RZIM CANADA | WINTER UPDATE 2014
Welcome to this edition of inContext. The year has begun with a bang for the RZIM team here in Canada. Inside, you’ll find encouraging reports about events—and the touched lives—that God enabled as we spoke at universities, open forums, churches and other venues. By the time you read this, our team will have also been at dozens of other events, both across Canada and as far afield as Istanbul, Turkey. There’s exciting news on other fronts, too. Burning Questions, the TV documentary we have been working on for over the last year is nearing completion and will soon be on Canadian TV, as well as on DVD and online. Release dates will be announced soon, but for now, do visit www.bit.ly/ bq-tv to see an exclusive sneak preview of the opening episode, exploring the question “Is There a God?” We also have major plans for other media this year, with a massive push onto secular radio coming up in the fall. We’ll also be filming a series of 50 short answers to tough questions for release onto the Internet and social media. I’m also pleased to announce that my first book, an academic study of some critical issues concerning the Qur’an, will be published next month. God is opening incredible doors and we’re grateful for all of your prayers, support and messages of encouragement as we seek to help the thinker believe and believer think here in Canada and around the world. Thanks for standing with us!
Canadian Director
TEAM REPORT Any team loves a strong beginning to a season. Well, that’s the kind of beginning we’ve experienced at RZIM Canada. The team hit the road in mid-January for three weeks of evangelism and training events in Winnipeg, Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. Rick Manafo and Andy Bannister spoke at a packed Engaging Culture day at Kilcona Park Alliance Church in Winnipeg where the temperatures reached a balmy minus forty! Ten different churches participated with a very
good number of youth and young adults in attendance. For many, this was their first brush with apologetics and the questions they asked showed how eager they were to learn how to communicate the gospel with their friends and colleagues. Nathan Betts caught up with the team after speaking at a youth conference in NY. He arrived in Winnipeg at 1:30 am on Sunday then preached at both morning services at Grant Memorial Church. Following the second service, he met with student leaders who wanted to discuss some of the questions they were working through in their youth and student groups.
TEAM REPORT CONTINUED Andy preached at Kilcona Park Alliance Church on “Will the Real God Please Stand Up (Allah and Yahweh Compared).” Lively conversations ensued, especially among those who had Muslim friends and family members. People were also eager to get their hands on Islam inContext, a booklet co-written by Andy and UK colleague, Tanya Walker. Grant Memorial hosted an open forum that evening in which Andy addressed the topic, “Has Religion Poisoned Everything?”. During the Q&A, a woman asked a question that clearly showed there was pain in her life. Through moist eyes she questioned what Christianity could possibly say to the pain and evil in the world. Nathan, who joined Andy in the Q&A, responded by sharing how difficult the last two years have been for him and his wife as they experienced great loss in their family. He went on to offer two or three compelling reasons why we can trust God even in times of pain. This resonated with the questioner. Nathan said, “While I was responding, I could sense the Spirit speaking through me but also instructing my own mind and heart through the answer. Evidently, my response spoke to her, but God also spoke to me in the process.” That was just the first two days.
On Tuesday evening Andy gave the keynote address for the Christian Medical and Dental Society of Winnipeg. Those feeling the pressure mounting of working in a scientific environment while reconciling their faith in Christ were given very compelling reasons not to fear science, but rather to see its integration with faith in the past, present and future.
On Wednesday morning, Nathan spoke at the Canadian Mennonite University on the topic, “So Much Evil!” Does God Really Care?’ It was well received and we are thrilled at the new friendships forged from this opportunity.
Dave Kenny, who was responsible for much of the Winnipeg planning said Wednesday night represented the highlight event of the five-day campaign. Three panelists representing three On Monday and Tuesday Andy did several different worldviews came to the Burton Cumopen forums organized by Power to Change at mings Theater in Winnipeg to answer the questhe Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba on tion: “Is There Hope For The Future?” The disthe topic “Is Believing in God Irrational?” Atten- cussion was thought provoking and respectful. dance was exponentially larger than usual and Andy engaged both of his co-panelists with prea good number of non-Christians were present. cise answers that demonstrated how different Over half of those who attended filled out re- the worldviews represented really were. Everysponse cards—leaving Power to Change work- one left that evening having seen the clear disers with some wonderful follow-up opportuni- tinction between the worldviews represented: ties. We hope to hear reports of many coming Christian, Muslim and Humanist. to Christ.
Andy and Nathan answering questions from the audience, (Dave Kenny, Winnipeg organizer on left)
Andy engaging the Muslim panelist | Winnipeg
The Muslim panelist admitted that life with God in Heaven is uncertain—that she would not know until she dies. For the Humanist, death is the end leaving no ultimate hope for the future. Only in the Christian faith is evil defeated once and for all. Only in the Christian faith will sickness and suffering be eliminated. Only in the Christian faith are we made sure of our salvation today. Andy’s compelling and poignant presentation and defense of the gospel left the audience with a palpable sense that only in Christ is there real hope for the future. One thing we can all be sure of is that in Manitoba, there is a great and new hope. After a wild time in Winnipeg, Nathan spoke at a crammed Friday evening youth event at Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel in Calgary (RMCC). The young adults pastor said he was thrilled by the questions that arose, as they will be the premise for his teaching curriculum for the next two semesters!
