Endorsements

It was my pleasure to present Shroud Encounter at the invitation of Dr. Jefrey Breshears. I have since learned of all the different forum and seminar topics offered by the Areopagus, and have come to realize what an important and valuable ministry this is to the church. We are commanded to have an answer for the hope we have in Christ. Yet so many have lost touch with what it means to have a biblical worldview. Restoring such knowledge to the church is exactly the mission of the Areopagus, an orgranization that is on the front lines of the battle against secularism and distorted ideas about the Christian faith.

As the Christian faith continues to be maligned, misrepresented, and often simply ignored by cultural leaders who have such a troubled vision for the nation in general and for individuals in particular, the ministry of the Areopagus, headed up by Dr. Jefrey Breshears, offers both the church and the nation a strong prophetic voice, one that if heeded, would result in genuine human flourishing.

The ministry of the Areopagus is immensely valuable as it seeks to better inform Christians about the biblical worldview and its ramifications. The Areopagus is a resource to help believers winsomely defend the gospel in the marketplace of ideas. In addition, the Areopagus enables followers of Christ to become more familiar with non-Christian worldviews so that they may be more effective in their evangelism and societal engagement. Having participated in the Areopagus and knowing its vision, I recommend it with great enthusiasm.

I’m glad that there exists a local ministry like the Areopagus that provides a forum for Atlantaarea Christians to meet and grapple responsibly with apologetic issues vital to Christian faith and contemporary culture. This is a very strategic and vital ministry.

Believers didn’t choose to live in an America that has become post-Christian, but to paraphrase Tolkien’s Gandalf, that was not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. If we are going to work successfully to redeem the time, we first have to understand it. That’s why the Areopagus is so vital to the life of the local church in the Atlanta area. It calls Christians out of our complacency, and teaches us how to think well about the relationship among faith, history, culture, and the permanent things. If Christ’s people are going to endure, even thrive, in the coming darkness, we will need to gather around lighthouses like the Areopagus, to be enlightened by truth and warmed by fellowship.

What a joy it was for me to present “Recent Challenges to Religious Liberty in America” at the Areopagus Forum. I so appreciate the work of Dr. Jefery Breshears and the Areopagus. We are commanded by Christ to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Too often modern Christianity encourages us to strive to love God with our heart and soul while ignoring the mind. Thank God for the work and opportunity the Areopagus Forum provides for the body of Christ to adore Christ with our intellect!

The task of showing the relevance of faith in God and the gospel to people who believe such faith is irrelevant requires a voice of reason and respect. Dr. Jefrey Breshears, through the ministry of The Areopagus, is that voice. He uses his academic training, combined with a heart for God and the genuine spiritual seeker, to make the issues clear. His ability to educated and inspire followers of Christ toward the same end has been evident in the seminars and forums he has led at Cumberland Community Church, and I wholeheartedly endorse his ministry.

For over thirty years I wandered through life with the gnawing realization that what I had learned about history provided no support in my attempts to grasp the contemporary reality of my Christian faith within the greater context of today’s Western culture. Now, having spent the past five years attending seminars in the history of Christianity and classical Christian apologetics, and having read the books required by these courses, I have built a solid foundation based on the facts of historical Christianity and how those facts influenced the development of Western culture. As the Israelites followed Moses to the mountain top where they could more clearly see the God of their faith, Dr. Jefrey Breshears has led me to see with clarity and depth the historical grounding and development of the Christian faith. His love of teaching, his excellent understanding of the topics covered, and his genuine desire to equip believers with the knowledge tools needed to understand and defend their faith combine to offer students a blessings that is likely found nowhere else. Dr. Breshears is truly a credit to God and His Kingdom on earth.

I am very excited about and encouraged by the ministry of Dr. Jefrey Breshears and the Areopagus. Dr. Breshears provides a very important service to the Body of Christ in helping Christians learn and understand our heritage as Christians as well as educating us about the cultural and intellectual relevance of the truths of our faith. I have had numerous opportunities to sit under his teaching, and I’ve benefitted greatly each time. I would encourage any local church to consider having Dr. Breshears and the Areopagus partner with it in equipping the membership in being salt and light in an otherwise tasteless and dark world.

The Areopagus Forum is a fantastic ministry. Its founder and president, Dr. Jefrey Breshears, is committed to engaging thinking Christians in intelligent discussion on significant topics. Each time I have participated in an Areopagus Forum, I have walked away enriched by the fellowship and intelligent conversation take takes place during the event.

The Areopagus offers a much needed service to the body of Christ. When ideas are muddled, thoughts are unclear, history is ignored or unknown, and the theological implications of things are ill-considered, the Areopagus provides an substantive alternative, insight and above all, Christian truth. I heartily commend the work of Dr. Breshears and the scholars and speakers they sponsor as being of timely and prophetic value for the church in the US. I have benefitted from what they do, and I trust you will support them as they seek to engage minds and hearts with vital biblical, social and historical truths.

I wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Jefrey Breshears and his Areopagus curriculum in Christian history and apologetics. Dr. Breshears has taught courses at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church since 2002 and does an outstanding job. Each session is captivating, and his courses have become so popular that we made him a Scholar in Residence and a part of our teaching faculty at Mt. Bethel.

It has been a great pleasure over the last few years to participate in the programs of the Areopagus. My own passion, as president of the Atlanta chapter of Reasons To Believe, is to provide programs that demonstrate that nature and science point to the God of the Bible as the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. I am very appreciative of the broader scope of the Areopagus in its goal of developing a wholistic biblical worldview perspective through the study and integration of theology, philosophy, history, and contemporary cultural issues. Dr. Breshears has been very supportive of Reasons To Believe, and I look forward to continuing our partnership toward the common goal of developing learned, articulate and effective witnesses for Christ.

