Program – EMNR

Friday, August 23, 2024

8:00-10:00 AM	Exhibitors can set up tables
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM	EMNR Member Summit, lunch provided. For members of EMNR, Ratio Christi, and their guests. Not open to the public
1:00 PM	Registration for conference opens
2:00-3:15 PM	Plenary #1 – H. Wayne House, “Scripture and Myth: Literal or Allegorical Meaning?”
3:15-3:30 PM	Break (15 mins.)
3:30-4:45 PM	Workshop #1 The Golden Rule as evidence / “Jehovah” & JWs / Queer to Christ / Personal or Impersonal?
4:45-6:30 PM	Dinner (1 hour, 45 minutes)
6:30-7:30 PM	Workshop #2 Progressive Christianity / Wicca / International Christian Church (cult)
7:30-7:45 PM	Break (15 mins.)
7:45-9:00 PM	Plenary #2 – Corey Miller, “Transforming Lives, Culture, and Civilization”

Saturday, August 24, 2024

8:00-8:45 AM	Exhibitor tables and Registration open
8:45-9:45 AM	Workshop #3 AI for Ministry / Mormonism / Deliverance / Spiritual Formation / New Apostolic Reformation
9:45-10:00 AM	Break
10:00-11:15 AM	Plenary #3 – Ex-cultist Panel, James Walker, moderator
11:15 AM – 1:00 PM	Lunch (1 hour, 45 minutes)
1:00-2:00 PM	Workshop #4 Quran & Jesus / Mother-God cult / Youth abandoning church / Discipleship / Burned by believers
2:00-2:15 PM	Break (15 mins.)
2:15-3:30 PM	Plenary #4 – Steve Matthews, “Burning Man and Transformational Festivals”
3:30-3:45 PM	Break (15 mins.)
3:45-4:45 PM	Workshop #5 One Way / Shincheonji cult / Mission to Christians / William Branham / Woke
4:45-5:00 PM	Break (15 mins)
5:00-6:15 PM	Plenary #5 – Pastor John Morgan, “Is Jesus Enough?”

Workshop Titles and Presenters

NOTE: Workshop rooms may be revised.

Workshop #1 – Friday, 3:30-4:45 PM

Room	Speaker	Title
Sanctuary	Corey Miller	The Golden Rule and Worldviews: Is Jesus Genuinely Unique to Basic Morality?
Main E105	Steve Lagoon	The Watchtower (Jehovah’s Witnesses) and the Divine Name
Family Hall	George Carneal	From Queer to Christ (testimony)
Family F103	Don Williams	Personality as the Key to the Meaning of the Universe
Family F201

The Golden Rule and Worldviews: Is Jesus Genuinely Unique to Basic Morality? Most Christians understand that rule merely as a principle in ethics, yet they seldom consider it evidence for the veracity of Christianity. In an original argument, I will show that this universally known principle is uniquely shown by Jesus’ formulation, providing explanatory power and scope over competitors in science and religion (east and west).

Corey Miller is the president and CEO of Ratio Christi, an international campus ministry focusing on Christian apologetics. He grew up in Utah as a seventh-generation Latter-day Saint before coming to Christ in 1988. He has served on pastoral staff at four churches and taught nearly 100 college courses in philosophy, theology, rhetoric, and comparative religions at notable places such as Purdue and Indiana Universities. He has written or co-authored two books on philosophy and three books on Mormonism. He holds masters degrees in philosophy, biblical studies, and in philosophy of religion and ethics. His PhD is in philosophical theology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is passionate about defending the truth of the Gospel in winsome and bold ways.

The Watchtower and the Divine Name. In this workshop, Steve will review the Watchtower’s claims related to the Divine name. Steve will critique each of the many claims that Jehovah’s Witnesses make about the use of Jehovah. Steve will show that the Watchtower’s claims are really a house of cards with very little foundation to support them.

Steve Lagoon is the president of Religion Analysis Service, a countercult and Christian apologetics ministry based in Minnesota since 1946 and publisher of the quarterly journal The Discerner since 1947. Steve has a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul and is the author of several books, including his most recent Jehovah’s Witnesses Examined: A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Critique of the Watchtower Organization.

From Queer to Christ. Sharing my testimony of how I got into the homosexual lifestyle and what God did to get me out of that bondage. Time permitting, I will share the reality of the homosexual lifestyle, the lies of the liberal theologians, what the public is not being told regarding cross-sex hormones and cross-sex surgeries, and why we must share the truth of God’s Word, in love.

