The 2016 Caffeinated Thoughts Briefing was held on Saturday, October 15 at the Johnston Lions Club in Johnston, IA. The conference addressed the following questions.
As the Church intersects with our society and culture how should Christians individually and the Church collectively respond:
- To the rise of ISIS and Islamic terrorism, including homegrown terrorism?
- To the LGBTQ agenda and those who promote it?
- To the growing threat to our religious liberty?
- To the abortion industry and the culture of death our courts continue to defend?
- To a culture that is increasingly hostile to our faith and biblical truth?
Dr. E. Calvin Beisner with the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation addressed the topic of communicating a biblical worldview.
He was joined by Rev. Mike Ericson of Trinity Presbyterian Reformed Church in Johnston to further discuss the issue of communicating a biblical worldview and to take questions from the audience.
Mike Ahmed, a former Muslim from Cairo, Egypt, discussed the issue of Islam and followed-up by taking questions from the audience.
Sue Thayer, a former Planned Parenthood clinic manager, discussed her experience working for America’s largest abortion provider and why she led a 40 Days for Life targeting the clinic she worked at that preceded the clinic she managed closing.
Thayer then joined Jenifer Bowen of Iowa Right to Life and Life Right Action and Tim Overlin of Personhood Iowa to discuss how the Church can further promote a culture of life in our state and nation.
Dr. Robert Gagnon with Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and author of of The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, co-author (with Dan O. Via) of Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views addressed the topic of homosexuality and the Bible.
Dr. Gagnon was then joined on a panel by Dr. Natan Oppman with The FAMiLY Leader and Kelvey Vander Hart a contributor at at Caffeinated Thoughts and Hypeline.org for a panel discussion on how the Church can better reach those who identify as LGBT and the agenda that their activists promote.
Shane Vander Hart, founder and editor of Caffeinated Thoughts and co-host of Caffeinated Thoughts Radio, addressed how the Church should respond as our religious liberty is under assault.
Vander Hart was joined by Pastor Mike Demastus of Ft. Des Moines Church of Christ for a panel discussion and Q&A session to further explore this topic.
The 2016 Caffeinated Thoughts Briefing was made available through sponsors such as American Principles Project, Providence Industrial Electronics Repair, 99.3 FM The Truth, The Mission Cup and Myers and Associates.
