Seminar Information

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} Topics

I am available to speak on several prepared topics (see below) and others may be made available upon request. Most of these represent a 45-60 minute presentation, but longer class versions are also an option for many of them.

Defending Your
Faith

How can Christians defend without being defensive or go on the offense without simply being offensive? The answer is to understand the positive reasons for Christianity instead of taking the roll of a punching bag! This seminar will teach the basics of how believers can prove that Christianity is true and how to deal with objections in a winsome manner without having to memorize "the answer" to every possible criticism.

Evangelistic Apologetics

 

This seminar will benefit anyone who has ever struggled with presenting and defending the truth of the Christian faith. It will present the solid foundation upon which Christianity alone rests in a simple, friendly, and strategic manner. The seminars will also encourage evangelism by showing how to deal with hard questions effectively so that one's witness will not be stifled by fear of failure, nor ignored due to lack of intellectual integrity.

Faith and
Philosophy

 

Paul says in Colossians 2:8 to "beware of philosophy." However, Paul himself was quite familiar with philosophy and utilized it in his evangelism (e.g., Acts 17). The truth is that we all do philosophy whether we know it or not - the only question is whether or not we will do it well. Because our philosophy also affects our theology we dare not leave it unexamined. This seminar shows how philosophy and faith interact and what their proper relation should be.

The Message Behind the Movie

 

Religious discussions today often center around worldviews and culture . . . and nothing affects the worldviews of today's culture more than movies! Movies tell us a lot about our culture and provide us with a great way to engage that culture for Christ. But this will not happen if we do not understand how movies communicate world views and messages. This seminar will help arm movie lovers to face the falsehoods being presented by Hollywood today and to appreciate the truth when they see it.

The Message Behind the Music

 

Music moves the heart and its message can inspire in ways that mere words cannot. These effects make it clear that musical discernment is an important area of study. Unfortunately, the "Christian" take on music has often been characterized by unverifiable claims and poor reasoning. Scare tactics and sensationalism are often the name of the game when sober, careful research yields, I think, very different results.

How Not  to Study Your Bible

 

Have you heard that God would rather someone remain unsaved than to be a lukewarm believer? Do you know the most commonly misinterpreted verse in Christian counseling? Knowing how not to study your Bible can be just as important as knowing how! In this seminar we'll go over the popular understanding of many verses will be exposed as faulty, and how to avoid the mistakes that caused them.

Knowing God's Will

The fact that the shelves of Christian bookstores are lined with books on this subject bears testimony to the fact that many are confused on the subject. This seminar dismisses with the clichés and critiques the popular view while digging into what the Bible consistently teaches on the subject.
NOTE: it is recommenced that this seminar be in at least a 3 hour format.
Is Jesus the Only Way? Many people believe that Christianity is just one of many paths to God. This seminar discusses what the Bible has to say about this topic, and how we can communicate this to those who are trusting in false beliefs that will lead to destruction.

Countering Cults

 

What exactly is a cult? Is it the same as a sect or denomination? How do cults differ from the occult? How do we evangelize cultists? Should we even be talking to them? Should we be worried about loved ones in questionable groups? There are a lot of questions regarding these odd groups and this seminar will help.
CULTS SPECIAL: Answering Jehovah's Witnesses Using Their Own Bible
Most techniques for witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses require either advanced theological training or expensive and rare materials. Plus, most take a lot of time! While these are effective, there is another way that can be done with minimal training, materials, and time - with the very Bible materials they use! This seminar walks you through the basics (no Greek required!).

Speaking of God

The Bible has numerous verses describing God as having a body yet only one describing Him as being spirit. Why, then, is the orthodox understanding of God's nature one of sprit? Are these verses contradictory? This seminar is a condensed version of the most important thing I learned while in seminary: how to think and talk about God according to what we know from His revelation - including both Scripture and creation.

End Time Prophecy

 

Did you know the word "Antichrist" does not appear in either of the books of Revelation or Daniel? Did you know that there is no "seven year" time frame listed anywhere in Revelation? There are a lot of assumptions concerning prophecy, and most of them are overlooked because they are not recognized for what they are. This seminar will help put things in perspective by summarizing the history and significant features of various views, plus the key areas of Scripture for the study of the end times.

End Time Apologetics

 

The Bible's truthfulness and supernatural origin is often defended by pointing to its many fulfilled prophecies. This can, however, seem to backfire when skeptics point out the Bible's alleged failure to correctly predict certain events. This becomes especially problematic concerning failed end time speculations by Christians. This seminar deals with the proper use of eschatology in apologetics.

} Compensation Guidelines

For presentations between 30 and 60 minutes I generally ask for $500 per away day or part of day (whether speaking or not), with meals, lodging, and travel either provided or expenses covered (provisions must be pre-approved).


} Media Blurb / Background

Doug is a former skeptic raised in a non-Christian home, and has spent time on both sides of the religion debate. His conversion to Christianity was due in large part to the well-reasoned responses of the few believers who were able to answer his questions about their faith. He is currently a college instructor pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion at Southern Evangelical Seminary.

Doug is the author of The Message Behind the Movies: How to Engage with a Film without Disengaging Your Faith (Moody Publishers, 2009), and has been published in:

  • The Christian Apologetics Journal (various)
  • The Baker Dictionary of North American Cults (Baker, 2010)
  • The Teen Apologetics Study Bible (Holman, 2010)
  • The Best of Catholic Writing (Loyola, 2006).

He has spoken coast to coast on various radio and TV programs, and at various events including:

  • Evangelical Theological Society
  • Janet Parshall America
  • Moody Pastor's Conference
  • Calvary Chapel Bible College
  • The Morning Show
  • College of the Ozarks
  • The California Apologetics Conference
  • The National Conference on Christian Apologetics
  • National Conference on Spiritual Discernment
  • Fellowship of Christian University Students
  • Stand For Truth Radio Show
  • CrossWalk
  • SUMMIT Ministries
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes
  • Circe Institute
  • InterVarsity Jungle
  • Bob Ducko Radio Show
  • Giving An Answer TV Program
  • Truth Talk Live Radio Show
  • T.E.A.M. College Apologetics
  • Ratio Christi
  • TCT Alive! TV Show
  • Sound Résn TV Show
  • Moody Radio

} Images

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