For most of the 20th century, people identified themselves according to their faith.
But then everything changed.
Join us as we take a look at what it means to be a Christian in the post-Christian age. Don't miss this opportunity to be strengthened, inspired and equipped as a follower of Christ amidst the strong waves of today's culture.
Featuring Dr. Sean McDowell
Top Christian Apologist, Author and Cultural Thought Leader!
Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview.
Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He is the co-host for the Think Biblically podcast, which is one of the most popular podcasts on faith and cultural engagement.
Sean taught high school Bible for 21 years, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations to a wide range of audiences. Sean is listed among the top 100 apologists. He graduated summa cum laude from Talbot Theological Seminary with a double master’s degree in theology and philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books.
See www.seanmcdowell.org for Sean’s blog, articles, videos, and many other resources.
Join US!
Saturday, March 7, 2026
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Oklahoma Baptist University
Recreation and Wellness Center
Shawnee, Oklahoma
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." —1 Peter 3:15 ESV
Theme
“Finding Meaning Amidst the Chaos”
We live in a world overflowing with competing truth claims, from social media influencers to celebrities. Can we really know what’s true? Does truth matter? How do we find meaning in the middle of all this noise?
Rooted in Truth
During the upcoming GenWhy Conference, participants will have the opportunity to attend meaningful and relevant breakout sessions which highlight a wide range of topics related to the Christian faith. Each session is taught by experts in their related subjects. The emphasis of the breakout classes is to further equip students with biblical principles and truths so they can better identify false teaching and philosophies offered in today’s culture and confidently stand firm in their faith.
Some of this year's breakout session topics include:
- Christianity’s Answer to How Should I Live
- How Christianity Makes the World Meaningful
- Faith in A Culture That Pushes Back
- Recovering Our Image of God Identity in an AI World
- 21st Century Myths About Christianity and Science
- What Determines Our Truth?
- Lessons from the Fiery Furnace for Today's Youth: Daniel 3
- The Truth Among World Religions
- Everyday Jesus: Creating daily and weekly habits of spiritual growth
- How to be human in the age of AI
- Prayer Backed Evangelism: 5 New Testament prayers to reinforce your evangelism
- Science, Order, and Mind: How Creation Points to a Creator
- A Rooted Faith: Finding Confidence in a Confused World
- Defending the Faith in a Pagan World
- Sharing the Gospel in the Age of Everything
Schedule
8:15-9:00am: Check-in at the RAWC
9:00-10:50 am: General Session 1
- OBU Worship Team
- Dr. Sean McDowell
11:00-2:00pm: Breakout Sessions and Lunch rotations
2:00-4:00pm: General Session 2
- Dr. Sean McDowell
- Testimony from Dr. Todd Fisher, Executive Director-Treasurer,
Oklahoma Baptists
4:15pm: Dismissal
Breakout Sessions
Truth and Meaning:
How Christianity Makes the World Meaningful
Dr. Alan Noble (OBU)
Is love just a feeling? Is the pleasure you get from beautiful music just an experience in your brain? Or could these realities echo something deeper: the reality that we exist in God's creation?
What Determines Our Truth?
Dr. B. R. Dunk (OBU)
We are surrounded by messages and influences that tell us that “you are enough” and to “live your own truth”. But is this even possible while we are still questioning our own thoughts about truth, meaning, value, and purpose? In this session we will seek to answer the topic of "what determines our truth" by weighing personal truths against the absolute truths of the Christian worldview.
Technology and Human Identity:
Recovering Our Image of God Identity in an AI World
Dr. Timothy Darr (OBU)
Since late 2022 and early 2023 when Large Language Models (LLMs) exploded into the mainstream, the distinction between what is real and what is AI is becoming blurrier every day. Claims that the machines we build are intelligent or can replace humans in key areas of life provides Christians with an excellent opportunity to recover the basic truth that we, as humans, are made in the Image of God. In this presentation, we will consider the limits and potential of AI technologies, and the unique role of humans will always play in day-to-day interactions with others and with machines.
How to be human in the age of AI
Dr. Keith Hess (OBU)
AI is supposed to do everything we can do, only better. In this talk, we will explore what makes humans unique and what it means to live successful human lives in an age of AI.
Science and Christianity:
Lessons from the Fiery Furnace for Today's Youth
Dr. Chuck Baukal (OBU)
In Daniel 3, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar tried to burn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in an extra hot furnace because they would not bow down to his giant gold statue. The three were saved from the fire, but were willing to die for their beliefs because they would not worship an idol. There are many lessons for today's youth that can be learned from this event.
Science, Order, and Mind: How Creation Points to a Creator
Dr. Paul Inman (OBU)
Scientific exploration depends upon nature having predictable, repeatable order. Drawing on the thoughts of history's leading scientists, this talk explores how nature's order points to God.
21st Century Myths About Christianity and Science
Dr. Bob Stewart (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary)
There are powerful myths in contemporary culture about science. Some of them are: “Science and faith are at war,” or “You have to choose between science and Christianity,” or “The multiverse does away with a beginning of the universe and the fine-tuning of the universe.” Come why these myths are just that—myths that you shouldn’t believe.
