Confident Christianity Series – Dumfries
September 3 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Confident Christianity
Four evenings of honest answers to hard questions — about God, suffering, the Old Testament, and how to talk about it all.
Following on from our Confident Christianity Morning Session this June, we’re back for four September evenings — each one taking on a single tough question, with a Solas speaker, straight talk, and space to ask your own.
Four sessions, four questions
Every session begins at 7:30pm at Dumfries Baptist Church. Talks are followed by open Q&A; the final session on September 22 is a hands-on workshop, with discussion built in throughout.
A Leap in the Dark — Is Christianity Just Blind Faith?
“Blind faith! That’s all it is, blind faith.”
Do we really have any good reasons to believe that God exists, or is it all just a matter of make believe — a story for those afraid of the dark? This talk will highlight several arguments and good reasons that point to the existence of God — and not any God, but the God of the Bible.
God & Suffering
If God is good, why does He allow it?
The Bible teaches us that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good. But why would God allow suffering, and where is He when we are in the midst of it? This is both a common objection from sceptics and a question that just about every Christian will wrestle with at some point. This talk is an introduction to the problem of evil and suffering, touching on issues raised by sceptics and focusing on a pastoral response rooted in God’s love.
Is God a Moral Monster? — Violence in the Old Testament
Ethnic cleansing, oppression, slavery — is God guilty as charged?
Is God guilty of ethnic cleansing and genocide, oppression, endorsing slavery, and punishing people too harshly? These are some of the objections and questions that arise for both Christians and non-Christians as they read the Old Testament. This talk is an introduction to looking at violence in the Old Testament and how to read both the Old and New Testaments faithfully — seeing an unchanging, righteous, and loving God in both.
5 Steps to Answering Tough Questions
You don’t need to master every topic to speak up.
What do we do when we encounter a question or challenge about our faith we haven’t heard before? Do we need to master every apologetic topic before we can feel ready to stand up and share the gospel at work or university? This session will share a simple five-step framework that, with practice, can be applied to any tough question that comes up during evangelism — a practical session that helps you put what you’ve learned into practice.
Who’s bringing it
Both speakers are part of the Solas speaking team, working across Scotland to help churches and individuals engage today’s hard questions with confidence.
Steve Osmond
Solas · Speaker & WriterSteve is a full-time speaker and writer for Solas, focussing primarily on Scotland. He is enthusiastic about evangelism and regularly speaks at universities around the country on the big questions of life and the truth of Christianity from a range of perspectives. He also spends much of his time working with churches and other Christian groups, both to grow their faith and equip them to share their faith in Jesus persuasively.
Gavin Matthews
Solas · Assistant Director (Scotland)Gavin is Solas’s Assistant Director for Scotland. Alongside speaking in churches and at conferences across the country, he coordinates the Solas website, writes for Solas’s publications, and hosts webinars and podcasts exploring how Christians can engage the questions of the day with clarity and grace.
Join us in Dumfries
Dumfries Baptist Church
Gillbrae Road
Dumfries, DG1 4EJ
United Kingdom
New to Confident Christianity?
This September series builds on the Confident Christianity Morning Session Dumfries Baptist Church hosted this June with Steve Osmond — two talks and an open Q&A on sharing faith naturally in a sceptical culture.
All four September evenings are free to attend, and everyone is welcome — whether you’re working through your own questions or bringing along a friend who is.
Read about the June session at Dumfries →