George Carneal was raised by a Southern Baptist minister. For years he struggled with his Christian faith and a same-sex attraction. George walked a painful journey through a secular world and a religious world opposed to homosexuals. George spent 25 years in the lifestyle. He is a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and has appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts.

Personality as the Key to the Meaning of the Universe. Eastern religion sees individual personality as an illusion that has to be rejected to find peace in Nirvana, non-existence. Christianity sees individual personality as a reality that is to be fulfilled through an eternal loving relationship with a personal God. Which of these perspectives represents reality is the most fundamental question of religion and philosophy. The difference between them will be demonstrated and analyzed from primary texts of Hinduism and Christianity, and reasons for choosing the Christian answer will be laid out.

Donald T. Williams, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Toccoa Falls College and a past president of the International Society of Christian Apologetics. An ordained minister in the Evangelical Free Church of America, he has spent several summers training local pastors in Africa and India for Church Planting International. He is a border dweller, permanently camped out on the borders between serious scholarship and pastoral ministry, theology and literature, Narnia and Middle-earth. He is the author of fourteen books, including Answers from Aslan: The Enduring Apologetics of C. S. Lewis (Tampa: DeWard, 2023).

Workshop #2 – Friday, 6:30-7:30 PM

Room	Speaker	Title
Sanctuary	David Wolcott	Progressive Christianity: Progressing, But To where?
Main E105	[room in use]	[room not available at this time]
Family Hall	Bill Honsberger	The Current Face of Wicca and Neopaganism
Family F103	Steve Matthews	International Christian Church, or International Churches of Christ
Family F201

Progressive Christianity: Progressing, But To Where? A 5-W’s survey of Progressive Christianity, contrasted against historical Christianity, covering major figures and teachings, with practical advice for challenging this religious phenomenon

David Wolcott is a Christian apologist focusing on primary-source research of Progressive Christianity and understanding the Bible in the original cultural contexts. On a four-year plan to learn how to read eight languages, including biblical Hebrew and koine Greek, David is an avid reader of all kinds of books, and is passionate about helping Christians learn to apply the wisdom shared through many excellent books via his Academy at https://thedavidwolcott.com.

The Current Face of Wicca and Neopaganism. In 1993, Phyllis Curott, then head of the one of the largest networks of Wiccans in the country (Covenant of the Goddess), declared that there were over 300,000 members in that group. That is roughly the same size as the Conservative Baptists or the Evangelical Free Church in America. The annual “Paganicon” in Minneapolis averages over 1,000 attendees. Other conventions and festivals are even larger. Witches, Wiccans, goddess worshippers, Druids, Reformed Druids and more diverse pagan groups have sprung up across the U.S. Witches like to say, with force and venom, that they have “come out of the broom closet.” This seminar will track new developments, including casting “hexes” on public officials, the rise of so-called “Christian Witches,” and other bizarre moves. The seminar will be geared towards witnessing to people who are devoted to this deception.

Bill Honsberger is a missionary with Haven Ministries and has been sharing the Gospel with New Agers, Buddhists, Hindus, Witches, Mormons, JWs, Scientologists, atheists and anyone else he can talk to! He has reached ABD status at the University of Denver in Theology, Philosophy and Cultural Theory. He has taught for many years at Colorado Christian University, Denver Seminary, Colorado Early Colleges, Colorado Community College, Arapahoe Community College, Calvary Chapel Training Center in the Philippines and other Bible Colleges in the Denver metro area. His wonderful wife Terri and he have eight children and thirteen grandchildren.

The International Christian Church. One of the most controversial groups in the history of the cultic studies has been the Boston Church of Christ. Growing out of the mainline Churches of Christ and founded by charismatic leader Kip McKean, the “Boston movement” drew huge media attention with its explosive worldwide growth along with allegations of the control of its members through their “discipling partners.” In 1992 the movement took on the new name of the International Churches of Christ and a decade later would end up disfellowshipping the leader and founder of their movement. Not content to sit on the sidelines, McKean returned in 2006 with “the very movement of God,” the International Christian Church, from which he was similarly removed in April of 2024. In this presentation, we will examine the history and beliefs of these Restorationist groups and respond to their unbiblical claim that baptism is essential for salvation.

