Apologetics Boot Camp

Have you faced challenges to your faith, and you didn’t have good answers to share? Have you had questions about your faith that made you uncomfortable? Do you wonder if there are good answers out there? Come to CUC’s first annual Apologetics Boot Camp and find faithful answers to your questions!

APOLOGETICS DEFINED
It is an in-depth exploration of various means of defense of the Christian truth against the many and various challenges posed to the Christian faith in recent years. Find strength and confidence as you learn to defend your faith, fortify yourself against personal doubt and respond to objections to Christianity.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT APOLOGETICS?
“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” —1 Peter 3:15-16 (English Standard Version)

Essential Information

WHO: Current and incoming CUC students who have faced questions—or have their own questions—about their faith, about the reliability of the Bible, about the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, and about interplay among faith, society and science.

WHAT: A four-day Apologetics Boot Camp, listening to world-class speakers, asking great questions and getting expert answers in panel discussions, and having time to talk, listen, learn and explore faith with friends.

WHERE: On the campus of Concordia University Chicago! (Residential students will be able to move directly into their dorms a few days in advance—students will coordinate this with Residence Life.)

WHY: Challenges to the Christian faith are increasing. Christians are mocked as being out of touch, out of step and out of style with our current culture. Many young Christians leave the faith because they don’t think there are answers to these questions and challenges. You may have faced these challenges. You may have the questions. Come explore the answers!

WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 17 through Wednesday, Aug. 20. This is just after Spiritual Life Leadership Training and just before Welcome Week.

COST: The total registration fee for student participants is $50, which covers all speaker sessions, panel discussions, activities and camp programs. This also covers all meals, a camp T-shirt and other camp materials. Your $50 is all inclusive for this event!

Topics & Speakers

• Why Apologetics Matters Today with Rev. Dr. Al Espinosa
• The Reliability of Scripture with Dr. Craig Parton
• Evidence for the Resurrection with Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton
• The Problem of Evil and Suffering with Prof. Andy Ashenden
• Justice from a Christian Perspective with Dr. Adam Francisco
• Male and Female He Created Them: The Goodness of Complementarity with Rev. Jeff Hemmer
• Family Stability and Community Revitalization with Dr. Rachel Ferguson
• Faith and Reason: Black Hole Epistemology with Dr. Aaron Viets
• AI and Transhumanism with Dr. Angus Menuge

View Tentative Agenda/Schedule

Speaker Biographies:

Andy Ashenden

Andy Ashenden teaches Philosophy at Concordia University Chicago. His areas of specialization include ancient and medieval philosophy, metaphysics, free will, and Christian apologetics. He holds an M.A. in Christian Apologetics and is completing a Ph.D. in Philosophy. His research focuses on the metaphysical and moral psychology of liberum arbitrium (free will) in the Reformation, with special attention to the philosophical and theological foundations of Martin Luther’s thought. As a confessional Lutheran, Andy aims to show the unique contributions Lutheran theology can make to philosophy and apologetics.

Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton

The Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton, Assistant Professor of Theology at Concordia University Chicago, specializes in the art of Christian Apologetics, defending the Christian faith from challenges and giving answers to questions posed to the faith. He has studied the thought of the "New Atheists" such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, and thought through ways to respond and defend the faith in light of these attacks. He is also a passionate defender of the truth of Scripture and the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Prior to serving at Concordia University Chicago, Dr. Clayton served for 24 years as a pastor at two congregations in Illinois. Dr. Clayton and his wife. Lori, have been married for 30 years and have been blessed with six children, ranging in age from 24 to 11. His greatest joy is spending time with them as often as possible.

Dr. Russel Dawn

Dr. Russell P. Dawn is the 12th president of Concordia University Chicago. He holds three degrees from the University of Oxford, including a doctorate in historical theology. He also holds a law degree and an MBA from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s in finance from Arizona State University. An award-winning historian of Lutheran higher education, he has taught in history, political thought, theology, and religious studies. Prior to his academic career, he practiced corporate law in Denver, Colorado. He is devoted to his wife and two daughters, dotes on his two dogs, and delights in swimming and traveling.

Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa

Alfonso Espinosa is the senior pastor at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine, CA and the author of Faith That Shines In the Culture (CPH 2023), Faith That Engages the Culture (CPH 2021) and Faith That Sees Through the Culture (CPH 2018). He is also the contributing author to several publications in Christian Apologetics, Christology, Creation, Nursing as Ministry, God's Nature, and C.F.W. Walther and his teaching on sanctification. He served on the study notes team for The Lutheran Study Bible and wrote two chapters in the book The Lutheran Difference. Dr. Espinosa's latest book (released earlier this summer) is Contending for Christ Through the Creed: Apologetics for Loving Answers on the Christian Faith (Wipf and Stock 2025). He is a former, long-time adjunct theology professor at Concordia University Irvine for both undergraduate and graduate courses and currently serves as the chair for The Board for National Mission of The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod. Dr. Espinosa's Ph.D. is from The University of Birmingham, England; his M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN; and his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, La Mirada, CA. He and his beautiful wife, Traci Dawn, live in Southern California.

