Stuart talks to Abdu about some common mistakes of zeal that we make in evangelism and apologetics. Listen as Stuart recounts a time he wished he had done something differently, and a time he followed the Lord's prompting and did it well, and the lessons he learned about drawing a person out rather than spiritually ambushing them. Stuart McAllister is a popular evangelist, author, and associate at Reflections Ministries, where he co-hosts a podcast with Ken Boa. His main area of expertise is the intersection of faith and faithfulness is our modern and postmodern context. He has contributed chapters in the books Beyond Opinion (Thomas Nelson, 2007) and Global Missiology for the 21st Century (World Evangelical Fellowship, 2000). With his son, Cameron, he has written Faith That Lasts (IVP, 2021).

Anyone who does evangelism or apologetics knows the burden of trying to change someone's mind regarding matters of faith. It is a burden of love, but without a firm confidence in the Lord, it can feel to others like a burden of control. In this episode, Janell talks to Abdu about a time her love became fear for the other and was interpreted as control. Janell Wood is a popular speaker, blogger, and podcaster. She hosts an incredible podcast, Finding Something Real, in which she has real conversations with young women, typically foreign exchange students, about faith and truth. Connect with Janell's work at https://www.janellmwood.com/

Jon tells Abdu that spent his first few years after becoming a Christian as a passionate "jerk for Jesus." Listen in as Jon tells us how he began to align his heart with his words. Jon Noyes is a speaker and author with Stand To Reason along with being the host of his own podcast, To the Point LIVE with Jon Noyes. A former atheist, he spent a decade in the legal field before entering into ministry and, eventually, evangelism and apologetics. Check out his work by visiting https://www.str.org/

Have you ever forgotten one of the most important points you wanted to make in an important evangelistic conversation and then been haunted by regret? Jon Noyes certainly has! Yet, as he tells it here, even our worst omissions are not the end of the story. Jon Noyes is a speaker and author with Stand To Reason along with being the host of his own podcast, To the Point LIVE with Jon Noyes. A former atheist, he spent a decade in the legal field before entering into ministry and, eventually, evangelism and apologetics. Check out his work by visiting https://www.str.org/

It seems like Christians have less and less in common with those who ascribe to "scientism." Yet, as evangelist and apologist Brandon Cleaver demonstrates, there are still commonalities that can be leveraged for fruitful conversations. Brandon Cleaver is a speaker, author, and the Michigan and Matthew 5:9 Fellowship Manager at the One America Movement. Check out the great work Matthew 5:9 Fellowship is doing at https://matthew59.org/.

Many times, the best advice one can give an aspiring evangelist or apologist is that they should listen, ask questions, and seek to understand. But Brandon reminds us to not remain in respectful silence and to learn the art of loving assertiveness. Brandon Cleaver is a speaker, author, and the Michigan and Matthew 5:9 Fellowship Manager at the One America Movement. Check out the great work Matthew 5:9 Fellowship is doing at https://matthew59.org/.

We have all been there. A voice tells us to talk to someone about Jesus, but our inner voice of fear makes us think that our evangelism tactics and apologetics arguments will be defeated, so we say nothing. Jeff and Abdu share times this happened to them and what they did to begin stepping out in confident faith. Jeff Zweerink is an astrophysicist and Senior Research Scholar with Reasons to Believe. He is a highly sought-after speaker and the author of several popular books and academic journal articles. Learn more about Jeff and his work at https://reasons.org/team/jeff-zweerink.

Aspiring apologists and evangelists think they should have all the answers, but when they don’t they often give up or freeze like a deer in headlights. Jeff talks about a time he did the same thing and how one simple conversational tactic could have helped him stay in the conversation. Jeff Zweerink is an astrophysicist and Senior Research Scholar with Reasons to Believe. He is a highly sought-after speaker and the author of several popular books and academic journal articles. Learn more about Jeff and his work at https://reasons.org/team/jeff-zweerink.

Bobby laments how some evangelism “methods” often feel more like emotionless door-to-door salesmanship than a loving, caring encounter between the Gospel and an individual’s specific needs. Bobby Conway is an author, speaker, and founder of “The One Minute Apologist” ministry. You can check out his work at https://oneminuteapologist.com/ and watch him on his podcast, “Christianity Still Makes Sense,” at https://oneminuteapologistpodcast.podbean.com/.

Tim helps all hopeful evangelists and apologists breathe a sigh of relief when he answers the question: Can you share the Gospel only if you're a Bible expert? Tim Barnett is a teacher, a pastor, a speaker and author with Stand to Reason, and the creator of the wildly popular Youtube channel, "Red Pen Logic with Mr. B," which you can watch at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmIwZDSKSeNboqWKtgX7UrA 

Most people miss the forest for the trees. Yorks tells us about a time he made the opposite error and missed the trees for the forest! York Moore is President, CEO, and National Evangelist for the Coalition for Christian Outreach. Follow York's work at https://www.tiktok.com/@york.moore and https://tellthestory.net/.