Steve Matthews is a cult researcher who has studied the established sects and is strategically focusing on more recent movements which must be dealt with by the next generation of Christian researchers. Having looked at several high demand/high control groups, he is convinced that to understand and respond to these movements, one must evaluate them from both a theological and a behavioral perspective. Steve is involved in several apologetics projects and holds an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University.

Workshop #3 – Saturday, 8:45-9:45 AM

Room	Speaker	Title
Sanctuary	Mark Tabladillo	AI for Ministry Application and Leadership
Main E105	Keith Walker	The Impossible Gospel of Mormonism
Family Hall	Ivani Greppi	Addressing the Demon in the Room: Demonic Deliverance in Christianity
Family F103	David Wolcott	The Enneagram as Worship: 50 Shades of Spiritual Formation
Family F201	David Clark	The 7 Mountain Mandate, the New Apostolic Reformation, and Conservative Activism

AI for Ministry Application and Leadership. Artificial Intelligence or AI (and especially generative AI) is a revolutionary technology that will impact all areas of life. This workshop will provide attendees with an overview of 1) what AI is (and a bit on how it works), 2) practical guidance for ministry application, and 3) general spiritual and ethical guidelines that honor Biblical instruction for kingdom building.

Mark Tabladillo PhD works full-time for Microsoft, where he is a Cloud Solution Architect and internal leader of the AI & ML Connected Community (with 16K members). He provides clients with guidance on building enterprise-ready solutions on AI and Machine Learning. He volunteers as Southeast Regional Director for Ratio Christi, whose ministry is kingdom building through apologetics and evangelism on college campuses. He is from Atlanta, GA and his home local church is Passion City Church. He has presented on the topics of AI and Christianity for the past five years.

The Impossible Gospel of Mormonism. This Witnessing technique is a documented presentation that demonstrates to Latter-Day Saints that the gospel of Mormonism really is not good news at all. By using the Book of Mormon and other LDS publications, Mormons will realize that they are expected to attain sinless perfection before forgiveness is a possibility. Once this is understood, the gospel of grace becomes incredibly attractive.

Keith and Becky Walker founded Evidence Ministries in 1995 as a missionary outreach to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Keith has been full-time with Evidence Ministries since 1999. The Walkers were both saved in 1988; Keith at a Billy Graham Crusade in Rochester, New York, and Becky through an independent study of 1st John in Mililani, Hawaii. Keith jokes that he has a bachelor’s degree in Bible from Emmaus Bible College and two black belts in cult evangelism: one in Jehovah-jitsu and another in Mormon-fu. With thousands of hours of experience in witnessing to cult followers, he enjoys training Christians how to witness with gentleness, respect, practical wisdom, and humor.

Addressing the Demon in the Room. This workshop will focus on the topic of demonic deliverance in Christianity today. The polarizing perspectives ranging from those who attribute every adversity to Satan, to those who completely reject the existence of demons and the supernatural will be discussed within the context of the Scriptures.

Ivani Greppi was introduced to the Umbanda (Yoruba) Religion in Brazil at the age of fourteen. She was considered a medium from birth due to her psychic “gifts” of seeing the spirit world from early childhood. Then she found deliverance through Jesus Christ. Her testimony, From Spirit Guides to the Holy Spirit, is available in English and Portuguese from her website, ivanigreppi.com

The Enneagram as Worship: Fifty Shades of Spiritual Formation. An assessment of how a mere regulative principle, bounding our orthodoxy/orthopraxy inside the prescriptions and prohibitions of Scripture, will protect us from slipping into heresy, using spiritual formation as a practical example.

The Spiritual and Secular sides of the Seven Mountain Mandate, the New Apostolic Reformation, and Conservative Activism. Christian discernment entails examining the spiritual factors that unite these various elements towards common goals. Eschatology plays a major role in this global networking, but what does Scripture reveal about sound doctrine and false heretical teaching? Why are a growing number of conservative Christian groups entangled in this enticing networking? How do we equip the Christian community with apologetic tools to address healthy thinking and full discernment in our present culture? This workshop reviews key historic events and doctrinal developments with Christian theological evaluations that are truly noteworthy.

