About Our Keynote Speaker

Adam Francisco

Adam is Director of Academics and Scholar in Residence at 1517. He earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2006 and served as Professor of History, Dean, and Assistant Provost in the Concordia University System for nearly two decades.

Presidential Address: Jason D. Crowder

Plenary Speakers: Win Corduan, Josh Pagán, Dan Guinn, and Darrell Stribling

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

2027 International Society of Christian Apologetics Annual Conference

Reforming the Public Square: Cruciform Engagement with Neighboring Faiths

May 21–22, 2027

Location:

Aboite Lutheran Church
10312 Aboite Center Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Adam Francisco

Conference Theme and Purpose:

The International Society of Christian Apologetics (ISCA) invites scholars, theologians, philosophers, apologists, pastors, ministry leaders, and practitioners to submit proposals for its 2027 annual conference, Reforming the Public Square: Cruciform Engagement with Neighboring Faiths.

In an increasingly religiously diverse and ideologically fragmented world, Christians continue to face the challenge of bearing faithful witness to the truth of the gospel while engaging those who embrace different religious convictions, philosophical commitments, and understandings of reality. Such engagement requires more than intellectual preparation, theological precision, or the ability to answer objections. It requires a distinctly Christian posture shaped by the person and work of Jesus Christ, particularly the self-giving love, humility, truthfulness, and sacrificial character revealed through the cross.

The apostle Paul’s declaration that the message of the cross is the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18–25) provides a theological foundation for reconsidering not only what Christians proclaim but also how they engage those who do not share their convictions. A cruciform approach to apologetics neither diminishes the importance of doctrinal fidelity nor abandons the responsibility to contend earnestly for the faith. Rather, it insists that the manner of Christian engagement must remain consistent with the gospel being defended.

The 2027 conference seeks to explore how this cruciform vision can inform and transform Christian participation in the public square, particularly in encounters with Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, secularism, atheism, and other religious and philosophical worldviews.

Call for Proposals:

ISCA welcomes proposals that bring biblical, theological, philosophical, historical, cultural, and practical perspectives into conversation with the conference theme.

We are particularly interested in presentations that move beyond theoretical analysis to offer concrete, practical, and constructive ways Christians can engage adherents of other religions and worldviews from a distinctly cruciform mindset.

Successful proposals should demonstrate how Christian convictions can be communicated with intellectual integrity, theological faithfulness, moral courage, genuine humility, and Christlike love. Presentations should help equip Christians not merely to understand or critique alternative beliefs but to enter meaningful conversations, address substantive disagreements, overcome barriers to communication, and bear faithful witness to Jesus Christ.

While we encourage rigorous scholarly contributions, we will prefer proposals that clearly connect their theological or philosophical arguments to the practice of Christian apologetics, evangelism, interreligious dialogue, or public engagement so the average Christian can gain practical insights on how to reform the public square by engaging with neighboring faiths from a cruciform mindset.

Suggested Areas of Inquiry:

Proposals may address, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Christian Engagement with Islam: Developing biblically faithful, intellectually responsible, and relationally constructive approaches to Muslim-Christian dialogue, including conversations concerning the Trinity, the incarnation, the crucifixion, Scripture, salvation, and the identity of Jesus Christ.
2. Engaging Other Religious Traditions: Examining practical approaches to meaningful conversations with adherents of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religious traditions while maintaining theological clarity and demonstrating genuine respect.
3. Cruciform Engagement with Secular Worldviews: Addressing atheism, agnosticism, naturalism, religious skepticism, moral relativism, and contemporary secular ideologies through approaches characterized by reasoned argument, humility, and Christian charity.
4. Truth, Love, and the Ethics of Christian Disagreement: Considering how Christians can challenge false beliefs, confront objections, and defend exclusive truth claims without resorting to hostility, contempt, manipulation, or unnecessarily adversarial rhetoric.
5. Practical Models for Apologetics and Evangelism: Presenting concrete strategies, case studies, ministry practices, and conversational frameworks that demonstrate effective cruciform engagement in churches, universities, workplaces, neighborhoods, and other public settings.
6. The Character and Formation of the Christian Witness: Exploring the relationship between spiritual formation, Christian virtue, intellectual humility, courage, hospitality, and the credibility of apologetic witness.
7. Reforming Christian Discourse in the Public Square: Investigating how Christians might model distinctly cruciform engagement amid political polarization, digital hostility, religious pluralism, and increasing cultural suspicion toward Christian truth claims.

Expectations for Presentations:

The conference aims to foster scholarship that serves the church and strengthens Christian witness. Accordingly, we encourage presenters to consider three guiding questions:

• Theological Foundation: How does the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially the cross, inform the proposed approach to engaging other religions or worldviews?
• Intellectual Engagement: How does the proposal address the actual beliefs, arguments, objections, or challenges encountered in conversations with those outside the Christian faith?
• Practical Application: What specific insights, methods, or practices can Christians adopt to engage others more faithfully, thoughtfully, persuasively, and graciously?

Proposals need not address these questions equally, but they should demonstrate a meaningful relationship between theological reflection and practical Christian engagement.

The central concern of this conference is not simply whether Christians can defend the truth of their faith, but whether they can do so in a manner that faithfully reflects the crucified and risen Christ whom they proclaim.

Submission Guidelines:

Prospective presenters are invited to submit an abstract of approximately 250–350 words that includes:

• A clear thesis or central research question.
• A concise description of the proposed argument or approach.
• An explanation of the presentation’s relationship to the conference theme.
• An indication of its practical significance for Christian engagement with other religions or worldviews.

Submissions should also include the proposed presentation title, the presenter’s name, institutional or ministry affiliation (if applicable), and contact information.

Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 February 2027

Notification of Acceptance: 1 March 2027

Presentation Length: 45-60 minutes, which includes Q&A time

Submission Instructions: Send proposals to Dr. Josh Pagán at JoshuaPagan@hotmail.com

An Invitation to Faithful Engagement:

The Christian calling to defend the faith cannot be separated from the Christian calling to embody the character of Christ. The public square does not merely need Christians who can articulate compelling arguments; it needs Christians whose intellectual convictions, personal conduct, and public witness are governed by the wisdom of the cross.

The 2027 ISCA conference invites participants to consider how Christian apologetics might contribute to the reformation of the public square—not through the pursuit of cultural dominance or rhetorical victory, but through the faithful proclamation of truth, the patient practice of love, and the courageous witness of those whose lives are being conformed to Jesus Christ.

We invite you to contribute to this important conversation as we seek to recover and cultivate a distinctly cruciform Christian witness among neighboring faiths and competing worldviews.