Alan Shlemon, author and speaker with Stand to Reason, tells us about a time he made a convincing point a bit too forcefully and accidentally communicated the wrong message. Follow Alan's work at https://www.str.org

Apologists and evangelists regularly regret their failure to fairly listen to the arguments others make. However, Lisa tells Abdu that the real regret is a failure to listen to their stories. Lisa Fields is one of the world's most sought-after Christian apologists. Her important ministry, the Jude 3 Project, brings apologetics to the underserved African American church. Each year Jude 3 Project hosts the Courageous Conversations conference. Recently, Lisa helped create and produce two groundbreaking documentaries, Unspoken and Juneteenth: Faith And Freedom.

Troy, aka recording artist Scribe Music and Apologetics Canada's Creative Director, tells us about a time he gave in to prayer pressure. Check out Troy's work at https://apologeticscanada.com/ and https://www.thescribemusic.com/

Andy, apologist and founder of Apologetics Canada, tells us about a time he was ashamed to identify as a Christian pastor and the effect it had on his faith afterward.

Cameron reveals something surprising: Christians do not always have to be on the defensive since everyone has a belief system full of assumptions that require explanation.

Greg explains how using questions, instead of comments, can help lower combativeness.

Greg tells us about a time his youthful zeal got the best of him.

Fuz teaches us a valuable lesson: We are more credible when we admit our mistakes.

Gary lets us in on a little secret: Even experts forget things sometimes!

Sam reminds us that the best way to answer objections is by being quick to listen and slow to speak.

Sam talks about a time he answered a question biblically but accidentally neglected the heart of the questioner.

Abdu and Derek discuss times they defended themselves instead of their faith.

Matthew talks to Abdu about two emotions every apologist and evangelist knows well, fear and anger, and the keys to controlling them when talking to skeptics. Matthew Mittelberg is a popular speaker, apologist, and evangelist.

Find out more about Matthew and invite him to your next event by going to https://www.matthewmitt.com/

Rice offers Abdu a refreshing approach to evangelism for apologists: don't fall into the trap of an intellectual argument for the sake of argument or puffing up the self. Rice Broocks is the senior minister of Bethel World Outreach Church in Nashville, TN, cofounder of the Every Nation family of churches with locations in more than seventy nations, and the author of several bestselling books, including God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in An Age Of Uncertainty.

Apologist and evangelist Alex McElroy tells Abdu about a time he answered a person's questions but not their pain. As it turns out, a bad encounter does not have to be the last encounter. Alex McElroy is an apologist, pastor, leadership advisor, international speaker, author of Blueprint for Bible Basics, and host of the popular YouTube show, The Relentless Pursuit of Purpose. Keep up with Alex at https://www.alexrmcelroy.com/

Every apologist and evangelist has been faced with extreme moments of forgetfulness. They look back and wonder how on earth they could have forgotten such a crucial point or Bible verse. But as it turns out, these moments of forgetfulness are blessings in disguise. Alycia Wood is a sought-after speaker and apologist for the C.S. Lewis Society. Keep up with her work at https://apologetics.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/AlyciaWood88/

Most evangelists and apologists fear being embarrassed in a dialogue by receiving a challenge they cannot answer. However, as Hugh illustrates, these moments of "failure" can be the catalyst to going deeper and uncovering new riches in the Bible. Dr. Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist, prolific author and speaker, and founder and senior scholar of Reasons to Believe. Check out Dr. Ross’s groundbreaking work at https://reasons.org/team/hugh-ross

Apologists and evangelists are often equipped with knowing answers to skeptical questions, but not how to answer those questions with both truth and love. When that happens, we might use pure logic to answer someone who needs pastoral sensitivity. Robby discusses the difficulty of switching from answering a question to answering a person.

Robby Lashua is a speaker and writer with Stand to Reason. A former pastor and podcaster, Robby now speaks on a wide variety of topics to diverse audiences everywhere. Check out Robby's work and speaking schedule at https://www.str.org/

Apologist Robby tells us about a time he erred on the side of winsomeness when he received a highly-emotional question about the LGBTQ community. In so doing, he helps us understand what it means to truly love one's enemies. Robby Lashua is a speaker and writer with Stand to Reason.

A former pastor and podcaster, Robby now speaks on a wide variety of topics to diverse audiences everywhere. Check out Robby's work and speaking schedule at https://www.str.org/