Coulda Shoulda Woulda with Abdu Murray

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/

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.

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/