The Thirteenth Salisbury Conference

Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd October 2009 (God willing)

Venue: Emmanuel Church, Wilton Road, Salisbury

Theme: Reason for the Hope within: Defending and Declaring the Christian faith in the 21st Century

Chairman: Rev Malcolm H Watts (Salisbury)

Speaker: Professor James M. Grier Th.D (Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, USA).

Programme

1. In the Beginning God: Creation/Perfection. Friday 2nd October at 7.30pm.
2. The Corruption of Man and Society: Fall/Judgment. Saturday 3rd October at 10.30am.
3. Old and New Covenant Redemption: Redemption/Grace. Saturday 3rd October at 1pm.
4. In the End God: Consummation/Perfection. Saturday 3rd October at 2.30pm.

Peter commands believers undergoing severe trials to always be ready to give an answer to all those who ask for the reason of the hope in their midst. Using the overarching pattern of the Biblical narrative (Creation/Fall/Redemption/Consummation), Dr Grier will show how defending the faith using the Bible in this way is not only most faithful to the Bible itself but is also best suited to addressing society in the 21st Century.

In the course of the addresses, Dr Grier will show how we can best:

• use the Bible to respond to questions that are asked in evangelism;
• correct misrepresentations of the Christian faith;
• identify the underlying assumptions of the person objecting to the faith and gently address those assumptions;
• demonstrate that the Bible is fully consistent and coherent;
• incorporate the Biblical narrative into an urgent presentation of the gospel with the invitation to repent and believe.

These addresses will encourage us to develop a passion for Christ and an urgency to defend the faith and present the Gospel to those around us. And as we do that, we can listen to people's questions and objections and answer them in a persuasive way.

• Professor Grier will also preach at both the Lord's Day services on 4th October, at 11am and 6:30pm.
• If you arrive early on Saturday there will be tea and coffee served from 9:30am to 10:15am, in the meeting room at the rear of the church building. This can be accessed via the door on the left hand side of the premises.
• There will be a lunch break on Saturday, 12noon - 1pm. Please bring a packed lunch with you, tea and coffee will be provided.
• Following the conference at approximately 4pm on Saturday light refreshments will be served.
• There will be a bookstall.
• All of the conference sessions will be recorded and made available on tape or CD. A form will be provided on the day to place an order, which will be dispatched promptly to the supplied address. Tapes or CDs of previous conferences are also available. Recordings of the sessions from several of the previous conferences are available on-line.

Parking

Parking restrictions apply along Wilton Road and in the immediate area of the Church. The cark park off Wilton Road which has been used in the past is no longer available.

The Salisbury Park & Ride Service could be more convenient than trying to find parking in the immediate vicinity of the church. There is a Park & Ride car park situated at Wilton, just off the A36. From there the bus service (number 502) runs down Wilton Road, past Emmanuel Church. It is possible to alight at St Pauls Church, just a few minutes walk from Emmanuel. Inclusive in the price of the parking ticket the driver and up to six passengers can travel on the bus.