Tom Wadsworth is a sought-after public speaker with over 40 years of experience.
Find his recorded speaking engagements below and subscribe to his YouTube channel to view his latest content.
Christianity
Based on research completed for his doctoral dissertation, Tom shares the surprising biblical truth about the early church and modern “worship” services.
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This presentation is an overview of Wadsworth's PhD dissertation, which investigated the "worship anomaly," i.e., the fact that Christian assemblies in the NT are not described as "worship," nor are any assembly activities described as "worship."
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The presentation explains why the Greek terms proskuneo, latreuo, and leitourgeo are commonly mistranslated in English Bibles.
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The presentation explains the often-neglected impact of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70 and how it shaped "the Way" of the early Christians.
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This presentation takes a closer look at the specific kinds of "assembly speaking" employed in church meetings in the New Testament.
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This presentation uses the conclusions of Seminars #1-#4 to analyze the so-called Worship Wars that first erupted in churches around 1997. In other words, if Christian assembly activities (including music) are to be done "for edification" (1 Cor 14:26), how should we assess the modern emphasis on contemporary music and praise songs?
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If the NT church never had "worship services," when did they start and why? This presentation reveals the results of studying over 2,500 references to the word 'worship' in early Christian writings from the second, third, and fourth centuries.
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In this 7th and final episode, Tom recaps the key points of the first six presentations and identifies nine practical ways to improve church assemblies by implementing the biblical findings of his research.
Local History
Tom shares stories that formed Dixon, IL as we know it today.
Dixon’s Darkest Day: The Collapse of the Truesdell Bridge.
This 75-minute presentation tells the shocking story of the May 4, 1873, Dixon Bridge Disaster, which occurred during a baptism ceremony in the Rock River. Delivered with a mix of sadness, horror, and humor, Dr. Wadsworth’s presentation is filled with revelations from his extensive research into newspaper coverage from May of 1873.
Dixon's Remarkable Role in the Civil War
This one-hour presentation (July 22, 2024) tells the story of Dixon Illinois' role in the Civil War. Tom Wadsworth reveals the three places in Dixon where Civil War soldiers were trained, the major military battles where Dixon soldiers fought, how Dixon women contributed to the effort, and other remarkable Civil War facts of local history.
Billy Sunday’s 1905 Revival in Dixon, Illinois.
Dr. Wadsworth tells the story of evangelist Billy Sunday’s five-week revival in Dixon, Illinois, in February and March of 1905. His research reveals important details about the man, his revival meetings, his methods, his unique tabernacles, his opponents, and 10 reasons why his revivals were remarkably successful.