Dr. Rachel Ferguson

Rachel Ferguson is the Director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University Chicago, Assistant Dean of the College of Business, and Professor of Business Ethics. She is an affiliate scholar of the Acton Institute and co-author of Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America. Her commentary has been featured at National Review, The Dispatch, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Religion & Liberty, Discourse Magazine, Law and Liberty, Profectus, The Truth Podcast with Vivek Ramaswamy, and elsewhere. She serves on the executive board of LOVETheLOU, a neighborhood stabilization ministry in North St. Louis, as well as for the Freedom Center of Missouri, which provides pro bono legal services related to individual economic freedom and government transparency. She serves on the advisory board for ReThink315, an apologetics ministry that helps to prepare students for college. She is a founder and board member for Gateway2Flourishing, a group of Christian business-people who funnel charitable efforts toward support for business in destabilized communities. Ferguson received her PhD in Philosophy from Saint Louis University in 2009. She is the mother of two fantastic young men, Asher and Solomon Douchant, and the wife of St. Louis radio morning news talk show host, Mike Ferguson.

Dr. Adam Francisco

Adam is Director of Academics and Scholar in Residence at 1517. He earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2006 and served as Professor of History, Dean, and Assistant Provost in the Concordia University System for nearly two decades.

Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer

The Rev. Jeffrey B. Hemmer is the pastor of Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois and an assistant to Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Currently a Ph.D. candidate at Concordia Seminary, working on a dissertation on the anthropology of Martin Chemnitz, his other theological and academic interests include biblical masculinity and the function of Christian fathers, the role of the resurrection in Christian ethics, and martyrdom and the cross-shaped Christian life. Hemmer is the author of Man Up: The Quest for Masculinity (CPH, 2017), Behold the Man Lenten and Easter sermon series (CPH, 2019), A Noble Army sermon series on the martyrs (CPH, 2020), and assorted other articles, essays, and posts. Hemmer and his wife, Laura, and their nine children live in their mostly restored 1860s farmhouse, which is situated on a few acres in Caseyville, Illinois, and is home to quite a few chickens.

Dr. Angus Menuge

Angus J. L. Menuge is Professor of Philosophy and Co-Chair of the Classical Education Program at Concordia University Wisconsin.  Angus has written many peer-reviewed and popular articles on the foundations of ethics, philosophy of law, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and apologetics.  He is author of Agents Under Fire: Materialism and the Rationality of Science (Rowman and Littlefield, 2004), and contributor and editor or co-editor of books on the philosophy of law (including Legitimizing Human Rights, The Inherence of Human Dignity, and Conscience and Rights) and philosophy of mind (including The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism and Minding the Brain). He is a past president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society (2012-2018).

Dr. Craig Parton

Craig Parton is the Director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. The Academy meets for two weeks each summer in Strasbourg to provide advanced studies in apologetics to laymen and pastors. Professionally, Parton is a trial lawyer and partner with Price, Postel & Parma LLP, the oldest law firm in the Western United States located in Santa Barbara, California, where he serves as Chairman of the Litigation Department. He is the former Chairman of the Litigation Section of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association. Upon graduation from college, he spent seven years on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), the last four of which were spent as national lecturer for Crusade. Mr. Parton traveled to over 100 universities and colleges across the country, defending the Christian faith through lectures and debates. He received his Master's degree in Christian Apologetics from the Simon Greenleaf School of Law, an institution dedicated to integrating Christian faith and legal reasoning. Mr. Parton then took his Juris Doctorate at the University of  California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where he served as Executive Editor of the Law Journal, COMM/ENT. He is the author of The Defense Never Rests: A Lawyer Among the Theologians, Religion on Trial: Cross-Examining Religious Truth Claims, and most recently The Art of Christian Advocacy (2024) which he co-authored with John Warwick Montgomery. He has contributed to over 20 books and has published over 50 articles in legal, theological and cultural journals.

Jeremy Smith

Jeremy Smith is the Founder and Executive Director of ReThink315, an apologetics ministry based in Saint Louis, MO, focused on helping teens and young adults explore, affirm, and communicate the Christian faith. After his own life-changing experience with Jesus at 17, Jeremy has been committed to encouraging both Christians and non-Christians to thoughtfully explore what they believe, why they believe it, and why it matters. In addition to leading ReThink315, Jeremy speaks regularly at churches, schools, and conferences and hosts A Word Back, a podcast exploring faith and culture with expert guests. Jeremy studied at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, and Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, MO. With over 25 years of experience in sales, consulting, and ministry, Jeremy brings a well-rounded perspective to his leadership role, speaking engagements, and consulting practice.

Prof. Nathaniel Stuart

Nathaniel Stuart is a Chicago-based strategist & consultant and an adjunct instructor in Communications at Concordia University Chicago. A graduate of Stanford University, he specializes in community outreach & development and spends his time developing networks and executing Christian projects that help uplift struggling neighborhoods. He's also deeply involved with the pro-life movement and works as the Head of Advancement of the David Network, a new network of over 1000 Ivy+ students & alumni working to reform the Ivy League, Stanford, and MIT.

Dr. Aaron Viets

Aaron Viets is an Associate Professor of Physics at Concordia University Wisconsin.  In addition to teaching the physics courses at CUW, Aaron maintains and develops data calibration methods for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO).  His work is essential to LIGO's Nobel-Prize winning detections of gravitational waves emitted by the mergers of black holes and neutron stars.  He is a coauthor of numerous publications about calibration methods and detector modeling.  He lives in Fredonia, WI, with his wife and two children.

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Sponsors

• Concordia University Chicago
• ReThink315