kristi mair

If you haven't heard of the Alpha Course, it's a popular tool used by churches and small groups to create a welcoming place for others to ask questions. This year has seen an sudden move to online Alpha courses, which continue to be effective places for ministry. In this episode, Kristi and Andy welcome the Director of Alpha Scotland to learn about his journey to faith and the various ways he's seeing the gospel at work today.

Dez Johnston was a Glaswegian bouncer with a drug problem who came to faith 12 years ago. Now an ordained Baptist minister, Dez worked in youth ministry before becoming the Director for Alpha Scotland. He continues to live in the Glasgow area with his wife Fi and two small children.

When you're a "professional" evangelist and "qualified" apologist, that means it all comes easy when sharing your faith, right? But we all have to start somewhere. This time on PEP Talk, Kristi interviews her normal co-host Andy Bannister about how God called him into public ministry and what he's learned along the way.

Andy Bannister is the Director of Solas and an adjunct speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Having ticked the wrong box on his university admissions form, he now holds a PhD in Islamic Studies. He has written The Atheist Who Didn't Exist and his next book Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? is due out in March 2021. When he's not travelling, writing, speaking, or entertaining his children with bad jokes, Andy can be found walking the hills of Scotland or the Lake District.

In our Christian churches today we often extol the virtues of "friendship evangelism". But does the low-key, latte-sipping, long-term approach really do justice to the gospel? Aaron Edwards joins Andy and Kristi to help us navigate between awkwardness, courage, sincerity, fear, and initiative in our relationships with others.

Aaron Edwards is the MA Programme Lead and lectures in Mission, Theology and Preaching at Cliff College. He has specific interests in the theological work of Kierkegaard, Barth, Bonhoeffer, the Reformers, and the Great Awakeners. Additionally, having studied English Literature at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and has been an editorial and administrative assistant for the acclaimed Irish poet, Micheal O’Siadhail. He has an enthusiasm for literary, philosophical, and popular culture, and is keen to find ways of maintaining rigorous faithfulness to the Gospel in the midst of the present moment. He has been a guest on various religious radio programmes and alongside his academic work he writes regularly for a number of church/mission-focused publications.

This time on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with Andy Steiger from Apologetics Canada. Drawing especially from Paul's letter to the Colossians, Andy unpacks the importance of how we see God and how we see ourselves as human beings. From this flows our view of human purpose, relationships and community - which can be so attractive when we share them with others.

Andy Steiger is the founder and president of Apologetics Canada, an organisation dedicated to helping churches across Canada better understand and engage today’s culture. Most recently, he wrote the book Reclaimed: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity in a Dehumanized World. This book was preceded by The Human Project video series. In 2018, The Human Project debuted at film festivals around the world and won a number of awards including Best Short Film and People's Choice. He also created and hosted The Thinking Series and is the author of Thinking? Answering Life’s Five Biggest Questions. Andy speaks on these topics internationally at universities, conferences, churches, prisons and coffee shops. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Andy is originally from Portland, Oregon and currently lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia with his wife, Nancy, and their boys. See more at andysteiger.com

Everyone is afraid of evangelism. But guess what? Almost everyone in the Bible expressed fear when God called them. Maybe it is time to re-evaluate the role of fear in evangelism. For a bit of a re-think, and information on great practical initiatives like the Weekend of Invitation and ACORN groups, we welcome Michael Harvey to the podcast.

Michael Harvey is married to Eike and they have three adult children Ben, Kirsty and Lydia. In 2004 Back to Church Sunday was birthed and Michael started to work with churches throughout the UK and eventually throughout the English speaking world and to his surprise started to notice a healing component in mission. He has spoken to thousands of church leaders and congregational members in his seminars and has to date seen hundreds of thousands of Christians mobilised to invite, resulting in 1 million+ accepted invitations. He launched the first National Weekend of Invitation in June 2018. He is author of the books Unlocking the Growth, Creating a Culture of Invitation and his latest book is Invitation to Heal. As an itinerant speaker and has a ministry across 18 countries and 5 continents. He is a member of the College of Evangelists.

From classical literature to throw-away tweets, communication and language are part of how we reflect the image of a God who is revealed by his Word. This time on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with US academic and author Karen Swallow Prior, exploring the touchpoints we have with the entire human race in the great books and stories of our culture. How can we make use of these when sharing the gospel?