Over 2000 years ago, on a hill in Athens called the Areopagus, the apostle Paul began to articulate the Christian worldview to the citizens and foreigners of this multicultural city. Some there were believers in God, some were pagans, and others were secular philosophers – Epicureans and Stoics. Every worldview that currently exists was present that day. Some of his listeners thought him to be a babbler, but others became believers in the risen Christ. Ever since this First Century encounter, these same issues continue to be debated. Today, the Areopagus Forum in Atlanta is the place to hear and see these same apologetics explained in the contexts of the contemporary issues engaged by the university, media, business, government and law, arts, family and religion. The forums and their growing library of presentations and debates are food for the hungry who want to know what is true. I commend them to you.

The Areopagus pulls back the dark drape of biblical complexity and exposes it to the light of comprehendable truth. Its diversity challenges the scholar and illuminates the unlettered by providing wisdom enabling believers to break down the adamantine wall of hostility to God’s word. It is a strategic aid for those who know what they believe, but not why, making twins of what and why. Though the nature of the ministry requires scholarship, they share the basics of the Christian faith in a conceivable way. Individuals and church bodies alike benefit by exploring the path of truth defined by this vital ministry.

What is said is important, who says it is equally important. I have known and respected Dr. Jefrey Breshears from the time he was an enquiring teenager in the church I served as pastor. In every stage of his life’s pilgrimage he has remained faithful to our Lord and diligent in his search for truth. Without hesitation, reservation or qualification I commend the Areopagus and Dr. Breshears.

The Areopagus Forum provides a much-needed bridge between seminary-level education and church education, providing prophetic voices and outstanding learning opportunities for anyone wishing to deepen their relationship with Jesus. Dr. Breshears does an outstanding job leading this unique ministry. May the Lord continue to bless the Areopagus in the coming years – all for the glory of God.

Dr. Jefrey Breshears is an accomplished scholar who has developed an unique and exciting ministry in the Areopagus. He has created a setting that gives thinking Christians an opportunity to grow in their faith as they learn how the Christian worldview interacts with key issues of our day. Ministries like the Areopagus are desperately needed today as so many people turn their back on the Christian faith. The programs presented through Areopagus seminars and forums consistently demonstrate how intellectually vibrant and robust the Christian faith is. The Areopagus is all about equipping Christians to become first-rate ambassadors for the Christian faith.

The seminars, forums, workshops and discussions sponsored by the Areopagus challenge believers to understand and apply their Christian Faith more consistently. I especially appreciate the fact that contemporary questions are dealt with in a way that takes the Bible, theology, history, and culture seriously. Having partnered with the Areopagus on several occasions, I can highly recommend this ministry.

The Areopagus is one of the most unique and significant ministries in equipping and resourcing the Body of Christ! I thank God for the vision and passion with which Dr. Breshears leads this ministry. I know of no other ministry that stands in the gap between the seminary and the church in the same way that the Areopagus does. When one looks at the variety of the topics addressed by the Areopagus, the quality of the speakers who engage the issues with great depth, and the significance of the issues that are facing the church, one realizes that the Areopagus is truly a gift for the building up of the church in our day.

I was honored to be a speaker at two Areopagus Forums in February 2015, and I highly commend its work to foster thoughtful Christian reflection on important cultural and theological issues. Its leadership and participants showcase an intelligent and engaged Christianity in America. I wish an Areopagus organization existed in every community.

How did the church, country and culture slide into such a deep abyss? What can you do to help lift us out of it? The Areopagus ministry, led by Dr. Jefrey Breshears, provides real actionable answers – answers based on a rigorous analysis of the truth, not cotton candy theology or pop psychology. Your eyes will be opened and hearts encouraged by Dr. Breshears’ teachings and the entire Areopagus program. Highly recommended!

The Areopagus is doing an incredible job of giving a solid rationale for a Christian worldview in a postmodern culture. The variety of topics that Dr. Jefrey Breshears and his board have selected, along with the first-rate scholars they have secured for these lectures, shows an enviable breadth of knowledge of the issues facing the Church today. Atlanta is indeed fortunate to have such a vital ministry in its midst.

I am grateful for the valuable work of The Areopagus in encouraging Christians to explore the vital issues facing our culture. From the very beginning, Christians have been called to be participants in the marketplace of ideas, and The Areopagus is equipping Christians for this high calling. The Areopagus is training Christians to become cultural leaders, not just cultural followers.

Coming to the Areopagus Forum is like discovering a rare gem. In a skeptical age like ours, one will look long and hard before encountering such a superlative resource for learning how to defend the Christian faith. Over the years Dr. Jefrey Breshears and his team have presented or hosted forum presentations that are marked by creativity and academic quality, yet also they are consistently faith-building in their thrust. I applaud the wise and incisive coverage of science/faith topics – the focus of my own research and writing. Come and drink deeply from this well of learning!

The ministry of the Areopagus and Dr. Jefrey Breshears has helped our people build a faith foundation on which to live and practice a biblical Christian worldview, and the wide range of topics and intellectual discussions have spurred our people to live out the Great Commission with greater urgency. Dr. Breshears’ seminars and forums equip and train people to know Christ better and more effectively proclaim His truth. We are thankful the Lord has brought such a gifted and knowledgeable teacher to lead his seminars here at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

I enjoyed the opportunity to present my research on “Christianophobia: Anti-Christian Bias and Discrimination in American Education and Culture” at the Areopagus Forum. There is a dire need for more discourse among Christians, and the ministry of the Areopagus is helping to fill this need. In the coming years Christians have to be prepared for a variety of challenges. The intellectual discussions promoted by organizations like the Areopagus help the Church become wiser, better informed, and more discerning regarding God’s will in these challenging times in which we live.