solas and were delighted to be able to answer people’s questions about the Christian faith and the hope it can uniquely bring in uncertain times. Despite the challenges, 2020 was nevertheless an exciting year for Solas in so many ways, most especially in our hiring our second evangelist and apologist, Gareth Black. Gareth is a very gifted young speaker and writer and is based in Belfast, where he’ll be expanding

Solas’s work across Northern Ireland and beyond. Solas’s new vision and strategic plan, also launched this year, looks to how Solas can develop our work of evangelism and training beyond Scotland and into the other parts of the UK—Northern Ireland, Wales, and the regions of England, and Gareth’s joining us is the first major step on that journey.

As we approach the end of the year, we’re excited, too, that many churches are now beginning to think about small events again and where audience sizes have to be limited due to things like social distancing, Solas is well equipped to be able to serve and resource churches—we’re now travelling frequently to speak to small groups and so if your church would like to put on a small evangelistic event, or a training evening, do reach out to us.

There are challenges ahead too, for which we’d value your prayers. We’ve been terrifically excited to see Solas’s finances improve even in these difficult times and we’re now over three-quarters of the way to being fully funded and sustainable. Unlike some other organisations, which are able to rely on massive funding from overseas, Solas has always aimed to be locally funded and supported, with a mix of major donors but also a massive base of supporters across the country giving a small amount each month. That strong local base has really helped us this year and we’re grateful we haven’t had to furlough staff but have been able to expand our work.

None of this would be possible without your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial support. We don’t take this support for granted— we know in these days that many are facing financial hardship and making the commitment to give to evangelism and mission can be costly. Thank you for standing with us and thank you for helping us reach more people than ever before with the good news of Jesus, the good news that there is hope, even in uncertain times. I pray that whatever the next year brings, you will know God’s peace and provision, and that he provides you with many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with those he brings across your path.

In Christ
Dr Andy Bannister
Director

Heading into 2021 with confidence in God

by Editor

How would you sum up 2020? What words would you use to describe the year just gone? Challenging? Perplexing? Difficult? Lonely? Unexpected? Surprising?

Rewind to 1st January 2020. Who would have predicted that within a few months, much of life as we know it would grind to a halt, schools would be closed and church congregations would not be able to physically gather to worship together?

And now as we embark on this New Year, there are still many uncertainties about what lies ahead in the next 12 months. Will there be any more spikes in Covid infection rates? How long will it take for the Covid vaccines to be widely available? Will we see the end of ‘lockdown’? As the year unfolds, what will the toll of last year’s restriction look like in terms of the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and financial health of our nation? As if this wasn’t enough, we might add into the mix the added unknown impact of the UK leaving the EU!

With uncertainty all around us, it can be disheartening. We might be prone to feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. In our present situation with all that is unknown, hear these wonderful words of hope from the book of Ephesians (2:10):

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

One writer has said that the book of Ephesians was written to expand the horizons of the Apostle Paul’s readers so that they might better understand the dimensions of God’s eternal purposes and transforming grace. So allow God, by the power of His Spirit, to expand your horizons as we consider what He might be saying to us here at the start of 2021.

Already in Ephesians chapter 2 we have learned that because of God’s transforming grace, believers are made “alive with Christ” (2:2). If this was not astounding enough, Paul goes on to explain something more of God’s eternal purpose for His people: “For we are God’s handiwork.”  The Greek word here might well carry the connotation of artistic skill. The ESV translates it as “his workmanship” or the NET as “his creative work.” Each piece of art reflects something of the artist. The only other use of this word in the New Testament is in Romans 1:20. There Paul says that God’s character- His eternal power and divine nature- are clearly seen through the created world. These dear believers in Ephesus have been transformed through the work of God’s grace. By saying they are “God’s handiwork” in 2:2 Paul likens them to the created world referred to in Romans 1; they are to clearly display something of the character of God to the watching world.

How do God’s people show that they are his handiwork? Through “good works” for which they have been created in Christ Jesus. Paul could not be more clear in the preceding verses; no one is saved by good works but we are saved for good works. To a watching world, this is how the believers live out the Gospel and reveal their Creator’s character: by doing good works.

But there is another precious truth in this verse. Not only are believers God’s handiwork, but Paul finishes this verse by saying that our Great God has prepared good works in “advance for us to do.” Here is a reminder of a theme that occurs throughout the book of Ephesians: God is sovereign! He has sovereignly brought us to Himself through the gift of faith and He will continue His work of transformation is us. Hopefully as you reflect on 2020 with all of its challenges and perplexity that you can see that God has indeed been at work in your life, like a skilled artist, making you more into His own likeness (4:24). As we begin 2021 with all of its uncertainties, we don’t know what this year will hold, but God does. And he goes before us into this New Year preparing good works for us to do.

