How do Christians make sense of evil in the world?
They're tough questions for anyone who hasn't studied theology.
An upcoming workshop hosted by a leading Anglican evangelist is intended to help Christians better explain themselves to others.
"You may sit down on an airplane going with somebody somewhere and get into a discussion about religion. A lot of folks back off because they don't know what to say," said the Rev. Marc Robertson, rector of Christ Church.
"It helps to be able to say, 'look this is what Christians have believed for 2,000 years.' You don't have be angry or belligerent, but you can engage people and find out where they are."
Christ Church hosts "Sharing Our Faith," a series of workshops taking place Friday through Sunday to help Christians become better evangelists.
The conference at the downtown church is associated with the Anglican Communion Network, a group of Anglican and Episcopal churches working to advance theologically conservative ideals. The network counts 200,000 lay members and 2,200 clergy in more than 900 congregations.
Christ Church and St. John's Episcopal Church in Savannah are among member congregations listed on the Network's Web site.
The featured speaker, the Rev. Michael Green, has a "friendly and winsome fashion" in explaining evangelism, even to those who feel timid about sharing their faith with others, Robertson said.
"He's known well outside Anglican and Episcopal circles, and we're just thrilled to have him," Robertson said. "He's known as the Billy Graham of the Church of England."
Green currently serves as the Canon Missioner of Holy Trinity Church in Raleigh, N.C. Formed in 2004, the church joined the Anglican Communion Network after some members of Raleigh's Christ Church became disaffected with their Episcopal bishop's support for the consecration of Gene Robinson as the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire.
As a British theologian and leader in Anglican evangelism, Green has been on a tour of member churches leading a nationwide campaign called the "Good News Initiative."
The project aims to spread "a renewed focus on evangelism" to churches associated with the conservative organization.
Green has written more than 50 books on early Christianity and evangelism. His resume includes serving as adviser to the Advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York, as a research fellow at the Church of England's theological college at Oxford University and as a professor and an Anglican priest.
Readers described some of Green's books listed on Amazon.com as "worthwhile scholarship and practical Christian-life reading rolled into one," as well as "exhaustive and sometimes exhausting."