David Clark is a Christian countercult apologist, a professional Thought Reform consultant, and a court-certified expert on cults. He was a former member of Church of the Living Word from 1972 to 1974. This pseudo-Christian movement, also known as “The Walk,” was a predecessor to the New Apostolic Reformation. In 1983, Clark was a script writer and associate producer for Vain Glory, a documentary by filmmaker Tony Cox, who joined the Walk after his marriage to Yoko Ono collapsed and remained for several years. In recent years, David has been an instructor on cults for the Pastor’s Bible College, Hyderabad, India.

Workshop #4 – Saturday, 1:00-2:00 PM

Room	Speaker	Title
Sanctuary	James Walker	What the Qur’an Really Teaches About Jesus
Main E105	Steve Matthews	World Mission Society Church of God
Family Hall	Tim Arndt	Reaching the Lost Generation: Why Most Church Kids are Leaving
Family F103	Shanda Fulbright	Somebody’s Disciple
Family F201	Barbara Pement	Burned by Believers: Forgiveness and Recovery

What the Qur’an Really Teaches About Jesus. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the history of the world and may be the greatest geopolitical issue of our lifetime. Although Jesus (Isa) in the Qur’an is not the same Jesus found in the New Testament, the Qur’an has much to say about Jesus. Is Jesus a prophet of Allah or is He the Savior of the World? Understanding a few key passages in the Qur’an and the right questions to ask, Christians have a powerful catalyst for some great spiritual discussions with their Muslim neighbors.

James Walker, president of Watchman Fellowship, is a former Mormon with over thirty years of experience in the field of Christian evangelism, apologetics, and interfaith evangelism. He has been interviewed as an expert on new religious movements and cults on a variety of network television programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and PBS NewsHour. He has spoken at hundreds of churches, universities, and seminaries throughout the US and internationally. He teaches at Arlington Baptist University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Concise Guide to Today’s Religions and Spirituality and What The Qur’an Really Teaches about Jesus.

The World Mission Society Church of God. Sometimes called “the Mother-God cult,” the WMSCOG is one of the fastest growing and most aggressive cults that has appeared on the scene in years. Spreading the message of “God the Mother” from door to door as well as on college campuses and in Walmarts, WMSCOG members are arguably the most committed and best trained groups among the new breed of cults today. This presentation will cover the history and beliefs of this controversial group, as well as provide a critical evaluation and response. The cult landscape has dramatically changed in recent years so join us in learning about this rapidly growing deceptive and coercive group.

Reaching the Lost Generation: Why Most Church Kids Are Leaving And What We Can Do About It. For decades now, most kids who grow up in the church will leave as they enter adulthood. Why is this happening? And what can we do about it? This workshop will highlight major reasons why we are losing our kids and more importantly, will introduce Biblical and effective solutions for this problem.

Tim Arndt serves as the College & Career Reach Pastor at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida and also serves at the Florida Area Ministry Director of Ratio Christi. Tim has helped oversee the successful revitalization of young adult ministries at two churches and has also engaged in campus ministry for over a decade.

Somebody’s Disciple. The Great Commission instructs all Christians to go and make disciples of all nations. But is the church making disciples? Worldview formation is just a fancy way to say discipleship. But here’s the thing: discipleship is not isolated to Christianity. That means people can be discipled by false teachers, and most in the church have a syncretized worldview, meaning they are somebody’s disciple but they’re not disciples of Christianity. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the three components of any discipleship program and why recognizing apostasy in the church is imperative for proper discipleship. We’ll use one of the most effective discipleship programs in history as our guide to prove that we are all somebody’s disciple: Ancient Babylon from Daniel, chapter 1.

Shanda Fulbright is a wife, mom to three boys, and the host of the Her Faith Inspires podcast where she takes cultural issues and tackles them with biblical truth. She is the co-author of Let’s Get Real: Examining the Evidence for God with Dr. Frank Turek, as well as Train Your Brain: An Introduction to Logic. She teaches apologetics to middle schoolers at Online Christian Courses, and she teaches students of all ages the basics of Christian apologetics. Shanda stresses the importance of biblical literacy as the path to a biblical worldview.

Burned by Believers: Forgiveness and Recovery. There are many misconceptions on what forgiveness looks like. We will explore the methods and mechanics of learning how to express forgiveness in healthy ways. We will talk about how to reach out to believers who have turned away from the faith because they have been harmed, betrayed, or damaged by believers who were supposed to be brothers and sisters in the Lord. We will talk about hypocrisy and healing. This topic is important because believers need to learn how to reconcile and where does one go when traditional methods of making things right go awry?

