Contact: Jon Sorensen, Catholic Answers, 619-387-7200

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Only four days remain to register for Catholic Answers' national conference, "Defending the Faith Today." The event, which will be held Sept. 4-6 at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina in San Diego, will feature six Catholic Answers experts and an archbishop explaining how Catholics can become active in defending their religious freedom.

"The Church faces growing persecution on cultural and political fronts," said Christopher Check, one of the speakers and a history expert. "Catholics no longer have the luxury to keep to themselves and practice their faith in quiet. The freedom of the Church is at stake, and Catholics are naïve if they think the persecution cannot get worse."

Check's presentation will focus on the war waged against the Church by the Mexican government a century ago, when churches were closed and priests were forced to range the countryside by night and in disguise to bring the sacraments to the faithful.

"We'd like to think it can't happen here," Check said. "But anyone who has taken even a quick look at the history of the Church knows that it has suffered brutal persecution in countries that were considerably more Catholic than the United States--Poland, Italy, Spain, France, and, of course, Mexico--are just a few.

"What's more, current events in Mosul, an ancient Christian community, make very clear that the war against the Church will rage until the end of time."

Underscoring the conference's theme will be keynote speaker Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, whose topic is "From Lukewarmness to Fire." Sample will also guest on a two-hour Catholic Answers Live broadcast from the conference. Hosted by Patrick Coffin, this top-rated Catholic radio show is aired on 250 stations across the country as well as on satellite radio, shortwave and the Internet.

"Hosting the show with a big audience at a conference is the right combination of energy and joy," Coffin said. "We've put this conference together so that hopefully everyone leaves with an abundance of both."

The other speakers at the conference will be Jimmy Akin, Tent Horn, Karl Keating, Hector Molina and Tim Staples.

For more information or to register by Aug. 15, visit CatholicAnswersConference.com.

Catholic Answers (Catholic.com) is the largest lay-run apostolate of Catholic apologetics and evangelization in the U.S. It is dedicated to "helping good Catholics become better Catholics, bringing former Catholics 'home,' and leading non-Catholics into the fullness of the Faith."