The 2012 Olympics in London provided a massive opportunity for the church to ride the crest of a wave of good feeling, community spirit, and a sense of celebration. As millions visited our capital city, the streets became packed with opportunities to share the Good News – not the news that Mo Farah had won another gold medal (that was great news too) – but that Jesus is alive, and he is working in London!

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Sharing your testimony is a Biblical form of evangelism. When Jesus heals the man tormented by a ‘legion’ of demons, he doesn’t allow the man to become his disciple, but instead he spins him around, pats him on the back, and tells him, “Go home to your own and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19).

However, not all of us feel that we have a story to tell – not like that man’s story. What happens if you grew up in a Christian home, gave your life to Jesus at age 4, and never looked back? Since we’re not necessarily allowed to ‘spice it up’ (i.e. throw in some stories about drugs and sex and stealing) how can we give a compelling account of what the Lord has done for us, and how he has had mercy on us?

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“I believe if you can learn to order a coffee at Starbucks, you can learn theological language at church.” Ed Stetzer said this when he preached at the Chapel a couple of years ago, and he has a point.

Of course, on the one hand, we need to work hard to make ourselves understood so that even newcomers walking into church for the first time won’t get totally bewildered by the new language they’re hearing. Preachers, especially, have to think about ways to fill words with meaningful descriptions, metaphors, and analogies. They have to place themselves in the pew and listen to themselves speaking, so as to make sure they are understood.

On the other hand, there are riches of truth in the Bible that simply cannot be expressed if we jettison the language of theology. The particular word Stetzer was about to unpack when he made this comment was “imputation”. What a beautiful word, if you know what it means.

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There are some men whose grace and skill in debating sets them apart and makes you glad they’re on your team. One such man is William Lane Craig, though I know him more by reputation than personal experience.

He is somewhat of a legend in apologetics circles because of his gifting on the debating floor. In fact, he is such a formidable opponent that on numerous occasions atheists have either refused point-blank to engage him in public debate, or having accepted the invitation, turned it down at a later date with fairly lame excuses.

One example of a man who will not debate Craig is Professor Richard Dawkins.

I have never seen Craig debate, but I was excited to hear that he’s doing a tour here in the UK. There are a couple of events in London, including a training day held in our building. It would have been amazing to witness Stephen debating the religious authorities of his day, since “they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10). Perhaps hearing Craig is the next best thing available today?

Intrigued? I certainly am.