Less Than Half of American Protestants Accept the Bedrock of Reformation Truth

Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES, www.ses.edu) and evangelical leader Dr. Richard Land will address two very different, yet related, topics at SES’s 24th annual National Conference on Christian Apologetics later this month.

One of the largest events of its kind, the two-day conference will welcome the nation’s top apologists, scholars and thinkers, who will delve into headline-making topics on Oct. 13-14 at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. For 25 years, SES has been educating Christians about how to best defend their beliefs.

Land will address two topics at the conference. First, he will talk about “The Reformation’s Relevance Today” at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 13. This session will explore the biblical affirmations of the Reformation and their application to the challenges Christians face today.

Then at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, Land will address “Who and What is a Human Being?” The answers to these questions form the mega ethical issue of our time, he said.

“As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we must also understand that we won’t ever win a spiritual victory until the Lord returns,” Land commented. “Even people inside the church have turned their backs on Scripture. Recent Pew Research polling reveals that less than half of American Protestants accept the bedrock Reformation truths of the Bible as the ultimate authority (sola scriptura) and salvation by faith alone (sola fide).

“That is why we are having conversations like ‘Who and What is a Human Being?’ Land continued. “Every ethical issue boils down to questions like this: Are we the special creation of God? Do we have purpose and meaning rather than being just a collection of molecules? Did God create us male and female or are we autonomous, deciding for ourselves if we want to be male or female? That brings us to back to ‘Who and What is a Human Being?’ The implications of that question are enormous.”

The two-day SES conference welcomes the nation’s top apologists, who will give the thousands in attendance new presentations on studies, research, history and insight into apologetics and other intellectual, scientific and religious fields. In addition to Land and SES co-founder Norman Geisler, confirmed speakers include Michael Brown, Gary Habermas, Ken Ham, Greg Koukl, J.P. Moreland, Jay Richards, Hugh Ross, Frank Turek and J. Warner Wallace, along with many others.

At the conference, the American Family Association will also debut its new film, The God Who Speaks, which explores the overwhelming evidence for the Bible’s inspiration and authority through some of the most highly respected voices within evangelicalism. The film answers some common objections and testifies to the devastating impact that follows the denial of biblical authority. The film also underscores the utter trustworthiness of the Bible’s claims. “The God Who Speaks” will be a valuable resource for decades to come, helping many of today’s biblically challenged Christians to better defend their faith in a culture that is often hostile to Christianity. SES Emeritus Professor Richard Howe served as a theological adviser for the production, and Turek and Geisler are also contributors.