Rockland Talks was established to help you deepen your biblical worldview and “See the World the Way God Sees it.” Think of Rockland Talks as having today’s newspaper headlines in one hand and the Bible in the other. We wanted to facilitate a conversation that isn’t as easily addressed during Sunday mornings with an interactive Q&A session following the guest speaker’s presentation. Rockland Talks represents the intersection of politics, culture, and religion. We host two events per year with insight and commentary from Christian speakers, writers, and thinkers.
PAST ROCKLAND TALKS EVENTS
Dr. Greg Jesson
April 2024
The Disciple Ministry hosted another Rockland Talks, the sixth in our series, featuring Dr Greg Jesson PhD, who provided a Christian apologetics perspective on the topic of evil: Does pain and suffering prove that God does not love us? Dr Greg Jesson has his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Iowa (Stanford undergraduate) and was most recently professor of philosophy and director of the Center of Ethics and Public Life at Luther college. He has taught at eight colleges and Denver Seminary and lectured extensively across America and Europe. Often the number one obstacle to faith is the existence of evil in our world. How can the supposed goodness of God be reconciled with the undeniable wretchedness of so much of life?
Dr Douglas Groothuis - Christian Apologetics
October 2023
Dr Douglas Groothuis, head of the Masters Apologetics program at Denver Seminary and author of 19 books, gave prepared comments for about 45 minutes followed by extended Q&A. He systemically and thoroughly covered the perennial questions of our origin, morality, meaning and destiny.
Noelle Mering - Awake, Not Woke
May 2023
Speaker, Noelle Mering unmasks the current “woke movement” influencing our culture by examining its history, major players, premises, tactics, showing us that “wokeness”, at its core, is an ideology of rupture. It is an ideology with fundamentalist characteristics that is on a collision course with Christianity. This is a spiritual battle, and it is not accidental. The architects of the revolution have long known that the transformation of the West had to come by way of destabilizing the social, familial, and religious pieties of the citizenry. But there is a road to restoration, and it begins by identifying and understanding the operating principles of the woke movement. We invite you to listen to Noelle Mering’s insight on this important and timely topic.
Philip Yancey - Engaging Culture Through a Biblical Lens
October 2022
Philip Yancey’s talk anchored on four key themes made more relevant given the context of our divided country:
- Don’t confuse any nation with the Kingdom of God
- A Church should resemble an urgent care center more than a country club
- Christians fight with the weapons of grace
- We can learn to communicate with those who see the world differently
The real-world application of the above guidance was further elaborated upon by Yancey and he encouraged us as individuals and Church leaders to:
- Place your relationships and your Christian faith above tribal politics and be a light in a world of darkness. There should be a clear line of demarcation as to how Christians live and behave versus the rest of the world. It is better to have the Church and State separate because, historically, when the Church joins the State, it is usually the State that wins to the detriment of the citizens and the Church. Instead, the Church is to be the conscience of the State.
- Go out into your local communities and serve others that are not like yourself and who are not part of your Church. You are to serve others not because they are Christian but because you are a Christian.
- Love our enemies, real and perceived, just as Jesus loves us. That is, by definition, a grassroots bottoms-up effort.
- When engaging in conversation with others that hold a diametrically different opinion than you, seek clarity and understanding, not agreement. Instead of trying to convert or “win the argument”, simply focus on intensive and intentional listening and hearing their story.
Neil Anderson - The Spiritual Battle for Your Mind
April 2022
Best-selling author, founder and President Emeritus of Freedom in Christ Ministries, and former Chair of the Practical Theology Department at Talbott School of Theology came to speak at Rockland about the Spiritual Battle for Your Mind. Neil addressed five key areas that confront all Christians: The spiritual battle for your mind and helps to answer why, when I become a Christian, I don't feel any different? The battle between truth and lies and how are Christians being deceived by the World, their flesh and Satan. Worldly temptations, obedience to God and threshold thinking. Your identity and what Christ says vs what the western secular culture says. The renewing of your mind and how to achieve mental peace and avoid condemning, tempting, or accusing thoughts to be yourself as a child of God.
Father Lou Christopolus - What to Do Next in Post-Christian America?
September 2021
According to a recent Gallup Poll, for the first time in 80 years, less than half of American adults belong to a religious congregation. This can feel like difficult news as we witness the marginalization of religious participation and hear condemnations of Christian values and institutions. We mourn the tense divisions present between churches, marriages, families, and friends. Against this backdrop, we ask, "What do we do next in a post-Christian America?" To help us answer that question and provide us a unique perspective, the Discipleship Team invited Father Lou Christopolus to offer his insight from the Easter Orthodox Church, drawing us back to our early Christian roots.