Any of the talks listed below can be altered to accommodate a time frame (anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour). If you desire for Wesley to speak on a specific topic that is not listed below this is of course possible (depending on the topic) but a higher honorarium will be asked due to the time needed to produce a new talk from scratch.
For Secular & Christian Audiences
Christian Worldview Analysis
Why am I a Christian? - A common objection I hear regarding my faith is that I am just a Christian because I was born in the western Christian world, to a western Christian family, and had a typical Christian upbringing. Those facts however, are not only untrue, but are far from the reason why I believe what I believe.
The problem of pain, suffering, and uncertainty - The world we live in is profoundly beautiful yet deeply broken. If God is good then what about all the pain, suffering, and uncertainty that we encounter throughout our lives?
Good people acting badly - There are more than a few stains on the tapestry of church history: crusades, inquisitions, wars, and atrocities, all done in the name of Christ by individuals who would call themselves “Christians.” How does a balanced view of both church history and the brokenness of individuals justified by Christ, play into an understanding of Christ and His Church?
Do all religions lead to God? - Are all religions the same? Do all religions lead to God? Is it ignorant and wrong to claim that one religious perspective is in fact true?
Is tolerance intolerant? - Tolerance is an often repeated phrase and value that is touted as something that should be upheld in modern western society. But is tolerance even a good thing?
Second-guessing secularism - We now live in a post-Christian “secular” society. What does that mean and how does it impact the way in which we interact with the world and society around us?
Scriptural Reliability
Can I Trust the Bible? - The Bible is a collection of books that spans thousands of years, with multiple authors writing in different locations to separate audiences. How can we know that this collection of ancient writings is coherent, accurate, trustworthy, or even relevant for us today?
The Books that Didn’t Make the Bible - What about the other books that talk about Jesus in the following centuries like the Gnostic and “lost” Gospels? Did any of them have a shot at making it into the Bible? How do we know that the books that are in our Bibles are the ones that should be there?
What is Scripture? - What are the Christian Scriptures and how does historical Christianity understand them? This talk covers ideas and concepts like “inspiration,” “authority,” “conspicuousness,” “historicity,” and “sufficiency” as they have been understood throughout the millennia and how they are held today in the modern era by Christians today.
Addressing Objections to Scripture - If you're looking for ways to critique the Bible there are seemingly endless options: “how can you trust a translation of a translation of a translation?” “The Bible is full of morally problematic stories!” “The Bible is full of contradictions!” This talk briefly addresses these issues (and more), and speaks to why the Christian scriptures continue to prevail.
Can I Trust the New Testament - Ancient artifacts that confirm the Bible - The second half of our Bibles (what we call the New Testament) is made up of 27 books. But where did these writings come from and what physical evidence do we have that corroborates their reliability? From manuscripts and monuments to ancient graffiti, this talk will look at a number of key artifacts that point to the validity of the Bible’s content, context, and canonization as a collection of trustworthy witnesses to the life and time of Jesus.
The identity of Jesus: man, myth, or more? - How do we give good evidence that Jesus was an actual historical figure? What is the historical case for the death of Jesus in the way that the Gospels describe? How do we prove, and not simply assume, that Jesus actually claimed to be God?
For Christian Audiences
How to talk about Jesus without sounding like an idiot (Apologetics 101) - How do we navigate effective spiritual conversations and be able to defend our faith without sounding defensive? In a world so easily offended how do we tell others about the gospel while staying in the drivers seat and out of the hot seat?
Loving God with our Minds - The Bible says that a component of the “greatest commandment” is to love God with all of our minds. But what does this mean exactly and how do we go about doing that?
From the gospel to the Gospels - What are the four books we call “the Gospels” really? How do we know the authors Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are the actual one’s who wrote them? On top of that, why do we have four of them? These are the sort of questions this talk tackles and answers.
The Trinity - What we call “the Trinity” has been one of the defining aspects of Christian thinking. But what do we mean when we use the word? The term? The idea? Where does the concept come from in Scripture and how does it change the way we understand God and the way we understand ourselves?
What do I do with my doubts? - At certain times in our faith journey we have doubt. Doubt our beliefs, doubt the the certainty in the faith we profess to follow, and doubt whether our future has any direction. Is it OK to doubt? What does the Christian worldview have to say about doubt and uncertainty?
Answering & addressing Islam - How can we better understand what Islam teaches and what Muslims believe in order to interact and impact our Muslim friends, neighbours, and colleagues?
Sin - What do Christians mean when we say we are “sinful?” What is sin, how does it impact the reality of the human condition, and how does the message of Jesus Christ change everything?