Defend 2027 Will Equip Christians in Apologetics, Ethics and Evangelistic Witness

Defend 2027 is scheduled for January 4–8, 2027, at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 3939 Gentilly Boulevard in New Orleans, Louisiana. The seminary opened registration on August 3, 2026, describing the week as an exploration of the beauty of Christianity through philosophy, theology and apologetics. The official registration page offers individual admission, a group-leader option requiring a minimum group of eight, and categories for NOBTS and Leavell College students and guests. That structure makes the gathering accessible not only to professional apologists but also to pastors, ministry students, Bible teachers, church leaders and groups of Christians who want to think more clearly about their faith and communicate it more faithfully. Listed course and subject options include Science and Faith, New Religions and Cults, Explorations in Apologetics, Christian Apologetics, Christian Ethics, Cult Theology, Moral Apologetics, Christianity and Science and Evangelistic Preaching. The seminary’s apologetics program says its Institute for Christian Apologetics hosts an annual week-long January conference that equips more than 500 attendees, with recurring attention to questions such as science and Christianity, evil and suffering, cults and other religions. These subjects reflect questions that local churches regularly encounter in discipleship, university settings, workplace conversations and outreach. The practical value of Defend is its breadth joined to a coherent Christian purpose. Participants can examine intellectual challenges, ethical questions and religious alternatives while remaining focused on truthful, gracious gospel witness. Because the event spans five days, it offers room for sustained instruction and reflection beyond the compressed pace of a single-evening seminar or one-day conference.

Churches can gain the most from Defend 2027 by treating it as part of a discipleship process rather than as an isolated inspirational trip. Before attending, participants can identify the questions they actually hear from teenagers, university students, coworkers, neighbors or members wrestling with doubt. A pastor or group leader can then select sessions that address those needs, distribute reading in advance and ask each attendee to capture key claims, supporting reasons, biblical texts and remaining questions. After the conference, the group can report back to church leaders, build a short training series or practice conversations that combine careful listening with clear Christian conviction. The themes announced for the week also help correct a common misunderstanding of apologetics. Defending the faith is not permission to be combative, and it is not a substitute for Scripture, prayer, holiness or evangelism. At its best, apologetics removes misunderstandings, offers sound reasons, exposes weak assumptions and directs people toward the person and work of Jesus Christ. Ethics and moral apologetics connect public questions with Christian character; science-and-faith sessions can help believers distinguish genuine scientific inquiry from philosophical claims; and instruction on cults and new religions can prepare churches to recognize doctrinal differences without caricature. Evangelistic preaching keeps the whole effort connected to proclamation. Individuals considering attendance should review travel, lodging, registration category and course expectations on the official registration page. Groups should also clarify supervision and schedules before committing. For pastors and Christian educators nationwide, the reason to attend is straightforward: a concentrated week of biblically oriented study can strengthen both the substance and the tone of Christian witness in a culture where difficult questions are rarely answered well by slogans.