Confident Christianity Apologetics Update

Brothers and Sisters,

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

I want to take a few moments to let you know what your donations and prayer support has accomplished so far this year.

Just this year, Confident Christianity has obtained a beautifully-designed new website to help distribute resources, provide access to video, audio, and text files, and to provide a professional-looking front for the ministry. We were also able to attend one of this decade’s greatest debates, Does God Exist, between popular atheist author, Christopher Hitchens and Christian philosopher, William Lane Craig. What an event! The line for general seating spanned from the door all the way through the parking lot, four hours before the debate. We were shocked to see such an excitement for the discussion of fundamental philosophical ideas! I decided to blog on the debate and William Lane Craig’s blog picked up my post. This generated a great amount of traffic to our blog site and was an unexpected blessing!

As many of you know, I debated a young Muslim man, Etheshaam Gulam, at Calvary Church in Romulus, Michigan in June. Our topic was “Did Jesus Die on the Cross?” The debate went very well. The arguments for Jesus’ death on the cross were strong. I really enjoyed meeting Ehteshaam; he is a gracious person. The video of the debate is viewable at http://www.maryjosharp.com. Scroll down to Friday, June 26th.

Also, while in Michigan, I attended the International Arab Festival in Dearborn with two of my friends from Acts 17 Apologetics: David Wood and Nabeel Qureshi. Professor David Wood is a teaching fellow in philosophy at Fordham University and Dr. Nabeel Qureshi has his medical doctorate from Eastern Virginia Medical School, as well as a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. We videoed our interaction with the Muslim teachers at the booth titled: Islam: Got Questions, Get Answers. Mainly, our goal was to video a response to our question concerning Islam’s war on terror (a pamphlet distributed at the booth) and the command in Surah 9:29 to make the unbeliever feel subdued to the Muslim. If you have not already watched the video, which has over one million views, please go to www.youtube.com and type in “Arab Fest 2009: Sharia in the US.” Also, to set the video up better, watch the “Arab Fest 2009: Asking Muslims Questions.” We ask for prayer warriors to fight the spiritual battle with us against the darkness of Islam; especially as we continue to do formal debates and tear down false doctrines that enslave mankind (2 Corinthians 10:5, Matthew 23).

The summer months have been quite a whirlwind of activity for Roger and me. Here’s a recap of activities:

The North Carolina Regional Apologetics conference on May 23rd was a success. I was a keynote speaker along with apologists Frank Turek (CrossExamined.org) and Alex McFarland (president of Southern Evangelical Seminary). The WWW series at Sagemont Church has been a huge blessing as I have been able to speak with many women one-on-one answering difficult questions about the faith. I also spoke to the Biola University modular apologetics program students who attend courses in the summer on campus. This is the same program I attended! The students said they were encouraged by all the activity of Confident Christianity and were ready to get started with their own ministries. Many of the Biola students and the Sagemont women are maintaining contact with me.

The Stand to Reason Radio program on July 12th gave me a radio broadcasting bug! Roger and I have decided to move forward with plans to host a podcast (like a radio broadcast, only pre-recorded and posted to the internet.) I will be speaking on apologetics topics and posting these to the new website. In order to get the podcasting up and running, we need a small studio/library. The guest room will become this new studio, but we are in need of some equipment and furniture. Here’s a basic list of items: BlueBird microphone, Mogami microphone cables, monitors (speakers), M-audio interface, Senheisser headphones, shelving or cabinetry for the library, desk with shelving for the computer and production equipment. Total cost will be right at $2,500. Donations can be made through PayPal by visiting our website or through the Facebook group, Confident Christianity.

Also, I am working on setting up a debate for October on the views of women in Islam and Christianity. This subject is a greatly needed topic in the realm of public debate and it is a ground-breaking endeavor to debate Muslims on this topic! For this debate, I need to cover all expenses and I will not receive an honorarium. Please also consider providing a donation towards this cause as well. Estimated total costs: $1,200 (flight, lodging, meals, local transportation, research materials).

Thank you so much for continuing to support our ministry through spiritual warfare and through sacrificial giving. Roger and I give all the praise, honor, and glory to the majestic Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!



To donate: http://www.confidentchristianity.com (click on the donate button).


Mary Jo Sharp
Director of Ministry


Roger Sharp
Director of Finances