If you’ve never heard of Ratio Christi, you will.
I recently attended the Ratio Christi (RC) Symposium held at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Ratio Christi is the “reason of Christ.” The level of scholarship, caliber of speakers, and depth of substance covered over the two-day period was unmatched.
Mission
The mission of Ratio Christi is to:
Equip university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons for following Jesus Christ.
Challenges
Ratio Christi recognizes several challenges students will face in the academic environment:
- Temptation to abandon their faith when intellectually challenged
- The overwhelming force of secular thought in most universities
- Fear of ridicule and humiliation when defending God, the Bible, and Jesus Christ
- Disinterest in evangelism caused by unpreparedness and challenges to the notion of truth
Purpose
The purpose of Ratio Christi is to:
Bring together faith and reason, establishing the intellectual voice of Christ at the university.
This is based on the Apostle Peter’s call to equip yourself with answers in 1 Peter 3:15:
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (NIV)
Resources
Speakers included:
- Cameron McAllister – Speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), focus on the intersection of Scripture and great literature
- Caleb Nelson – RC Director of resources, apologetics and biology.
- Chuck Edwards – RC National Trainer in Worldview & Evangelism, speaker/author/researcher, apologetics, popular culture, and rhetoric.
- Carson Weitnauer – United States Director for RZIM, President of the Christian Apologetics Alliance, blogger at www.ReasonsforGod.org
- Cynthia Suffern - teacher, speaker, international ministry focus, member of the International Society of Women in Apologetics
- Eric Chabot – RC Chapter Director, Ohio State University, campus ministry, focus on Messianic Apologetics, Messianic Prophecy, and the Resurrection of Jesus
- Floyd Elmore – International missionary and professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES)
- Jay Richards – Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics and a Senior Fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, New York Times bestselling co-author of Indivisible (2012), editor of the award-winning anthology, God & Evolution: Protestants, Catholics and Jews Explore Darwin’s Challenge to Faith, featured in the broadcast documentaries The Case for a Creator and The Privileged Planet, author of Infiltrated
- Greg Reeves – Assistant Professor with the Department of Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering at North Carolina State University, focuses on cell-cell signaling events in animals.
- J.T. Bridges – Assistant Professor of Philosophy at SES, focus on Intelligent Design, the Problem of Evil, and the philosophical theology of Thomas Aquinas, teacher of Epistemology, Metaphysics, Symbolic Logic, and the History of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
- Jeremy Tedesco – senior legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, protects rights of Christian students, faculty, and staff at public schools across the nation
- Joe Bergeron – physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, topic included a forensic medical examination of the Passion of Jesus drawn from his recent publication in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine on the crucifixion of Jesus
- John Njoroge – member of speaking team at RZIM, host of the African version of RZIM’s Let My People Think and Just Thinking radio programs
- John Sanford – President and Senior Research Associate for Logos Research Associates, Associate Professor of Horticultural Sciences (semi-retired) at Cornell University, focus on theoretical limits of mutation and selection, inventor of the biolistic “gene gun” process for growing transgenic crops, author of Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome and co-editor of the newly released Biological Information – New Perspectives
- John Stewart – lawyer, Christian apologist, international speaker, author and award-winning radio personality, International Director for RC, author of Holy War, God in the Chaos and Text Messages from God, international speaker for Rolling Stone Ministries (www.RollingStoneMinistires.org)
- Julie Loos – Director of Prayer & Women’s Outreach for RC, background in Journalism, Psychology, and copyediting, graduate of Proverbs 31 She Speaks writer’s conference and Frank Turek’s Cross Examined Instructors Academy
- Julie Miller – RC Chapter Director at Rutgers University, MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, background in Accounting and Finance, certification from the Cross Examined Instructors Academy
- Lonnie Welch – Stuckey Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Ohio State University, sponsored by the National Human Genome Research Institute, NASA, the Ohio Plant Biotechnology Consortium, the Ohio Board of Regents, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation, founder and Chair of the Great Lakes Bioinformatics Conference, RC Chapter Director and member on the RC Board of Directors
- Matthew DeLockery – RC Chapter Director at Georgia Institute of Technology, founder and President of “Why Should I Believe?” (www.whyshouldibelieve.org)
- Melissa Travis – Assistant Professor of Christian Apologetics at Houston Baptist University, author of Young Defenders series,
- Michael Sherrard – Director of RC College Prep, pastor at Crosspoint Community Church in Peachtree City, GA, author of Relational Apologetics: Defending the Christian Faith With Holiness, Respect, and Truth, member of the International Society of Christian Apologetics
- Michelle Tepper – member of RZIM, graduate of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics
- Nabeel Qureshi – member of speaking team at RZIM, teacher, preacher, writer, and debater
- Nathan Betts – Intern apologist at RZIM Canada, graduate of OCCA, has assisted Anglican churches in Canada and the UK with curricula on basic Christianity and Apologetics
- Richard G. Howe – Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at Director of the Ph.D. program at SES, background on the issue of the existence of God, contributor to several books including The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, Reasons for Faith, To Everyone an Answer, and is a contributing writer for the Christian Research Journal, international speaker
- Richard Land – President of SES, appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, founded the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement, Executive Editor of The Christian Post
- Rick Schenker – President and CEO of Ratio Christi, experience in business, government, public and media relations, fundraising, non-profit management, and grass-roots campaigns
- Robert J. Marks, II - Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the Department of Engineering at Baylor University, consultant for Microsoft Corporation, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Boeing Computer Services, co-editor of Biological information – New Perspectives
- Stuart McAllister – speaker, writer, and Regional Director for the Americas for RZIM, frequent contributor to the podcasts A Slice of Infinity and Just Thinking, contributor to Beyond Opinion (2007) and Global Missiology for the 21st Century (2000)
- Tom Gilson – Nation Field Director for Ratio Christi, strategist, writer, teacher, HR leader, blogger, and apologist, principal editor of True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenges of Atheism
- Tom Woodward – President of the C.S. Lewis Society and Campus/Church Conference speaker, author of Darwin Strikes Back: Defending the Science of Intelligent Design, and coauthor with Dr. James Gills of The Mysterious Epigenome: What Lies Beyond DNA, research focus on intelligent design and neo-Darwinism
- Win Corduan – specialist on world religions, professor at Taylor University for over 31 years, author of Neighboring Faiths, In the Beginning God
The Christian faith is anything but blind.
We are called to help others see.
Are you ready to defend your faith?
Photo credit: Cstreet (Christopher G. Street), Bransgore, Dorset, England, UK./ PD
Photo credit: PD
