Same Sex Marriage Debate Next Monday: Willie Rennie & Patrick Harvey v David Robertson & Peter D Williams

Registration Is Now Open For 2012 UK Intelligent Design Conference In Malvern, England

Lifted From here.

2012 INTELLIGENT DESIGN CONFERENCE

SEPTEMBER 28- 29th
Darwin or Design? The question that shakes the very fabric of human existence
Elim Conference Centre,
Malvern, Worcestershire, UK

Sponsored by the Centre for Intelligent Design, Glasgow, UK

Why this Conference?

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the scientific case for Darwinism as a complete explanation of origins is deeply flawed and that the arguments for design are becoming highly credible.  It is also apparent that the way in which we view ourselves and our place in the universe is profoundly affected by how we think about these matters.  This conference will get to the core of the scientific and philosophical issues involved.

So, here’s a one-off opportunity to listen to and interact with two leading thinkers of our generation.  At the same time you can enjoy a fabulous conference centre with all en-suite rooms in the beautiful setting of the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire.  This brand new conference centre venue in West Malvern was opened in September 2009. It offers a spectacular location, high quality facilities, delicious food and a personal service aimed at delivering a new level of experience for guests

Event Announcement: "Design in Nature?" Conference in Cambridge

“Design in Nature?” The Tyndale Philosophy of Religion group is hosting an important conference at Hughes Hall, Cambridge on July 14th to discuss that question.

The natural world appears to be full of order from the macro-scale of the apparent 'fine-tuning' of the universe to the inside of the cell. Is this apparent order real and, if so, how did it get there? This one-day Cambridge Conference will feature four perspectives on different aspects of the question as to whether this apparent order should lead us to think there is intelligent design, or if it can be explained in purely naturalistic terms (e.g., in the case of biology, Darwinism).

Here's the speaker line-up:

• Dr. Stephen C. Meyer (Director, Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture);
• Prof. Steve Fuller (Professor of Sociology, Warwick);
• Prof. Stephen Clark (Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Liverpool);
• Dr David Glass (Lecturer, School of Computing and Mathematics, University of Ulster).

For more details and on-line registration see http://www.tyndalephilosophy.org.uk/Events

Event: Life's Big Questions

Come listen to good reasons, why we should listen to the Bible's answers to some of the serious questions people are always asking.

These are questions that affect both your short and long term future so deserve your attention.

Each question will be addressed by one of 2 speakers, either Blair Martin from Whitburn or Stephen Grant from Bridge of Weir.

Monday 04th June - 7:45pm
SIN: Do you laugh or Cry?

Tuesday 05th June - 7:45pm
SUFFERING: Does anyone care?

Wednesday 06th June - 7:45pm
DEATH: Is it the end or the beginning?

Thursday 07th June - 7:45pm
RELIGION: Do all religions lead to God?

Monday 11th June - 7:45pm
LOVE: Why would God love me?

Tuesday 12th June - 7:45pm
FAME: Who is Jesus?

Wednesday 13th June - 7:45pm
MONEY: What it cannot buy?

Thursday 14th June - 7:45pm
FULFILMENT: All you need is (God's) love?

ALL Welcome, Free Admission, No Collection taken.

Held in the West End Gospel Hall, Whitburn.

For more information, please visit:
www.whitburngospelhall.co.uk 

The Clarkson Academy

The Clarkson Academy exists to produce effective ambassadors for the most vulnerable in our society – preborn children.

Named after the British abolitionist Thomas Clarkson, who worked with William Wilberforce to bring an end to the Slave Trade, the Academy seeks to raise up pro-life leaders who are equipped with a good understanding of strategy and effective arguments. By educating the public and shifting public opinion about the evil of slavery and the identity of its victims, Thomas Clarkson’s campaigning gave meaning to William Wilberforce’s legislative work. If we are to see lives saved and the Law once again protect the pre-born child we must first learn how to shift public opinion.

We are bringing together some of the best pro-life leaders in the world for a two day conference in London. You will be trained to defend the pro-life position and will be given practical guidance on how to focus that knowledge on fruitful, strategic pro-life work. By equipping and activating a network of motivated, loving and confident pro-life leaders we can turn around the present desperate situation.
There is a small charge (£40) for the Academy but if cost alone would prevent you from coming, please let us know. We hope to be able to advise on cheap accommodation options in London.

Unbelievable Conference 2012 - Video Promo

Please tweet and repost if you have a blog!

