Imagine There’s No Heaven

In one of the silliest songs ever written, John Lennon asked us to imagine humanity without faith, countries or possessions. With nothing to kill or die for, Lennon promised, “the world will live as one.” You have to wonder what John thought of that gigantic love fest called Communism?

The Christian Apologetics Program at Biola University asks us to imagine too, at six exciting events/debates coming up this Spring and Summer.

The first event: The Qur’an or the Bible: Where Has God Revealed Himself? is a debate on the transmission, authenticity, and inspiration of Scripture between a Muslim scholar and a Christian scholar. It will be held on Sunday, May 7, at 7:00PM, Chase Gymnasium, Biola University.

The second event: The Da Vinci Code on Trial, with Sean McDowell, Craig Hazen, and Jay Miller is on Tuesday, May 9, 7:00PM at Capistrano Valley Church.

The third event: Intelligent Design Under Fire is where experts will cross-examine the top proponents of Intelligent Design theory. It will be on Friday, May 12, 7:30 PM at Sutherland Auditorium, Biola University.

The fourth event: Intelligent Design: Religion or Science? is a debate on the central issues of the Intelligent Design movement: are these ideas properly considered scientific or religious? It will be held on Sunday, May 21, 7:00 PM at Rolling Hills Covenant Church in Palos Verdes.

The fifth event: C.S. Lewis & the Case for Christianity, with Jerry Root, Mike Erre, and Craig Hazen, will be on Thursday, June 1, 7:30 PM at the Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton.

The sixth event: Defending the Faith Summer Lecture Series, with John Mark Reynolds, JP Moreland, John Bloom, Greg Koukl, Craig Hawkins, and Joe Hellerman will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, June 6-27, 7:00 – 10:00 PM, at Calvary Chapel Auditorium, Biola University.

All of these thought-provoking events are worth your time. I’d like to excerpt a few more thoughts about the Intelligent Design events from the Biola Apologetics web site www.apologeticsevents.com.

“Intelligent Design Under Fire” is an unprecedented event. Never before have ID thinkers gathered together and invited their toughest critics to join them and ask their most challenging questions publicly. Some believe recent court rulings have settled the questions about creation and evolution. Come out and see just how wrong they are. The controversy is alive and well and landing at Biola. The experts and critics include: Michael Behe, Guillermo Gonzalez, Steven Meyer, Paul Nelson, Jonathan Wells, Antony Flew, and Keith Morrison (NBC News).

“Intelligent Design: Religion or Science?” is a debate on the central issues of the Intelligent Design movement. ID proponents Paul Nelson and John Mark Reynolds will go toe-to-toe with ID detractors James Hofmann and Craig Nelson in this thought-provoking event. The Biola Christian Apologetics Program is partnering with Rolling Hills Covenant Church in this unique opportunity to see a free exchange of ideas on this cutting-edge topic.

Rolling Hills Covenant Church
2222 Palos Verdes Drive North
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

I'll finish with a plug for a new book by Alister McGrath called The Twilight of Athiesm: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. (Doubleday) Lennon's Imagine depicts faith as more or less melting peacefully away into a brotherhhod of man. But what happens, McGrath wonders, if people rather like religion and refuse to abandon it? Just imagine!!