Author-led Panel Discussions
Presented by Christianity Today CTI

Christianity Today examines current events and trends from an evangelical Christian perspective. Our goal is to equip Christ-followers to understand the times in which we live in order to be salt and light in the world. To further that goal CT is sponsoring the following workshops at the Christian Book Expo. With panels of today’s premier authors and thinkers, these events will enlighten, encourage, and challenge you.

Seating is limited to those who arrive first. Plan to arrive early.

What is the Gospel?
Friday, March 20, 2009 / 9:00 - 10:30 AM (Dallas Convention Center)
Our post-Christian culture loves spirituality but can be suspicious or ignorant of the historic Christian faith. We prefer a do-it-yourself spirituality and a Jesus of our choosing to the good news offered in Scripture. Is there one gospel, or many? A panel of pastors and scholars shows why we can trust our Bibles—and how to separate the doctrinal wheat from the chaff.

Moderator: Darrell Bock, Jesus According to Scripture (Baker Academic)
Panelists:

  • Richard Stearns, President, World Vision International and author of A Hole in the Gospel (Nelson)
  • Mark D. Roberts, Can We Trust the Gospels? (Crossway)
  • Tullian Tchividjian, Do I Know God? (Multnomah)
  • Justin Taylor, The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World (Crossway)


 
Richard Stearns Mark D. Roberts Tullian Tchividjian Justin Taylor  


A Guided Tour of Heaven and Hell
Friday, March 20, 2009 / 1:00 - 2:30 PM (Dallas Convention Center)
Polls show that more Americans believe in heaven than in hell. The Bible, however, tells us both are real destinations. What are heaven and hell like, and how do we enter one and avoid the other? Author experts examine the afterlife from theological, pastoral—and personal—perspectives.

Moderator: Mark Galli, Christianity Today
Panelists:
  • Don Piper, 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life (Baker)
  • Sam Storms, The Hope of Glory (Crossway)
  • Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Tyndale)
  • J I Packer, Knowing God (Inter-Varsity Press)


 
Don Piper Sam Storms Randy Alcorn J I Packer  


Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture
Friday, March 20, 2009 / 3:30 - 5:00 PM (Dallas Convention Center)
A Christian consensus could once be pretty much assumed for Western culture, even if many people didn’t possess personal faith. That is no longer true. Christianity is today viewed as just one of many spiritual options—and often with suspicion. How do followers of Christ respond in both word and deed?

Moderator: Andy Crouch, Culture Making (IVP), editor at Christianity Today
Panelists:
  • Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz (Nelson)
  • Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms (Inter-Varsity Press)
  • Randy Frazee, Making Room for Life (Zondervan)
  • Mary E. DeMuth, Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House)


 
Donald Miller Ruth Haley Barton Randy Frazee Mary E. DeMuth  


The Emerging Church
Saturday, March 21, 2009 / 9:00 - 10:30 AM (Dallas Convention Center)
We hear much about the emerging church. But pinning down its beliefs and goals can be challenging indeed. What is the movement emerging from and where is it headed? How influential is the emerging church? Participants, observers, and critics examine this movement from all angles—biblical, theological, pastoral, and missional.

Moderator: Mark Galli, Christianity Today
Panelists:
  • Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet (Zondervan)
  • Tony Jones, The New Christians (Jossey-Bass)
  • Kevin DeYoung, Why We Are Not Emergent (Moody)
  • Alex and Brett Harris, Do Hard Things (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)


 
Scot McKnight Tony Jones Kevin DeYoung Alex and Brett Harris  


Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
Saturday, March 21, 2009 / 1:00 - 3:00 PM (Dallas Convention Center)
The New Atheists usually make two charges against Christianity: (1) that it is untrue and (2) that it is harmful. A panel of Chologetics experts responds to an atheist critic with evidence from Scripture, science, and history about why the faith is both reasonable and good for the world.

Moderator: Stan Guthrie, Christianity Today
Panelists:
  • Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, The Case for a Creator (Zondervan)
  • William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith (Crossway)
  • Douglas Wilson, Is Christianity Good for the World? (Canon Press)
  • Christopher Hitchens, Is Christianity Good for the World? (Canon Press) and God Is Not Great (Twelve Books)
  • Jim Denison, Wrestling with God (Tyndale)


Lee Strobel William Lane Craig Douglas Wilson Christopher
Hitchens		 Jim Denison


Resources:
ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com ECPA Career Center ECPA