Ken Samples Interview

Ken Samples who you can find more about here will be coming over to London in May for the Unbelievable Conference which you can find out more about here. If you attended last year you should remember what a great day it was, if you didn't attend last year you will want to make sure you get yourself there this year.

The interview was by Brian Auten over at Apologetics315, probably one of the most extensive and helpful apologetics resources on the internet.

Ken talks about how he became a philosopher, influential books, advice for apologists, the academic route, logic, tips for learning, the character of an apologist, the Biola apologetics program, Reasons to Believe, and more.

Should Marriage be Redefined in the UK?

Please mark and reserve an important date for your diaries!

On Monday 30th April 2012 at Gunnersbury Baptist Church in Chiswick, there will be an exciting and relevant, free public debate on the subject of the Governments recent proposals to redefine marriage to incorporate same-sex couples.

Two top-class speakers with differing opinions will discuss this very important topic.

1) Adrian Trett is Chair of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) + Liberal Democrats since the Coalition Government was formed, and the author of the original motion on Equal Marriage in the UK for Liberal Democrat Conference in 2010.

His campaigning group has been working with our Liberal Democrat Ministers, in particular Lynne Featherstone MP to enable this issue to be brought on to the Government's agenda, now with the public consultation and hopefully for legislation to be passed by 2015 to enable equal marriage in the UK.

2) Rev. David Robertson is the Pastor of St. Peters Free Church in Dundee. He is the Author of 'The Dawkins Letters' and regular conference speaker and debater for the Evangelical Christian Church.

There will be a chance, during this debate for questions from the audience.

Doors will open at 7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start. Entrance to this debate is absolutely free although early arrival is recommended.

Should be fun.

Let us know if your going to make the trip!

Unbelievable? The Conference 2012 - Giving a Sceptical World Reasons to Believe

So its that time again, after a very succesful inaugural conference last year with over 550 people in attendance May 26th marks the next installment. With a variety of speakers that include Hugh Ross and Ken Samples from Reason to Believe, John Lennox, Krish Kandia, Michael Green and Bonnie Yule-Kuehne.

With a line up like that it looks like being a great day to learn, get encouraged, ask questions and meet lots of new people. So I encourage you to make sure you have that date saved and make sure you get along to it.

All seminars will include a time for Q & A at the end and there will also be book and resource stalls ready to make sure you don't go home empty handed... you can never have enough good books, can you?

There will be three different tracks running throughout the day to include a specific evangelism, apologetics and confession one, all of which will cover such topics as science and faith, pluralism, the New Atheists, and ways we can be effective in our gospel mission here in the UK.

You can find out more about the day and booking your place here.

Please Tweet and pass this on wherever you can, its a big venue so we want as many people to benefit from what will be a great day as possible.

Dan

Torch 2012 Mission Event @ the GLO Centre, Motherwell

From here.

When: Saturday 3rd March, 2012; 2-5pm (Meal @ 7:30pm).

Where: GLO Centre, 78 Muir Street, Motherwell, ML1 1BN (website).

What: Workshops; mission labyrinth; praise & worship; testimonies; drama.

Contact & Booking: Allison Hill (ahill@glo-europe.org). Tel: 01698 263483

Will The Archbishop of Canterbury Debate Richard Dawkins?

Discovery Institute 2012 Summer Seminars, JULY 6-14, 2012 Seattle, WA

Two years ago, I had the tremendous opportunity to travel to Seattle, Washington, and take part in Discovery Institute’s yearly summer seminar for undergraduate and graduate students. Truth be told, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I had the chance to interact at a one-on-one level with key ID scholars including William Dembski, Jonathan Wells, Paul Nelson, Richard Sternberg, Stephen C. Meyer, Scott Minnich, Michael Behe, Douglas Axe, Ann Gauger, Jay Richards, and Bruce Gordon (and more!). I also made many good friends from all over the world, most of whom I have remained in contact with even until now. If you are a postgraduate or undergraduate student who is keen on ID and is swithering on whether or not this is for you, then I strongly encourage you to apply! Not only will you get connected with many phenomenal like-minded people, you will never think the same way about ID and evolution ever again! Best of all, if you are accepted for the program, you needn’t pay a cent! Travel expenses, lodging, meals, the lot, are fully funded.

Even if your academic discipline isn’t in the natural sciences, you needn’t worry — there is a program which is specifically geared towards those with a background in social sciences, humanities, law or theology!

Below are the details and information you need to APPLY.