Dr Karen Swallow Prior is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has written a number of books including On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Literature (Brazos 2018). Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, Relevant, Think Christian, The Gospel Coalition, Religion News Service, Books and Culture and other places. She is a founding member of The Pelican Project, a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum, a Senior Fellow at the International Alliance for Christian Education, and a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Humane Society of the United States. 

Facebook: Karen Swallow Prior

Instagram: karenswallowprior

Twitter: @KSPrior

New Solas Speaker Gareth Black joins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion. Touching on his own experience growing up in Northern Ireland, Gareth explains to Andy and Kristi how he moved from an insular faith in a divided society to one that embraces questions and seeks to connect deeply with others.

Formerly a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, Gareth Black holds an MTh from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Bioethics from Kings College London. In autumn 2020, he will commence a PhD in end-of-life ethics at the University of Oxford.  He speaks regularly in university and local church settings, and has pioneered several initiatives aimed at training students and teenagers in the intellectual defence of Christianity. Gareth is married to Amy and they live in Northern Ireland. In his spare time he enjoys playing sport, scenic walks with his Labrador ‘Murphy’, and volunteering with the Northern Ireland Hospice.

When sharing the gospel, where do you start? Today on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with Glen Scrivener about his book 3-2-1: The Story of God, the World and You and how he works from the love of the Trinity down to our ultimate goal of union with Christ.

Glen Scrivener is an evangelist and directs Speak Life, a ministry reaching out with the gospel through preaching and media. They're recruiting creative evangelists now for an internship called the Speak Life Foundry. Glen has written several books including Long Story Short and Reading Between the Lines. He lives in Eastbourne with his wife Emma, his daughter Ruby and his son JJ.

Today we hear from Nay Dawson who leads Passion for Evangelism, a mentoring and networking group for women evangelists. She speaks with Andy and Kristi about her own passion for evangelism, building community and how we can encourage both men and women to develop their evangelistic gifting in their local church context.

Naomi (Nay) Dawson is the Regional Training Coordinator for IFES Europe. She has been one of the writers behind the UCCF Uncover project and is part of the UCCF Leadership Network. She is the founder of Passion for Evangelism and Community in a Crisis, an initiative to help churches get online during COVID19.

Stories resonate deeply with human beings and we all have two powerful stories in our lives: God's story and our story. What does it mean to bear those stories through our lives in a way that impacts those around us? Phil Knox speaks with Andy and Kristi to unpack his latest book, Story Bearer.

Phil Knox is the head of mission to young adults at the Evangelical Alliance UK. He has a passion for his generation, the local church, loves learning and has degrees in law and mission and evangelism. Phil is married to Dani and they have two sons, Caleb and Jos. He is an avid runner, enthusiastic water-skier and also a performance poet. He lives in Birmingham.

Universities and colleges can provide incredible opportunities, not just for education and career, but also developing one's relationships, worldview and values. Bringing the gospel into this environment can be challenging but very rewarding, as we hear from a former Christian Union leader about his experiences.

Cameron McCartney is a Primary Education student at the University of Stirling in Scotland. He has been involved in CU leadership and student evangelism throughout his time at university. He is passionate about people discovering more about who Jesus is and walking with them through that journey. He loves how God uses weak and unworthy people to proclaim the glorious and precious gospel.

This time on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with Anne Witton about Iranian home-cooking, discussing aliens and giving out donuts in your front garden. It's all part of reaching out, building community and sharing the love of Christ!

Anne Witton is based in Newcastle, UK and is one of the leaders of Living Out and heads up mission at her local church (Durham Road Baptist). She also speaks on behalf of True Freedom Trust and is studying for an MA in Contemporary Missiology at Redcliffe College.

Anne loves to help others know life in all its fullness in Jesus. She is happily single and loves Christian community, books, and playing her ukulele.

https://www.annewitton.uk/ | Twitter - @MissionWitton | YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/bluemackerel 

With the Coronavirus lockdown, many of us are having our relationships deeply disturbed as we struggle to connect with others from a distance. What impact does this have on the gospel? This time on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with small town pastor and football chaplain David Barrie about connecting and sharing with others in our churches, sports clubs and our communities.