On Sunday morning, Andy preached to two packed services at RMCC. In the evening, he spoke at a service designed to bring non-Christian friends—and people did. Among them, was a man named David, who described himself, a “devout atheist” and refused to have anything to do with church. When his sister became a Christian some time before, he shouted angrily at her!) But David was intrigued by the topic of the evening (Does Religion Poison Everything?) and attended. David was one of the first to the microphone during Q&A. He said that Andy had done a good job selling Jesus, but wanted to know which of the thousands of versions of Christianity was being sold? Andy focused on what Christians have in common and suggested that David read a book like C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. On David’s way out, he saw that very book on the church bookstall and bought a copy. Later that evening, the lady who runs the bookstall said that book had only just come as they don’t normally stock it!
The next day, Andy and Nathan combined to speak five times at a training day at RMCC. Over 200 people attended. What was very exciting was that churches from across Calgary were represented, giving RZIM a stronger footprint in that city.
Then it was off to Red Deer, where Andy began three days of ministry at Crossroads Church, a church that draws people, not just from the city, but miles around. The first night was an open forum in which his theme was “True For You, Not True For Me?” Andy showed how our desire
inCONTEXT WINTER 2014
A BIRD’S EYE VIEW
The past year has afforded me several opportunities to speak and minister in interesting and diverse settings across Canada and the US. As I have been reflecting back upon the past year, I recall how Eugene Peterson once said, “We so often think that ministry is our gift to God, but in reality ministry is God’s gift to us.” Those words capture very well what my ministry experience has felt like recently. Let me share a few highlights with you. Back in November, I had the privilege of being one of the keynote speakers at The Religion Soup conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The conference boasted a strong cast of speakers including Craig Evans, Michael Licona, Daniel Wallace and Peter Kreeft, among many other great scholars. I am still not sure why they invited me to speak and play a part in that day, but I accepted the invitation as an honour. One of the highlights for me was having the opportunity to minister alongside many veteran
for complete freedom leads to meaninglessness and that true freedom and true meaning are only found in Jesus. The church was thrilled with the 500 who attended on a miserably cold night! Many people had brought friends, which was reflected in the questions.
these encouraging words:
The next morning, Andy interacted with the staff at Crossroads Church on the issues of contrasting worldview and how to answer tough questions. We’re learning that sometimes people find RZIM Q&A’s discouraging—as they assume “I could never do that”. We’re trying to teach people how to build an answer.
On the last evening, Andy spoke to an audience of youth and young adults, during which he simply answered their questions for almost two hours. 250 came out, surpassing the 100 expected—they kept adding chairs and squeezing more people in. There was a huge hunger and a real sense of God’s presence in the room. Please pray that the youth pastors at the church can build on what we did last night.
In the evening, Andy spoke to another full audience on “Understanding and Reaching Muslim Neighbours”. There is a growing Muslim population in Red Deer. It was obvious by the Q&A that followed that many people clearly want to be able to lovingly engage with their Muslim friends. Afterward, one of the committee who helped organize the Red Deer part of our trip emailed
This was fantastic! Both last night and tonight! The feedback has been great. I think Red Deer is starving for what you’ve brought us.
Next on to Edmonton, where Andy spent his first evening speaking to a group of key leaders and invited guests at Calvary Community Church and answering a wide range of questions. He preached at two Sunday morning services, comparing and contrasting the character of God in Christianity versus Islam. There were a large number of former Muslims in the audi-
Christian scholars and also interact with them on issues facing the church today. We were able to chat through the different challenges we are finding in a world that desperately needs to hear the good news of Christ but also one that faces many obstacles to that same good news. For the conference I gave a talk entitled, ‘Truth: What is It and Can We Know It?’ I also fielded questions along with the rest of the speakers at the end of the conference on all the issues addressed during the event. More recently, I had the opportunity to speak at a Youth For Christ conference in Saratoga Springs, New York. I was asked to give three talks there. Being part of such a dynamic youth conference and being able to not only speak but dialogue with many of the high school students reminded me of just how many questions students have and also the difficulties they face in trying to make good life decisions. Questions pertaining to purpose, pain and sexuality were raised and many stayed around after the sessions just
ence—the church is well connected with that community—and it was a thrill to meet and talk with so many of them afterward. Andy referenced the story of Horatio Spafford who wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”. The story powerfully touched one lady in particular, who had lost her husband and children in a car accident in Africa on a mission trip a few years before. God used that illustration to help her in her healing process. Finally on to Camrose, where Andy taught a class of 50 students at the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute. Key contacts in the area also organized three open forums: one on the topic “Theism, Humanism or Scientism: Which is the Real Delusion?” at the University of Alberta (both at the Edmonton Campus and then later at the Augustana Campus) and another on “What is the Good Society and How Do We Get There?” at Concordia University in Edmonton. At each open forum, Andy was joined by a Muslim and an atheist who also spoke to the topic, the audience fired questions at all three of them.
to say thank you for presenting a Christian response to such issues. I left the conference thinking that to many of these questions, if not all, there are answers but the answers are sometimes costly and never cookie-cutter in application. This is only a bird’s eye view of two events at which I have ministered and I hope it gives you a taste of how God is working in and through RZIM. As always, I appreciate your prayers for us as a team—not only for us but also for our families. We could not do what we do without your support and we as a team find great strength in having your help and encouragement.