———————————–

Details here:

“The Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute announces two intensive 9-day seminars for college students during the summer of 2012.

The CSC Seminar on Intelligent Design in the Natural Sciences will prepare students to make research contributions advancing the growing science of intelligent design (ID). The seminar will explore cutting-edge ID work in fields such as molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology, developmental biology, paleontology, computational biology, ID-theoretic mathematics, cosmology, physics, and the history and philosophy of science. The seminar will include presentations on the application of intelligent design to laboratory research as well as frank treatment of the academic realities that ID researchers confront in graduate school and beyond, and strategies for dealing with them. Although the primary focus of the seminar is science, there also will be discussion of the worldview implications of the debate over intelligent design. Participants will benefit from classroom instruction and interaction with prominent ID researchers and scholars. Past seminars have included such speakers as Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, William Dembski, Jonathan Wells, Paul Nelson, Jay Richards, Douglas Axe, Ann Gauger, Richard Sternberg, Robert Marks, Scott Minnich, and Bruce Gordon. The seminar is open to students who intend to pursue graduate studies in the natural sciences or the philosophy of science. Applicants must be college juniors or seniors or already in graduate school.

Do you have a commitment to truth and to following the evidence where it leads? Do you have the desire, the vision and the determination necessary to breathe new purpose into the scientific enterprise and influence its self-understanding in ways that will benefit both science and humanity? Apply to become one of a select group of students participating in this exciting workshop.

Admission Requirements: You must be currently enrolled in a college or university as a junior, senior, or graduate student. Required application materials include (1) a resume/cv, (2) a copy of your academic transcript, (3) a short statement of your interest in intelligent design and its perceived relationship to your career plans and field of study, and (4) either a letter of recommendation from a professor who knows your work and is friendly toward ID, or a phone interview with the seminar director.

Room, Board, and Travel Costs: Students selected for these seminars will be provided with course materials, lodging and most meals. Travel assistance will also be provided up to a specified amount.

The C.S. Lewis Fellows Program on Science and Society will explore the growing impact of science on politics, economics, social policy, bioethics, theology, and the arts during the past century. The program is named after celebrated British writer C.S. Lewis, a perceptive critic of both scientism and technocracy in books such as The Abolition of Man and That Hideous Strength. Topics to be addressed include the history of science, the relationship between faith and science, the rise of scientific materialism, the debate over Darwinian theory and intelligent design, evolutionary conceptions of ethics, science and economics, science and criminal justice, stem cell research and abortion, eugenics, family life and sexuality, ecology and animal rights, climate change, the impact of evolutionary theory on theology, the coverage of science controversies by the newsmedia, legal and public policy conflicts over science education, and the relationship between science and the arts. Participants will benefit from classroom instruction and interaction with prominent researchers, writers, and scholars, such as Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, Wesley J. Smith, David Klinghoffer, Jonathan Witt, Jonathan Wells, Jay Richards, and John West. The seminar is open to college/university students who intend careers in the social sciences, humanities, law, or theology.

Admission Requirements: You must be currently enrolled in a college/university, seminary, or law school as a junior, senior, or graduate student. Your field of study should be in the social sciences, humanities, theology, or law. Required application materials include (1) a resume/cv, (2) a copy of your academic transcript, (3) a short statement of your interest in the program and its perceived relationship to your career plans and field of study, and (4) a letter of recommendation from a professor or a phone interview with the seminar director.

Room, Board, and Travel Costs: Students selected for these seminars will be provided with course materials, lodging and most meals. Travel assistance will also be provided up to a specified amount.

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until April 13, 2012, although earlier applications may receive priority consideration. Questions or requests for more information should be directed to cscseminar@discovery.org.

Application Procedure: All applications are required to be submitted online at http://www.tfaforms.com/227931 .”

CALLING ALL PHILOSOPHERS IN EUROPE

Passed on from Paul Copan:

"Dear fellow Christian philosophers and apologists,

Do you know any European evangelical philosophers? We need your immediate help in connecting them to the Philosophers Network in Europe---and to submit papers (by 1 March 2012) or, at the very least, just to attend the conference near Budapest, Hungary (19-24 May 2012). A number of philosophers from the Evangelical Philosophical Society are lending support to this endeavor: William Craig, Scott Smith, Douglas Groothuis, and Bruce Little. (I myself am looking forward to speaking at this forum the following May.)

