More Confident in the Gospel

Maggie Thoman, member of River Valley Reformed Church (RPCNA) in Monaca, PA, came to the chapel for Defending the Faith training week and returned home more knowledgeable, confident, and willing to share her faith. She writes, “All of us are supposed to have a reason for why we believe, and we should be able to defend the faith even if we’re not a vocational evangelist. Coming to the Boardwalk Chapel provides an opportunity to not only learn what you believe, but why you believe it, and how to share that with other people.

At the Chapel, I’ve had the opportunity to hear solid teaching that has helped me rethink what I believe in a really positive way. I grew up in a biblical, Reformed Christian church, a solid Christian family, and attend a great Christian school. Although I’ve been surrounded by a lot of these Biblical principles, it's good to review the ‘why’ behind them. It's helpful to think about things I’ve taken for granted, and then re-learn them. I’ve asked myself, “Why do I believe these things? Where are they in Scripture and how do I defend them?” This week has provided a space to examine what I believe, what other people believe, and how I can defend my beliefs when in dialogue with others. That defense also strengthens my faith when I understand how it holds up against other arguments.

Although so much of what I heard this week was familiar, one thing stuck out to me. Hearing about different worldviews was really helpful. I’ve grown up in Reformed circles where talking about worldview was really common. Even with that, the training was a good refresher, and provided a helpful breakdown of things that I might not have articulated before, or that I understood to be true but didn’t know how to articulate. Understanding that the Biblical worldview is the only one that makes sense of reality is something that I would've agreed with but wouldn’t have known but how to articulate. But now I feel comfortable with the concept and I know that in light of what we know from Scripture, other worldviews will inevitably breakdown or contradict themselves. That’s the confidence that makes such a difference when you are talking to someone about faith.”