Speakers & Topics

DAN PATERSON
Founder of Questioning Christianity

WHY BELIEVE THE GOSPELS?
Without the gospels there could be no Christianity, for while we can derive a skeleton of facts from the New Testament letters and extra-biblical sources, it is the gospels that put flesh on Jesus of Nazareth. But how do we know the gospels aren’t just legendary stories made up for religious propaganda? And what about those other gospels that didn’t make it into the Bible? This talk will lay out some of the reasons why the canonical gospels really do stand up under scrutiny, and why their story about Jesus is worth believing.

BIO
Dan Paterson is the founder of Questioning Christianity, a ministry helping you connect the Christian story to life’s deepest questions. He has experience as a pastor, lecturer, and public speaker, having studied Theology and Apologetics in Australia and at Oxford. Dan currently lives in Brisbane with his wife, Erin, and their favourite job is raising three wonderful boys.

NICK WOOD
Assistant Pastor, The Bridge Church, Kirribilli

THE FUTURE CHURCH NOW
Young people are the future of the church. Definitely. But they’re also the church right now. So many young Christians are waiting for their 20s, 30s or 40s to go all in for Jesus. But what if they lived as the future church now? Eyes wide open to the world and to Christ; hearts full of courage and conviction; lives saturated in grace, ambitious in prayer, and shining with love? He might do more than we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20-21).

BIO
Nick lives off burgers, beach trips and good books. He’s married to beautiful Bekka, has 3 little daughters (Addie, Freya and Rory) and serves as an Assistant Pastor at The Bridge Church. The grace of Jesus completely changed his life in high school, and he longs to see young people step into all that Jesus has for them.

ERICA HAMENCE
Associate Minister, St Barnabas Anglican Church, Sydney

TRUE FRIENDS? HOW TO BE CLOSE WITH YOUR GROUP WITHOUT LOSING YOURSELF
Why can friendship sometimes feel so exhausting? How can we be there for our friends when we are also struggling? Do I have to be reachable 24/7?Most of us have grown up with a vision of friendship that is intense, and involved, and if we're Christians we'll feel even greater pressure to be 'good' friends.What does being a Christian mean for our friendships? What can Jesus show us about what being a good friend actually means, and could it actually be better than we think?

BIO
Erica Hamence is an associate minister at St Barnabas Broadway and Spokesperson for Common Grace Domestic and Family Violence Justice Team.

What is Masterclass

Bible Society's Masterclass events are for students in school years 9-11* to explore contemporary issues from a biblical perspective. Masterclass also includes a popular Q&A session, giving students the freedom to ask our panel of speakers searching questions about the Christian faith. Students are frequently challenged to give a reason for the hope they have in Jesus. Masterclass helps young Christians to grow in their confidence and withstand the pressures of living in a post-Christian society. *Years 8 and 12 are also welcome to attend.

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