Confirmed Speakers for 2009:
Hank Hanegraaff serves as president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute International. He is also host of the Bible Answer Man radio program, which is broadcast daily across the United States and Canada-as well as around the world through the Internet at www.equip.org.
Here's a link to another award winning apologist: the Bible Answer Man's website!
Dr. Norman Geisler is the author or co-author of some 70 books and hundreds of articles. He has taught theology, philosophy, and apologetics on the college or graduate level for 50 years. He has spoken or debated in some 26 countries on six continents. He has a B.A, M.A., Th.B., and Ph.D (in philosophy). He has taught at some of the top Seminaries in the United States, including Trinity Evangelical and Dallas Seminary, and has been guest professor at numerous other schools. He and his wife Barbara live in the Charlotte, N.C. areas. He maintains an active writing, speaking, and lecturing ministry across the country.
As a speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Alex McFarland has spoken in hundreds of locations throughout the US. and abroad. He has been interviewed by Billy Graham's Decision radio broadcast, James Dobson (Focus On The Family radio), The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chuck Colson's Breakpoint broadcast, CBS, FOX, NBC news, (SRN) Salem Radio Network news, the Associated Press (AP) wire service, Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, the BBC, OK- Celebrity News Magazine, Prime Time America, Bible Broadcast Network, La Vie (France), Christianity Today, Charisma, On Mission, and by many other media outlets as well. Alex McFarland earned an M.A. in Christian Thought / Apologetics from Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Southern Evangelical Seminary.
Dean is the teacher of Christian Philosophy and Apologetics at Charlotte Christian School. Even though he was brought up in a strong Christian home, he questioned his faith during his college years. During this time of questioning, he came to the conclusion that Christianity was the only cohesive and rational religion. Since then he worked with Youth for Christ for three years, became a Christian school teacher, and received a masters in apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He has spoken at Intervarsity and FCA meetings, the ACSI and GCACS teachers conferences, was published in Areopagus Journal, and has authored the book entitled Stand Your Ground, published by Wipf and Stock.
Brian became a Christian his freshman year of college at East Carolina University. He majored in Religious Studies, History, and Anthropology. As a young Christian, his faith was severely challenged in the classroom. He soon learned the importance of defending his faith and dedicated his life to studying and teaching apologetics. He received a Masters in Biblical Archaeology from Wheaton College and attended Jerusalem University College in Israel. He is currently seeking a second Masters in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Brian has been teaching high school students for six years now. He has taught Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Theology, World Religions and Apologetics. He now lives in Matthews, NC with his wife Gabriela and teaches Bible full time at Charlotte Christian School.
Doug Beaumont is a former skeptic who has spent time on both sides of the religion debate. He is currently a college instructor and is pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion at Southern Evangelical Seminary. Doug is the author of The Message Behind the Movies: Engaging the Film without Disengaging Your Faith (Moody Publishers, 2009 ), and has published works in T he Christian Apologetics Journal, The Baker Dictionary of North American Cults, The Teen Apologetics Bible, and was one of the only Protestant contributors to The Best of Catholic Writing (2006).
Dr. Dave Johnson serves as executive director of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families (Charlotte, regional office). Dave teaches adults, college students and youth groups in various churches on topics such as Thinking 101, Apologetics, Cults, Refuting Relativism, and God and Government. He regularly submits articles to secular publications in order to interject the Christian worldview into the marketplace of ideas. Dave holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and a Master of Arts degree in Christian Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He also currently serves on the faculty of Southern Evangelical Bible College.
Past Speakers:
Frank Turek is a dynamic speaker and award-winning author. He has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs including: The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, Faith under Fire, Politically Incorrect, The Bible Answerman, and Focus on the Family. He has a doctorate in Apologetics and a Master's degree in Public Adminstration. A former Naval Aviator who served in the Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, Frank conducts engaging presentations for Churches, Youth Events, Non-Profits, Universities, and Corporations.
Paul Copan is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL.
Click HERE to visit Paul's website for more great information on one of the foremost apologists of our time!
Derwin "Dewey " Gray is a native of San Antonio, Texas. In 1988, Dewey received first team All-State honors in football at Converse Judson High School in Converse, Texas. In college (BYU), he was an All-American and a Jim Thorpe Award nominee for the best defensive back in college football (1992). Dewey was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts as the 92nd selection in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft.
He played five seasons with the Colts and one season with the Carolina Panthers. Derwin was nominated twice for the Pro Bowl in his six-year NFL career and served as one of the team captains on the 1995-1996 Indianapolis Colts team that advanced to the AFC Championship game.
Click here for Derwin's Notes on his presentation!
A former proponent of theistic evolution, Jim McLeod has been studying the case for macroevolution for decades. No longer impressed by the evidence presented by naturalists, he finds it more reasonable that living organisms essentially appeared on Earth in their final, complete form. After receiving his degree in Biology from UNC Charlotte, Jim worked as a teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System for over thirty years. He is now teaching biology at Charlotte Christian School.