So what are some of these good works that God has prepared for us? Well the book of Ephesians is crammed full of what this might look like for us:

– increasing adoration of God for his gift of salvation (1:3-9)
– deeper prayerfulness (there are two sublime prayers in 1:15-19 and 3:16-20)
– growing spiritual maturity (4:13-15)
– greater mastery over our sinful tendencies (4:25-32)
– expressing love and humility in our closest relationships (marriage, families and work situations: 5:22-6:9)
– cultivating wisdom in how to stand against the powers of darkness (6:10-18)
– developing a readiness to share the Gospel (6:19-20)

So as we begin 2021 with all of its uncertainties, may these words from Ephesians 2:10 serve to expand our horizons and help us further grasp the dimensions of God’s eternal purposes and transforming grace. If we are in Christ Jesus, we can take great hope that while we don’t know what the future holds, God does. He goes before us. As part of God’s handiwork, in the year that is before us in what ways will you display His character to a watching world?

Gordy Mackay is the Community Pastor at Perth Baptist Church in Scotland.

Is Christmas Cancelled?

by Solas

When we look at the circumstances of Christmas 2020, could it be worse? In this year’s Christmas Short Answers message, Gareth Black looks at the circumstances surrounding the first Christmas. Far from ideal, they were the context for the most unshakeable hope.

Gareth mentions the latest article by Gavin Matthews found in the Scotsman newspaper here.

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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.

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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 “Digital Media Fund” under the Campaign/Appeal button.

A Beginner’s Guide to Apologetics – Complete Series

by Editor
Support evangelism and evangelism training across the UK

Throughout the year we have been publishing articles every fortnight, introducing people to positive arguments and evidence for Christian Faith. Billed as “A Beginner’s Guide to Apologetics”, these introductory articles were all written by competent scholars in a range of academic disciplines, but are accessible to general readers. All the contributors added suggestions of further more specialist reading for those who want to delve more deeply into the issue at hand.

Here are links to the entire series, so you can find every one of them directly from this page without searching through the website. We have found engaging with these thinkers illuminating, exciting and encouraging. Although this series consists of new writing and is book-length in total, we are not printing, packaging and selling it.. it’s all freely available here for you to enjoy.

Click on an image to go to the relevant article: the first one links to the series introduction.

  

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, a huge thanks to all the contributors to this series.

The Wonder of The Incarnation

by Editor

The idea of incarnation is fundamental to the Christian faith, and something most Christians spend time pondering especially around this time of year. It perhaps has a particular significance for all of us as we come to the end of a difficult 2020. The word literally means, ‘in the flesh’ and in the Christian faith describes how the creator of the universe, and the creator of each person, took on human likeness and came to earth in human form. For many people, the idea that God could or would become human seems utterly bizarre. Leaving aside the philosophical considerations, to many, the very notion seems ridiculous. If there is a God, why would that God think that it is a good idea to come and live on earth as a human for a thirty or so years. It seems an irrelevant act, a strange use of time, and perhaps so ‘out of character’ with what we imagine a creator God would be like. But in a year where we have had to endure painful physical separation of loved ones, I know that for me, the idea of someone coming to visit me, ‘in the flesh’ has a new poignance.

Recently I was thinking about three little stories that the gospel writer, Luke, records Jesus telling. They are all stories of lostness and separation; a lost sheep, a lost coin, and lastly, two lost sons (Luke 15:1-31). Luke gives us the context for these stories: a very religious group of people, were criticising Jesus for ‘welcoming the sinners’ who had gathered around him. These leaders believed that religious people could not come near to anything or anyone that wasn’t holy or pure for fear of contamination. They believed this, because they believed that God could never come near to ‘sinners’. The religious leaders were shocked that Jesus, a Rabbi known for teaching the things of God, would so involve himself with these ungodly people.

It was in response to these questions and criticism that Jesus told these stories, stories which are in fact all about the nature of God. Jesus said that God is like a shepherd who will endanger himself for a sheep that has gone so far off course that it will take significant work and effort to bring that little sheep home. Jesus said that God is like a woman who is on her hands and knees searching for a precious coin. Lastly, Jesus said that God is like a father who will run towards a son returning home. For me, all of these stories give me a glimpse into the kind of God who would incarnate.