Christ and Culture:
Broken Heroes and Relatable Villains: The Moral Imagination of Our Time
Dr. Jessica Rohr (OBU)
From superhero movies to dystopian TV shows, the stories shaping today’s culture seem to be darker than ever. This talk explores what modern media reveals about our deepest beliefs: what’s wrong with the world, whether anyone can really save it, and if the future is worth hoping for. Rather than running away from popular culture, Christianity offers a satisfying explanation for why these stories resonate yet ultimately fall short. This session will equip students to think biblically about the media they consume and to use those stories as entry points for meaningful, relational apologetics with friends who are asking the same questions our culture keeps putting on screen.
Faith in A Culture That Pushes Back
Micah Lynn (Cross Church, Arkansas)
In this talk we will dive into what the Bible says about engaging a lost and broken world that is openly against God and His design for man. We will look at how we can learn and engage in order to evangelize and reach our culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Biblical Apologetics:
Evidence of the Bible
Dr. Mario Melendez (OBU)
Have you ever been told you can't believe the Bible? Come see many of the recent archaeological finds that continue to validate the Bible as true! And hear which ones we still hope to find!
A Rooted Faith: Finding Confidence in a Confused World
Dr. Paul Sanchez (OBU)
Find your Christians roots. As a Christian, you belong to a big story and we'll reflect on the epic of Christianity, across time and space, to help you live a more rooted faith today. As a Christian, you are also part of a big family right now, a truly global family, made of believers from across the world, who live out their faith in a variety of contexts. Find encouragement from your family tree and family story for a more rooted Christian life.
Missions and Evangelism:
Prayer Backed Evangelism: 5 New Testament prayers to reinforce your evangelism
Dr. Todd Sanders (Oklahoma Baptists, Youth) and Kyle Opskar (OBU)
The Lord of the Harvest says the harvest is plentiful, but do we live and act as if this is true? These 5 prayers and tools will help you feel encouraged and emboldened to share the gospel in your communities and around the world.
For Such a Time as This
Eric Hernandez (Apologist; Author of The Lazy Approach to Evangelism) and RJ and Chrissy Stokes (Heritage Church, Shawnee)
In this talk, we will discuss unique opportunities available to American Christians for international missions trips. Come discover the global impact of the gospel for the nations.
Cults and World Religions:
The Truth Among World Religions
Dr. Elbert Smith (OBU)
From its beginning Christianity has been surrounded by many world religions. The same is true today, and this is becoming increasingly obvious in Oklahoma. Join us as we explore how to connect well with people from other religions.
What in the World is Mormonism?
Daniel Ray (Watchman Fellowship)
This talk will provide students with a 40-minute introductory summary of the basics of the Latter-day Saint faith, including how it started, who started it, what the Book of Mormon is and how it is distinctly and heretically different than traditional orthodox Christianity.
Christianity and Morality:
How and Why We Make Moral Decisions
Dr. Micah Meek (OBU)
Drugs, alcohol, cloning, in-vitro fertilization, the death penalty…we all wonder what is okay and what isn’t. This session will consider what role our motivation plays in determining the morality of an action.
Not Moral, but Righteous: Christianity’s Answer to “How Should I Live?
Dr. Aaron Hembree (Pastor, Heritage Church, Shawnee)
Everyone lives by a moral code—but not every moral life reflects the righteousness of God. In this breakout, we will explore the difference between human morality and biblical righteousness, asking what truly defines a “good work” according to Scripture.
Practical Theology:
Augustine Meets Percy Jackson: Defending the Faith in a Pagan World
Dr. Stephen Presley (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
From Marvel's Thor to Rick Riordan's demigods, the old gods are back. This talk equips students to navigate our secular world by learning from the early church's encounter with Roman polytheism. We'll discover why ancient mythology is resonating with modern audiences, how Augustine and other church fathers defended Christianity in a pluralistic world, and what their wisdom teaches us about faithful witness today.
Talking about Jesus on the Planet Asgard: Sharing the Gospel in the Age of Everything
Dr. Stephen Stallard (OBU)
Drawing on experiences from life on the missional frontiers of NYC and Portland, Stephen Stallard will share how to talk about Jesus to anyone, anytime, with both humility and confidence.
Why My Faith Matters on Monday
Dr. Jeff DeGiacomo (Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Shawnee)
This session will focus on the importance of living out what we believe (our faith) each day of our lives. We will discuss how as Christians our lives are to show transformation. This transformation will likely cost us something and at times have us walking a narrow path. We will look at Daniel's life and see how our faith is to be lived out every day, no matter the cost.
Spiritual Formation:
Everyday Jesus
Erin Guleserian (OBU)
It can be easy to reserve dedicated time on Sundays for time with the Lord. But what could it look like the rest of the week? Daily and habitual rhymes focused on orienting our lives around Jesus are important for the Christian walk. Come learn what it could look like to create daily and weekly habits of spiritual growth. We will be talking about Bible reading and study, spiritual disciplines, practices of spiritual formation and what it looks like to choose Jesus every day.
Why Follow Jesus?
Dr. Matthew Kearns (OBU)
His story…your story…and the pursuit of The Way, The Truth, and The Life! Join us as we consider the invitation to follow the less traveled way…and the meaning this may bring to your life and the lives of those around you.
Learn more about the experts leading each break out by checking out thier bios here.