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Defending the Faith 2023 Calvary Chapel Southwest Pastors and Leaders Conference
March 6-8, 2023
Tucson, Arizona

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But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15

We serve a God who wants every person to be saved and to understand the truth! Our challenge is to lovingly and courageously share Christ with a culture that challenges the core beliefs of Christianity.

Our 2023 Pastors & Leaders Conference, Defending the Faith, will equip you to understand the apologetic task every Christian faces, to respond with grace and truth to the challenges, and point people to the good news of Jesus Christ! We are confident that you will be refreshed, encouraged, and equipped to fulfill the Great Commission.

Details

March 6th - 8th
Calvary Tucson East Campus
8711 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85710
6
Monday
Check-In starts at 9 AM
Conference starts at 12:30 PM
Dinner break during 4:15 PM to 7 PM
Conference day ends at 8:25 PM
7
Tuesday
Conference day starts at 8:30 AM
Lunch break during 11 AM to 1 PM
Dinner break during 4:15 PM to 7 PM
Conference day ends at 8:30 PM
8
Wednesday
Conference day starts at 9 AM
Conference ends at 11:30 AM
Tickets
Adult
Early Registration: $110
After February 5th: $125
Groups
Adults of 5 or more: $10 / Person Discount
Children & Students
Attend for Free
Kid's Ministry for Nursery through 5th Grade

Speakers

Updates: Dr. Peter Gurry has replaced Skip Heitzig. Gary Habermas will not be presenting. Times and speaker order has changed for Day 1.
David Guzik David Guzik

David Guzik

Pastor and Bible Commentator

Wednesday at 9:25 - 10:15 AM

David Guzik is a pastor, Bible teacher, and author of a widely used Bible commentary. David has been in Christian service for more than 35 years, including two church plants and more than seven years as a missionary in Germany, as director and teacher for an international school (Calvary Chapel Bible College Germany).

David’s podcasts are available on iTunes and on an RSS Feed for Android users. You can find more of David’s video teaching on his YouTube Channel. Enduring Word, David’s daily radio program, can be heard on many stations across the country and on the internet.

David earned a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1991. Through the years of David’s pastoral ministry and writing of the Bible commentary, he had no formal Bible College or seminary training. David earned a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree from Calvary Chapel University in 2021. David is married to Inga-Lill for more than 39 years and together they have three adult children and two grandchildren.

Frank Turek Frank Turek

Frank Turek

Author and Speaker

Monday at 1:00 - 1:40 PM
Monday at 7:25 - 8:15 PM

Dr. Frank Turek, President of CrossExamined.org, is a dynamic speaker and award-winning author or coauthor of five books: Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God, Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to make their Case, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, Correct, Not Politically Correct, and Legislating Morality. As the President of CrossExamined.org, Frank presents powerful and entertaining evidence for Christianity at churches, high schools, and secular college campuses.

Frank hosts an hour-long TV program each week called I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. His radio program and podcast called I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist with Frank Turek airs on 182 stations every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. eastern and is available continuously on the free CrossExamined App.

Frank is a widely featured guest in the media as a leading apologetics expert and cultural commentator. He has appeared on hundreds of radio programs and many top TV networks including: Fox News, ABC, and CBS. He also writes a column for Townhall.com and several other sites. A former aviator in the US Navy, Frank has a master’s degree from George Washington University and a doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He and his wife, Stephanie, are blessed with three grown sons and two grandsons (so far).

Greg Koukl Greg Koukl

Greg Koukl

PRESIDENT OF STAND TO REASON

Tuesday at 10:25 - 11:10 AM
Tuesday at 1:45 - 2:30 PM

Greg started out thinking he was too smart to become a Christian and ended up giving his life for the defense of the Christian faith. A central theme of Greg's speaking and writing is that Christianity — if it's properly understood and properly communicated — makes the most sense of the world as we find it.

Greg has spoken on more than 80 college and university campuses both in the U.S. and abroad and has hosted his own call-in radio show for 30 years advocating “Christianity worth thinking about.” An award-winning writer and best-selling author, Greg has written seven books, including Tactics — A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions; The Story of Reality — How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between; and Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air.

Greg received his Masters in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology, graduating with high honors, and his Masters in Christian Apologetics with honors from Simon Greenleaf University. He is an adjunct professor in Christian apologetics at Biola University.

Leighton Flowers
                  Leighton Flowers

Leighton Flowers

DIRECTOR OF EVANGELISM AND APOLOGETICS

Tuesday at 7:25 - 8:15 PM
Wednesday at 10:40 - 11:25 AM

Dr. Leighton Flowers was named the Director of Evangelism and Apologetics for Texas Baptists in 2018. In addition to preaching on a wide range of biblical subjects, Leighton regularly travels to churches of all sizes to conduct seminars that specialize on evangelism and apologetics. He has participated in debates with leading apologists and led training conferences for the Annual Convention, Conclave, Apologetic Conferences, and the SBC Annual Convention. Previously, he served as the Director of Youth Evangelism for Texas Baptists for 13 years.