Barbara Pement, former continuity director of ABC in Battle Creek, MI, and senior editor for Cornerstone magazine, is a writer, teacher, married mother of 3, and grandmother of 3. She joined Jesus People USA in her 20s where she met her husband Eric of 42 years. They left Jesus People USA in July 2000. Barbara recently authored Was … Was That Jesus? 23 Years in a Jesus Commune: A Memoir. Barbara has a BA in journalism from Bradley University and studied broadcasting at Columbia College. A children’s leader for Bible Study Fellowship, she also cohosts Three Black Moms on YouTube.

Workshop # 5 – Saturday, 3:45-4:45 PM

Room	Speaker	Title
Sanctuary	Don Williams	Defending “One Way” in a Pluralistic World
Main E105	Chris	Shincheonji Church of Jesus
Family Hall	Don Veinot	Missionaries to the Household of Faith
Family F103	Eric Pement	The Deception of William Branham
Family F201	Keith Tolbert	Understanding “Woke” Ideology

Defending “One Way” in a Pluralistic World. People think all religions are going to the same place, so it is arrogant of Christians to think theirs is the “only way.” But different religions are in fact trying to go to very different places. Christianity is the only one that is going to a place where human personality is fulfilled, and it is the only one backed up by historical evidence. Therefore, preaching Christ as the only way is not being arrogant. It is just being a good neighbor. Here’s how to present the Gospel so it comes across that way.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a/k/a the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, is a very aggressive, high demand, secretive, Korean apocalyptic cult with a long history of heresy. They practice deception, manipulation, and outright lying about their own beliefs and historical origins. Sometimes called “New Heaven, New Earth,” the movement was started by and is led by the “New John” or “Promised Pastor,” an elderly Korean leader named Lee Man-hee, who is the only one who has “mastered the Bible.” They specifically target Christians using on-line and in-person Bible studies under Christian-sounding names to recruit followers.

Chris is a former member of Shincheonji who was involved for them for several years in the United States.

Missionaries to the Household of Faith. When we think of missionaries, we tend to imagine traveling to foreign, sometimes exotic, lands. It may come as a surprise that in the Old and New Testaments, God sent many missionaries to the household of faith. Is it biblical to consider that the mission field may include large segments of the church?

L.L. (Don) Veinot Jr is co-founder and president of Midwest Christian Outreach, a national apologetics ministry. He and his wife of 51 years, Joy, have been missionaries to cults and new religious movements since 1987. Don is co-author of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret; A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and the Christian Life; and a contributor to Preserving Evangelical Unity: Welcoming Diversity in Non-Essentials. He co-hosts “The Unknown Webcast” each week on YouTube for Midwest Christian Outreach. Don is a charter member of the International Society of Christian Apologetics and is also the current President of EMNR.

The Deception of William Branham. Pentecostal healing evangelist William M. Branham (died 1965) had a public ministry which was legendary for healings, supernatural knowledge, and angelic revelations. Today many believe he was Elijah, sent to precede the coming of Christ. Some of his most trusted friends believed he was God in the flesh, and sixty years after his death, his followers are in hundreds of thousands. Though his false prophecies have been discussed often, recent historical investigation has shown that even his most memorable testimonies were fabrications.

Eric Pement is a chapter director for Ratio Christi at the University of North Florida. A former member of the RLDS Church, he found Christ in college. He has been involved with Christian apologetics since the age of 21, and has served with several ministries. He has two masters degrees (MDiv, MBA) and has been on the board of EMNR for 35 years. He and his wife Barbara are members of Harvest Jacksonville and Restoration Church.

Understanding “Woke” Ideology. Just as the Chinese Cultural Revolution tore China into pieces, so now the American Cultural Revolution (“Woke Ideology”) is tearing at American culture. The extent of institutional capture by Woke ideology will be surveyed across academia, government, and business. Next, the origins and a model of Woke will be presented (hint: Maoist-Postmodernism). Lastly, a Christian, philosophical, and linguistic critique of Woke ideology will be presented.

Keith Tolbert was the founder and director of the American Religions Center in Trenton, Michigan (now closed), publisher of the Directory of Cult Research Organizations and the ARC Cult Resource Guide in the 1990s. He is now doing independent and commercial software programming, with special interest in religious studies.