David Barrie is one of the pastors of Pitlochry Baptist Church in Highland Perthshire. He has served as a chaplain in Scottish Football since 2001, and for the past 8 seasons, chaplain to St Johnstone Football Club in Perth. 

Sometimes Christians focus on proving that Christianity is true, failing to realise that many people don't care that it's true. But what do they care about? Andy and Kristi are joined by Greg Ganssle to discuss how focussing our conversations on the deepest human desires can bring us right to the heart of the gospel. Greg also reminds us that "Any conversation that continues is a successful conversation."

Greg Ganssle is Professor of Philosophy at Biola University in Los Angeles. Greg worked in campus ministry before earning his doctorate at Syracuse University in 1995. He worked at Yale University for nine years before joining Biola. He is author of several books, including Our Deepest Desires: How the Christian Story Fulfills Human Aspirations (IVP, 2017)

Kristi found the book "Questioning Evangelism" by Randy Newman to be a fantastic tool in her work ministering with university students. Today Andy and Kristi welcome Randy to the podcast to answers questions about questions with questions!

Randy Newman is Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism at the C.S. Lewis Institute near Washington D.C. He served for over 30 years with Campus Crusade for Christ and has taught at a number of seminaries. He has written five books and numerous articles, including his latest Unlikely Converts: Improbable Stories of Faith and What They Teach Us About Evangelism.

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How can we present the gospel through our lives and in our churches when, unlike Christ Himself, we are far from perfect? Navigating the tricky waters of hypocrisy or painful experiences is so important in bringing friends and family to Christ. This time on PEP Talk, Mary Jo Sharp reflects on her own journey from atheism to faith, and how she dealt with these kind of issues.

Mary Jo Sharp first encountered apologetics in her own spiritual search while seeking answers. She is now an Assistant Professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University and the founder and director of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry. She has been featured in Christianity Today’s cover story “The Unexpected Defenders” and is an international speaker on apologetics, focusing on love and logic to uncover truth. She lives with her husband and family in Portland, Oregon. She serves on faculty with Summit Ministries Student Conferences, and is a guest lecturer with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. She is the author of the top-selling Bible study, “Why Do You Believe That?” as well as Living in Truth with LifeWay Christian Resources. She recently released her book Why I Still Believe.

Zealots. Fanatics. Terrorists. Religion causes conflict, wars and hatred - it's a common idea. So how can we remove this great stumbling block when talking about Jesus? This time on PEP Talk we chat about the relationship between war and religion, and what it means for evangelism.

Our guest is Meic Pearse, who taught church history and theology (to Andy Bannister!) at London School of Theology for 10 years and has over 25 years of experience working with the evangelical church in the Balkans. His work with student ministries and individual churches has covered Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Germany, Russia, the U.K. and U.S. He is the author of Why the Rest Hates the West and Gods of War. He travels regularly between homes in Croatia and the USA.

When you are sharing the gospel with the people around you, do you think about connecting with them or confronting them? How did Paul approach the members of the culture he worked in? This time on PEP Talk we discuss bringing the gospel into our secular culture.

Our guest is Director of Oak Hill College and lectures in culture, religion and public theology. Dan Strange also worked for UCCF as Co-ordinator of the Religious and Theological Studies Fellowship. He an author whose latest work is Plugged In: Connecting your faith with what you read, watch and play.

This time on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi chat with pastor and teacher Brian Brodersen about your personal story, avoiding pressure, brief conversations and seeing yourself as a small step in others' faith journey.

With a history of church planting in the USA, England, Eastern Europe and the former USSR, Brian Brodersen works with the Calvary Chapel network. Today he serves as the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in California. Here in the UK, Brian teaches through the "Back to Basics" programme on Premier Radio and serves as Festival Director for Creation Fest.

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Your hosts Andy Bannister and Kristi Mair are joined by Joel Turner for this episode of the Persuasive Evangelism Podcast, recorded live at CreationFest 2019.

Joel fully surrendered his life to Christ while operating a comedy club in Western Canada. He is currently the Lead Pastor/Evangelist at Mountain Springs Calvary Chapel, Calgary, a church he planted over 10 years ago. Across Canada, the U.S. and overseas, Joel’s teaching work includes his association with Creationfest, Calvary Chapel International, RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries), Fred Stoeker (Every Man’s Battle) and Gravity Canada.

Questions about the show? Contact Andy on Twitter @andygbannister