Keep in mind these important points:

1. This Network is European in its vision and content. It is being spearheaded by the European Leadership Forum, and it is not an American outpost.

2. This year--indeed, this month--is crucial for forming this continent-wide Network. If nothing materializes this year, then this effort will be not be revisited for a good while. So we need your prompt assistance in getting the word out to your European evangelical friends/contacts who have a philosophy degree (masters or doctorate).

3. In addition to the philosophy, this effort there will be an apologetics Network that is developed as well. What is crucial as that we have as many European evangelical philosophers and apologists as possible attending May 2012 meeting."

Additional details:

The European Leadership Forum is pleased to announce the debut of the European Christian Philosophers Network at the 2012 Forum in Eger, Hungary (19-24 May).

This Network will aim to support and encourage European Christian philosophers as they seek to incorporate their faith into their research projects, teaching, and mentoring. Because of this, the primary focus of the Network at the Forum will be the examination of philosophy from a specifically Christian perspective. Speakers who will be featured in the 2012 Network are William Lane Craig, Doug Groothuis, Bruce Little, Mike Ovey, Jerry Root, Mats Selander, R. Scott Smith, and Ralph Henk Vaggs. The full Network programme, including more about each speaker, is available online at www.euroleadership.org/philosophers

In addition to the fellowship and learning opportunities the Philosophers Network will provide, the Forum is pleased to offer the following to Network participants:

1) SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships are available to Network participants and will be awarded according to need. Scholarship recipients will pay a maximum of 50 Euros in conference fees and cover their own travel costs. To apply for a scholarship, please send an email with the subject heading, “Philosophers Network Scholarship,” to Kevin Saylor at ksaylor@euroleadership.org

2) CALL FOR PAPERS:
The 2012 Network will feature a twenty-minute time slot each day for one of four selected participants to present a philosophy paper. The four individuals chosen to present each will receive a scholarship covering their full conference fees (excluding travel expenses). Any interested participant should be a PhD student in philosophy and submit one paper limited to 2,000 words for a 15- minute presentation. The reading of each paper will be followed by evaluation and discussion by Network speakers and participants. Papers selected will exemplify the highest standards of philosophy written from a historic Protestant point of view. All papers should be submitted to Kevin Saylor at ksaylor@euroleadership.org by 1 March 2012.

If you wish to see for yourself how God is raising up leaders in Europe to fight for truth in a secular age, then please consider applying to attend the Philosophers Network at the 2012 European Leadership Forum.

· To learn more about the European Leadership Forum in general, visit www.euroleadership.org

· To register for the Forum and the Philosophers Network, visit www.euroleadership.org/register

· For any additional questions, please email ksaylor@euroleadership.org

John Lennox to Lecture in Edinburgh Next Monday

From here:

Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are Missing the Target

John Lennox of Oxford University argues the case against the views of 'new atheists' such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, both of whom he has debated in person. He argues that their methodology is both flawed and unscientific, and does not give a sound basis for ethics. Followed by an opportunity to ask questions and refreshments.

• Phone: 0131 451 4508
• Email: m.boulogne@hw.ac.uk

Date: Monday 6th February
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Heriot-Watt University: James Watt Centre 1, Edinburgh.

Peter Atkins to debate UK Apologetics blogger

So, I've just heard that Peter Atkins has agreed to debate with me on the question, "Does God Exist?" The debate will take place in Oxford on April 27th, 2012. I, for one, am very excited about this, with the opportunity to debate a distinguished proponent of atheism and also to contend for the faith in a largely secular and apathetic city. Prayers that people would consider the claims of Christ as a result of the debate would be enormously appreciated, as would prayers for my preparation (it's just a few weeks before my university finals) and confidence in debate!

Any readers are more than welcome to come - look forward to seeing you there!

Calum

Apologetics Training this Thursday Night in London

Apologetics: Has Science Buried God?

Thursday, January 19, 19.00 - 21.30


Hasn't science disproved God? Do we need a creator? What about evolution? And why is Christianity more plausible than atheism? Adrian Holloway will address these questions, helping us to think clearly and articulate the Christian faith in a relevant and compelling way.
This event is hosted by the Student Team, but is open to the whole church.
Location: The Crypt of St James' Clerkenwell Church, EC1R 0EA

Time: 19:00 - 21:30>
Cost: £2 (pay on entry)
Contact: joel@christchurchlondon.org

St James Church,
Clerkenwell Close,
London,
EC1R 0EA

If your in London make sure you make it there, especially if your a student.