Local church takes on toughest objections to the Christian faith

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - April 18, 2013 - PRLog -- (YUCAIPA, CA) –Agencies like the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life report that people who don’t identify with any religion are on the increase. Churches are becoming more desperate to fill their pews, especially with younger congregants, and frequently try to offer sermons that are more attractive to a broader audience. But the Well Church at Oak Valley has taken a different tact, opening their doors for a free event where the public can hear about the tough questions of faith. The Well has announced that next month they will raise some the most controversial issues facing Christianity and tackle them head-on. The Dare To Defend apologetics conference, being held May 8-10, will offer sessions on such difficult topics as the existence of God, whether the Gospels are reliable, and how evil can exist if God is understood as all loving and all powerful.  The three-day conference will start at 6:30 PM each evening in the church’s sanctuary at 12717 14th Street, Yucaipa.

Some have not thought it wise for a church to highlight the very questions that cause some people to disbelieve, but senior pastor Ron Wood holds that Christians should embrace discussion about difficult topics. “I think that all people are looking for something that’s real in their lives. Hiding from questions that skeptics and others raise doesn't serve Christianity, but stunts it. People want answers.

The event will feature speaker and apologist Lenny Esposito of Come Reason Ministries, another Inland Empire organization. Esposito has had years of experience interacting with those skeptical about God and faith. He frequently visits secular college campuses such as UC Berkeley where non-Christian students barrage him with questions. Last year he debated noted atheist Dr. Richard Carrier in front of a capacity crowd at UC Riverside. Esposito will give all the talks at the conference.

The conference’s aim is to both equip Christians to be assured that Christianity is intellectually feasible and to reach out to the community. Woods says “We want the people in our congregation to be able to understand the basic objections to the Christian worldview and answer them… to have the confidence to engage with those who may not know the rich intellectual heritage that Christianity provides. And we want to offer real solutions to those who are seeking to understand more about God and how He cares for us in this world.”

The event will be held from Wednesday May 8 to Friday, May 10 from 6:30 PM until 9:00 PM each evening at The Well Church, 12717 4th Street, Yucaipa CA.  Admission is free.  More information on the event can be found by calling the church office at 909-795-0614 or visiting the http://www.comereason.org web site.

About Come Reason Ministries
Riverside, CA-based Come Reason Ministries was created to help provide answers to difficult biblical, ethical, and philosophical questions.  The organization was founded in 1996 and is ranked as one of the top Christian apologetics organizations, with articles, podcasts, books, videos, debates and training materials for all Christians. The http://www.comereason.org web site was visited over 300,000 times last year by readers from over 200 countries around the world.

About The Well Church
The Well Church at Oak Valley was established in 2006 as an autonomous, elder-led, contemporary church and is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. We believe that the Scriptures are without error and altogether reliable, and contain all things necessary for life and Godliness. We believe in cooperation with other churches with like beliefs and the goal of advancing the Kingdom of God.

The Well’s service model of Connect, Grow, Serve is accomplished through small group emphasis, celebration in large groups, supporting the family, engaging culture through service, and being technologically savvy, artistically appealing, and teaching for impact.