A Retreat for College and University Students

Dear Students:

The Bible tells us that we’re at war. We have enemies within and without and they don’t stop plotting and executing their attacks against us. We face opposition from the unbelieving world and its philosophies and worldviews. We face opposition from non-Christian religions. We face opposition from the false church and various sects. Most dangerously, we have to deal with our own sinful hearts and the doubts that can sometimes arise in our minds.

It’s easy to be intimidated at the scale of the opposition facing us in this warfare. The apostle Paul acknowledged this warfare throughout his writings and through the inspiration of the Spirit gave us sound instruction for it. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we’re told that "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world." In Ephesians 6:17 we learn that the offensive weapon for Christian soldiers is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

To become proficient with a weapon, one needs training and exercise. To become proficient with the sword of the Spirit, we need to be busy with it and we need to be trained in how to wield it. That is the goal of these sessions - to provide basic training in the effective use of the sword of the Spirit against all the opposition that we face from outside of us and from within us. Our theme is:

These seven sessions are designed to equip you with a basic knowledge of biblical, Reformed apologetics. Apologetics is an area in theology that has to do with the defense of the faith.

The sessions will combine instruction with practical application and discussions in small groups. The goal is to give equal attention to the theoretical and the concrete.

Each session will include approximately 45 minutes of interactive instruction followed by 45 minutes of small group discussion.

I hope that you’ll join me for what promises to be an edifying week of training and fellowship!

Yours in Christ’s service,