One theologian, Kenneth Bailey who spent twenty-five years studying ancient Middle Eastern culture in the West Bank records how shepherds of Lebanon and Palestine describe a sheep when it has got lost. They record that a sheep, when lost, can get into a state of nervous collapse and, finding as sheltered a place as is immediately available, will sit down and start shaking and bleating. In this terrified state it can’t respond to the shepherd’s well-known call, it can’t walk or be led, it cannot even stand or be made to stand. The only way that this sheep can be restored to the flock is if the shepherd himself comes to the sheep, hauls the sheep (which can weigh up to seventy pounds) up onto his shoulders and carry it like this, usually over rugged terrain, all the way home.

This image, to me, explains something about the idea of incarnation. In the image that Jesus gives us here, God is like a shepherd who will cover vast landscape to get to his sheep. Jesus is saying that God is like shepherd who will go the distance to make sure that his sheep gets safely home. There is a physicality to this story that speaks of actual closeness, of a gap being breached so that togetherness can be achieved. Even the image of a shepherd carrying the full weight of the terrified sheep on his own shoulders, not paying a hired hand to do it, but doing it himself, communicates to Jesus listeners, and to us, something of the nature of this God; a God who will endure suffering on our behalf.

The next image that we are given is that of a woman, down on her hands and knees searching for a coin that is lost. Here Jesus is helping his listeners to learn something new about God. Many theologians have noted the importance of Jesus likening God to a woman, as he does in other places (e.g. Luke 13:34) following in the tradition of many of the prophets (e.g. Isaiah 42.14). As in this case, Jesus constantly challenged the unjust treatment of women by including them in spheres from which they were usually excluded. The gospels record the religious leaders, the crowds and even his own disciples frequently being shocked by the way Jesus welcomed, included and honoured the women around him. He welcomed their intimate friendship as he did with his male disciples (Luke 7.38), he welcomed them as those who should be allowed to learn equally alongside the men (Luke 10:38-41), and in his teaching by using examples both from the world of men and from the world of women in that society (Mark 2:21-22).

This is no side-point about the character of God. In a world where power can often be associated with a type of dominant misogyny that seems to recoil from the feminine, the God of the Bible comfortably associates and identifies with women. Again, this helps us to understand something about the God of the Bible and the type of God who would incarnate. One of the reasons I find Christmas so compelling, and why each year I find that the carol Silent Night somehow captures my own feeling that I need to fall silent in awe and wonder, is this seeming paradox: that the God of the universe would become a little baby. Many scoff at the idea of the most powerful being becoming the most vulnerable. What kind of God would allow himself to be so weak? A God who doesn’t recoil from receiving love, intimacy, from being so vulnerable himself as to be held for 9 months in a mother’s womb, cradled in his parents’ arms, suckled, comforted. It is so hard for us to square with our preconceived notions of power and might. Yet here again, Jesus invites us to understand the nature of God in profoundly new way.

Lastly Jesus likens God to father. A father who has been scorned by both sons. Sons who are far more interested in what their father can give to them than in a relationship with him. Yet when one son realises his folly and turns for home Jesus tells us of a father who has been waiting, scanning the horizon, longing for his son to turn and come back. When he finally glimpses his son, still a long way off, we are told the father picks up his robes and runs to the son. Again, theologians have noted a stark cultural reference which could be easy for us to miss. It would have been unthinkable for a wealthy man to pick up his robes, exposing his ankles, and to run, let alone towards a son who had so dishonoured him. The listeners would have been aware of how undignified this action would have been in the sight of the community looking on.

Here again Jesus is conveying something utterly profound about the nature of God. Not only is this God willing to go the distance and bear the weight of a lost sheep, not only is this God willing to be associated with what might be thought to be weak and vulnerable, but this God is willing to be thought of as utterly undignified in his expression of love for his children.

When people think of the incarnation it can seem so undignified. How could a mighty and omnipotent God so closely intermingle with his creation. But the incarnation expresses something of the type of love that God has; a love that is not afraid to get up-close and personal. A type of love which is not revulsed by the materiality of this world, but who greatly values it and dignifies it, not only in having created it, but in having entered into it and taken on flesh himself. God loves and honours our bodies, he loves and honours this material world.

While the incarnation certainly contains much mystery, the more I consider what it tells me about the nature of God, the more I marvel and think – what other kind of God would I want to worship? In a year when so much distance has had to be created, I have felt again how relational intimacy is at the heart of life. If the God of the universe is a God who would incarnate, then that makes sense. The very reason for our existence is deep relationship with a God who has expressed his desire for intimacy with us in the ultimate way; he is Emmanuel – God with us. I hope that this Christmas whatever loneliness or alienation anyone might feel, we know the love of a God in heaven who longs to comes close to each one of us, a God who wants to carry our burdens for us, a God who searches for us because we are so eternally precious to him, a God who scans the horizon and will run towards us at the first sign of our turning for home.