Leighton and his wife Laura, a Licensed Therapist in Richardson, have four children (Colson, Cooper, Esther and Caden) and live in North Garland just outside of Dallas where he also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Theology for Trinity Seminary.

Leighton earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Theology from Hardin-Simmons University (1997); a Masters of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2000); and completed his Doctorate at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (2016).

Natasha Crain Natasha Crain

Interview with Natasha Crain

NATIONAL SPEAKER AND AUTHOR

Tuesday at 9:20 - 10:05 AM
Tuesday at 12:30 - 1:30 PM

Natasha Crain is a speaker, blogger, podcaster, and author of four books who equips Christians to think more clearly about holding to a biblical worldview in an increasingly challenging secular world. Her latest book is Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture.

She is also the author of three apologetics books for parents: Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side, Talking with Your Kids about God, and Talking with Your Kids about Jesus. Natasha is a frequent guest on radio and TV shows across the US and Canada.

She has an MBA from UCLA and a certificate in Christian apologetics from Biola University. A former marketing executive and adjunct professor, Natasha lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. She writes at natashacrain.com.

Peter Gurry Peter Gurry

Peter Gurry

Associate Professor of New Testament, Director of Text & Canon Institute

Monday at 2:00 - 2:45 PM
Monday at 3:05 - 3:55 PM

Peter Gurry joined the Phoenix Seminary faculty in 2017 and teaches courses in Greek Language and New Testament literature. His research interests range across the history and formation of the Bible, Greek grammar, and the history of New Testament scholarship. He has presented his work at the Society of Biblical Literature, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the British New Testament Conference. He and his wife have six children, two cats, and a tortoise and are members at Whitton Avenue Bible Church. He has been known to enjoy cheap fast food, good typography, and Jack London stories.

Robert Furrow Robert Furrow

Robert Furrow

Conference Host and PASTOR AT CALVARY TUCSON

Robert is committed to the study of the Word and maintaining a close walk with God as he serves and shepherds the Calvary Tucson church. In 1985 Robert and his wife, Lisa, moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Tucson, Arizona to teach a Bible study. Practical Christian Living, the media outreach of Calvary Tucson, airs Robert’s practical, verse-by-verse Bible studies throughout the United States. Robert and Lisa established the Practical Christian Living Foundation, a project-driven ministry that raises funds for both domestic and global humanitarian works in order to advance the gospel.

After almost 30 years of marriage and a 1-year battle with stage 4 lung cancer, Robert said goodbye as Lisa left this world and entered into heaven on December 15, 2012. After this dark time in his life, Robert was blessed to find a light in Kathy, and they married in the spring of 2015. Robert and Kathy could not be happier with the life God has given them, enjoying a new and fruitful season with hopes to reach the city of Tucson more than ever before.

Schedule

Details might change

Day 1 - Monday

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Conference Check-In
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM: Opening & Worship with Reach Worship Team
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM: Session 1 with Frank Turek
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM: Session 2 with Peter Gurry
3:05 PM - 3:55 PM: Session 3 with Panel Discussion
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Dinner Break
7:00 PM - 7:25 PM: Worship with Reach Worship Team
7:25 PM - 8:15 PM: Session 4 with Frank Turek

Day 2 - Tuesday

9:00 AM - 9:20 AM: Worship with Reach Worship Team
9:20 AM - 10:05 AM: Session 5 Interview with Natasha Crain
10:25 AM - 11:10 AM: Session 6 with Greg Koukl
11:15 AM - 1:30 PM: Lunch Break with Food Trucks
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM: Workshop 1 - Equipping Our Kids in Apologetics with Natasha Crain
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM: Workshop 2 - Caring for People After an Abortion with Hands of Hope Team
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM: Workshop 3 - The Heart of Christian Education with Calvary Christian School
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM: Session 7 with Greg Koukl
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM: Session 8 Live Q&A Panel Discussion
3:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Dinner Break
7:00 PM - 7:25 PM: Worship with Reach Worship Team
7:25 PM - 8:15 PM: Session 9 with Leighton Flowers
8:15 PM - 8:30 PM: Communion

Day 3 - Wednesday

9:00 AM - 9:20 AM: Worship with Reach Worship Team
9:25 AM - 10:15 AM: Session 10 with David Guzik
10:40 AM - 11:25 AM: Session 11 with Leighton Flowers
11:25 AM - 11:30 AM: Conference Conclusion