IMPORTANT: Online ticket sales have now ended. However, you can reserve your place if you intend to pay-on-the-door (cash or cheque only please, we’re sorry that we cannot accept any card payments). By registering here now you are helping us hugely in our preparations for the day, such as name badges and folders.

Thank you.

Faith or Fantasy?

The new atheists claim that religious people are living in a fantasy world, deluded into believing in a God who is no more plausible than the tooth-fairy or Father Christmas. All religions, they say, are simply out-dated relics from our primitive past, dangerous superstitions that no longer have any place in our modern and scientific world.

Ideas such as these are becoming increasingly common in our society today as many are being influenced by best-selling authors such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Many Christians, understandably, find it difficult to know how best to respond to some of the challenges made to their faith. What do you say, for example, to someone who argues that you can’t trust the Bible? How can you defend your belief in God against someone who says you are making a blind leap of faith? And how should Christians reach out to those around them when there is seemingly so much hostility to the gospel? What hope is there for the gospel message today?

Faith or Fantasy? is a day of apologetics training designed to tackle vital questions such as these. The event aims to help Christians develop a confident faith that is able to respond to the important issues today, without ducking the hard questions.

Speakers

	Michael Ramsden Michael Ramsden has been European Director of RZIM Zacharias Trust since its foundation in 1997. Brought up in the Middle East before moving to the UK, Michael now travels widely speaking to a variety of audiences all over the world. He is a passionate evangelist and is involved in a number of initiatives to equip and train emerging leaders and evangelists throughout Europe.
	John Lennox John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford. He is particularly interested in the relationship between science and religion and has written a book on this topic entitled God's Undertaker, Has Science Buried God? In the past two years, John has debated a number of the world's leading atheists including Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.
	Amy Orr-Ewing Amy Orr-Ewing is Training Director of the RZIM Zacharias Trust and Director of Programmes for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. She gained a first class degree in Theology at Christ Church, Oxford University, before receiving a Masters degree in Theology at King's College, London. Her book Why Trust the Bible? was shortlisted for the 2006 UK Christian Book Awards, and her most recent book But Is It Real? was published in 2008.
	Michael Green Michael Green is Chaplain at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. One of the most renowned evangelists, Michael has for many years been instrumental in equipping and encouraging others to share their faith with passion and confidence. He has authored over fifty books and has published this year his new book Lies, Lies, Lies! addressing current attacks on the person and works of Jesus.

Talks

To Be or Not to Be: the Reality of the Hope
Michael Ramsden
How are Christians to engage with the outside world? Is it just a question of thinking, feeling and doing the right things? How do we convey the reasons for the hope that we have? This lecture will help to equip us to have a conversational approach to evangelism, one which is able to speak into the needs of our society today.

Reasonable Faith
John Lennox
The new atheists tell us that there is no such thing as “reasonable faith”, because reason relies upon empirical evidence and rational thought, whilst faith requires neither. This lecture will look at how Christians can respond to challenges such as this. Do Christians have rational grounds for believing and could it even be possible that theism sits more comfortably with science than it does with atheism?
 
Why Trust the Bible?
Amy Orr-Ewing
Isn’t it all just a matter of interpretation? Are the manuscripts reliable? And what about the Canon? These are questions we often face from our non-Christian friends. This lecture will look at the most commonly asked questions about the integrity, relevance and reliability of the Bible and will equip us in how to respond to these questions with confidence.

Are You Trying to Convert Me?
Michael Green
Many atheists argue that they wouldn’t have a problem with Christians, if they just kept to themselves. The desire to respect one another’s beliefs has led to the idea that religion should not be in the public sphere, lest it cause offence. This lecture will look at how Christians should respond to the challenge of spreading the gospel in our modern, multi-faith contexts.

Further Details

Getting to the venue
Parrs Wood High School, Wilmslow Road, East Didsbury, Manchester, M20 5PG.

~ Car Parking
There are a small number of parking spaces at the school, but it may also be possible to park in the nearby leisure centre car park adjacent to the venue. Directions: From the city centre follow 'Congleton' A34 signs. From M56 follow 'Didsbury' signs to A34 Kingsway. From M60 follow 'Stockport' signs, then A560 & B5095 via Cheadle. From South A34 or A5149 via Cheadle. From East A560 or A5145 from Stockport.

~ Rail Routes
East Didsbury Rail Station is 5 mins walk from the venue and is served by both Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road stations. Duration from each of these is 10-15 mins. Please counsult National Rail Enquires for train times and route planning.

~ Bus Routes
Parrs Wood High School is well served by the 42 bus route (including the 142 and the 157). More details on the Stagecoach website or download a PDF of timetable.

When to arrive
Registration starts at 9:00am, with the Welcome, Introduction, and Worship session starting at 9:30am. Please don't arrive earlier than 8:40 when the doors open.

What to bring
If you selected a ticket NOT including lunch, then please bring either a packed lunch, or funds to purchase lunch from local shops and restaurants. We will supply all materials (pens, paper, etc.). We will also be hosting a book store where purchases can be made with cash or card payments.

Lunch
Delegates selecting ticket(s) that include lunch will receive a sandwich lunch.

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