Lara Buchanan is an Itinerant speaker and writer. Lara holds degrees in History, English Literature, and Education from the University of Cape Town as well as a Certificate in Theology and Apologetics through OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and Oxford University.

Christ Centred Apologetics

by Editor

I have the worse sense of direction. If I don’t have directional guidance I can end up in the wrong state. In fact, its so bad I often travel to the same locations utilising a navigation system of some sort. With a navigation system in place you are almost sure of finding the right location. I say almost because a navigation system is only as good as the address. To get to the destination you need a description of where you are going. If you don’t, how will you know if you ever got there? You could travel for days wandering around. Of course, you can see everywhere you travel but without an address your travel is in vain.

Navigation: Needs an address

The task of apologetics is to be a navigational tool in the hand of the Christian. It is an intellectual tool helping us navigate questions, objections, and challenges to the Christian faith. RC Sproul describes apologetics as “pre-evangelism”. I like that definition because it clarifies the address of every apologetic endeavour. Apologists must start with the head but should eventually and inevitably aim for the heart. In every conversation, ministry, lecture, and article we should aim to transform from apologist to evangelist. Ultimately, we must navigate the tough questions to eventually plug in the coordinates of Christ. Everyday apologetics will typically start with questions on ethics or observations about current events. Yes we may stop there to handle rational pit stops. Still we must remember the finish line will always be Christ.

Our main point is Jesus

The goal of apologetics is not merely to persuade one that a God exist. At minimum, if we succeed, then we have only acquiesced to convert humans into demons for even they believe that God exist (James 2:19).  As apologist we have many targets, applications, and contexts yet always one goal. We are winning people to Christ. We have intellectual focus but our main focus is to win people and not merely arguments. We do Christ and our mission great disservice if we answer objections in various realms and capacities yet relinquish a presentation of Christ. Will it always happen in the conversation at hand? No, but that should be our aim knowing tomorrow is not promised and that Christ may return at any moment.

Christ-centred apologetics must also be persuasive and winsome too. We should present our arguments with love and concern. If apologetics merely becomes an academic endeavour, we will lose all the pastoral care and compassion needed for the task of evangelism to become possible. Here are some practical tips for pursuing Christ-centred apologetics:

  • Defend the faith without being defensive. Defend the faith not your pride.
  • Share your need for Christ so others may potentially see theirs.
  • Don’t merely regurgitate arguments or points from your favourite apologist. Focus on the person you are speaking with and their particular needs.
  • Present the love and grace of Jesus so winsomely and illustratively that they think its too good to be true.
  • Do more listening than talking. Don’t interrupt. Don’t zone out on their objections and rehearse your irrelevant response.
  • Affirm positive aspects of their thoughts. What points of their religion or worldview is actually commendable?
  • Before you use the Bible given reasons why you believe it as a reliable source.
  • Don’t merely quote scripture. Explain scripture and its context.
  • Lastly, ask to present Christ. Say something like, “Do you mind if I tell you why I think Jesus makes the difference on this matter?”

Dear apologist, never wander aimlessly. Plug in the coordinates of Christ in your presentation and within your heart (1 Peter 3:15).  Give a reason for the hope in your heart. That hope is the good news of Jesus not a three-point syllogism. After the arguments, rebuttals, and fact checks, bring Christ to the forefront. Don’t be ashamed, because the Gospel actually has the power to save (Romans 1:16).

Cam Triggs is Director of Urban Apologetics and Senior Blog Editor for the Jude 3 Project and is a speaker for the Jude 3 Project. This article first appeared there, and is used with permission. He loves Jesus. God saved Cam from wrath, sin, death, and Satan in 2005. He began studies at University of Central Florida as a Religious Studies major & continued his education at Reformed Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies. During his time at RTS, Cam was privileged to study under the apologist John Frame. In the future,  he looks forward to further study in the areas of philosophy, theology, and African American studies. Cam currently serves as a Church Planting resident at Summit RDU as he prepares to start a new church in Orlando. More importantly, he is married to his beautiful best friend Tymara Triggs and the proud father of Cameron Triggs II. Stay connected with him at camtriggs.com.

PEP Talk Podcast With Murray McNicol

by Solas

Church outreach events and evangelism courses sound like a great idea, but do they actually work? Here on PEP Talk we discover that, yes, they can! We hear today from a “normal” guy (chartered accountant, no less) from an “ordinary” church that is developing an amazing culture of outreach – and seeing God at work through it all!

With Murray McNicol – PEP Talk

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Our Guest

Murray McNicol is an elder at Maxwell Mearns Castle Church in Newton Mearns, near Glasgow. Married to Margo with two student daughters, he is a lapsed accountant and the co-founder of a software business, providing services to the hospitality sector.

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.

Support the Podcast