The challenge of evangelism is to make the faith real to those who are just coming to faith. We all know that spiritual things become real as one reads the word (Romans 10:17) and interacts with spiritual people. And yet in the field of apologetics, our knowledge of the evidence for Christianity makes a huge difference. It is one thing to share what you have read in books; it is quite another to speak from experience!
Later this year a group of Christians from Europe, North America, and any other continent interested in participating will descend on the historic city of Rome. Rome, where Peter, Paul, and Ignatius were executed. We will visit the Colosseum, where many of our brothers and sisters spent their final hours before being brutally run through, savaged, or otherwise dispatched. We will enter the catacombs, where thousands of early Christians met clandestinely for worship, and where thousands also are interred. We will visit the Vatican and St. Peter's. And much more! (What a city: the Pantheon, Temple of Jupiter, Forum')
Two lectures a day will take us deeper than ever into the books of Romans and Revelation (which is all about the Roman Empire), not to mention Ignatius' letter to the Romans, which we will also read (in advance) and discuss. There is nothing like learning about Bible times and places on site. The imagination is quickened, memories are sculpted. We will walk, worship, study and learn together. Imagine what you will be able to share with your friends as a result of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In conjunction (and running concurrently) with the Roman Biblical Study Tour will be the 10th International Teachers' Seminar. Some 200 persons have attended this even through the years. This more academic track is intended for those serving in a teaching capacity in their local congregations.
This four-day study tour will be unforgettable. If you are interested (and have not already indicated so), please send an email so that you may be updated. It would be an honor for me to be your guide in 'the Eternal City,' Roma.
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