Nathan
“What a pleasure it was to have Andy, Nathan and Rick here in Winnipeg for RZIM’s opening campaign of 2014. With a jam-packed itinerary over five days, everyone who participated in any of these events was blessed with a breath of fresh air…. Blessed with a New Hope“
inCONTEXT WINTER 2014
Dave Kenny | RZIM partner in Winnipeg
At the first open forum the atheist’s basic argument was that any position held too strongly, be it religious or secular, is dangerous. Andy asked him whether that applied to his own position, or just to those held by others—to which the audience laughed! Andy raised this not to poke fun, but to try to illustrate how so many atheist positions are basically self-contradictory. The atheist actually went on to explain how he possibly believed in some kind of power outside of the material world, but that it was certainly not personal. Andy politely suggested that it seemed that the atheist was seeking a “God” who didn’t interfere in his life nor made demands.
In the second open forum Andy was joined by an atheist and a Muslim (different than those in the afternoon). The interaction with the atheist was intriguing. The atheist had once trained for the Roman Catholic priesthood, before leaving his faith—although he described his time as a trainee priest as “one of the happiest times of my life”. He agreed with the proposition that to talk about “good” we need to talk about “purpose”, but struggled to explain what purpose was, if Christianity was not true. He also remarked that he admired the spiritual quest, but was nervous when people claimed to have discovered the “total truth”. Andy was able to share that Christianity is less about arrogant claims like that, and more about the profound sense that Jesus meets us from the other side of the quest—God is the running father on the road, coming to us. The discussion is not over. The final open forum proved just as interesting. Not least, it was the most crowded event we have spoken at. The organizers assumed that only small numbers would come, so booked a room for about 40. In the end, nearer 160 showed up. Students were sitting on the floor, on tables, even squeezed into a broom cupboard at the back of the room. The discussion was again wide-ranging, but zeroed on the question
“We were thoroughly blessed to have RZIM for our first ever Apologetics Conference. Our featured speakers were Nathan Betts and Andy Bannister. Over the weekend they addressed many areas of truth such as: Your Purpose and Meaning in Life, Shaping Your Worldview, The Bible, Why Jesus, Islam and Does Religion Poison Everything. The folks from our fellowship responded greatly, seeing to know more and asking multiply questions. Both Nathan and Andy took the time to engage the people addressing their questions and answering them with gentleness. It was an amazing weekend and we look forward to the next opportunity the Lord will present for us to again partner with RZIM. Highly impactful! Highly recommend.” Quinn Davis | Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapell
of if life has a purpose. Christianity not merely says that life does, that we are not just atoms and particles, but that life’s purpose is not a what but a whom—a whom who has stepped into history in the person of Jesus and can be known personally. That’s just a taste of the kind of trip this opening campaign of 2014 was. It is encouraging to be in the midst of what God is doing in some of these places. We find that when we show
up prepared God has already been at work in people’s hearts and when we leave we know God is still working. We’re grateful for all those who helped prepare these events. Continue to pray for them as they continue to follow up on what was truly a magnificent time of ministry in their part of the country.
Rick Manafo, On behalf of Andy and the Team.
“God is opening incredible doors and we’re grateful for all of your prayers, support and messages of encouragement as we seek to help the thinker believe and believer think here in Canada and around the world. Thanks for standing with us!” ~Dr. Andy Bannister
RZIM CALENDAR 2014 looks to be an amazing year. We covet your prayers as we bring the compelling message of the gospel to many and teach many to do likewise. FEBRUARY
ANDY | TURKEY NATHAN | TODAYS TEEN CONFERENCE
MARCH
ANDY | CAMPBELL RIVER NATHAN | FLUID YOUTH CONFERENCE
APRIL
ANDY | WINDSOR NATHAN | YOUTH CURRICULUM PILOT, EDMONTON
MAY
ENGAGING CULTURE, TORONTO
JUNE
WHEATON SUMMER INSTITUTE, ILLINOIS
JULY
CANADIAN SUMMER SCHOOL, LANGLEY BC JOHN LENNOX/RAVI ZACHARIAS, VANCOUVER
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
ENGAGING CULTURE, TORONTO RAVI ZACHARIAS, KINGSTON MICHAEL RAMSDEN, TORONTO ENGAGING CULTURE
For more information on these events go to rzim.ca
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