Youth apologetics conference

Christ Among the Gods: Evidence and Faith in the Resurrection

SEPTEMBER 5, 2026

The Youth Apologetics Conference is a one-day event for students in grades 6–9. This year’s theme explores the evidence for Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Through engaging sessions and lunch discussion, students will examine whether the Gospel accounts are trustworthy, consider the historical evidence for the empty tomb, and discover why Jesus’ resurrection is fundamentally different from ancient myths.

Students are encouraged to bring their questions, think carefully, and grow in confidence that the Christian faith rests on a solid historical foundation. They will also be encouraged to continue the conversation after the conference by bringing their questions home to their parents and to the pastors and leaders of their local churches.

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.”
—1 Corinthians 15:19–20 (ESV)

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sessions taught by

  • Dr. Daniel Stevens

    Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Boyce College

    Read Bio

Schedule

    • Check-in

    • Light breakfast (donuts, fruit, juice)

    • Music & informal hangout

    • Opening prayer

    • Overview of the day

  • Focus: Can we trust the Gospel writers?

    • Who wrote the Gospels and when

    • Why multiple accounts matter

    • Differences ≠ contradictions

    • Why the Gospels include embarrassing details

    • How the New Testament was preserved

    • Snacks

    • Bathroom break

  • Focus: Did the resurrection really happen?

    • What counts as historical evidence?

    • Empty tomb

    • Eyewitness testimony

    • Early creeds (1 Corinthians 15)

    • Why historians take the resurrection seriously

    • Seating by small groups

    • Discussion led by table leader

  • Focus: Is Jesus just another ancient myth?

    • Claims about dying-and-rising gods

    • Differences between Jesus and pagan myths

    • Why Jesus's resurrection is not borrowed from mythology

    • Why wouldn't the earliest Christians invent this story?

    • Big idea recap: The resurrection is historical, the Gospels are trustworthy, and Jesus is not just another myth

    • Closing prayer

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