Apologetics

Introduction

Apologetics is the defense of the faith. In most contexts apologetics is a theological study.
While this class does study apologetic methods, this is a class for your own soul. We all have
doubts about God. It does not matter if you are a new Christian or one who has known Christ
all his/her life. It is strongly possible that you as a student in a Christian school pretend to be
Christian. This class’ purpose is to produce, prove, illustrate, and vindicate the Christian faith.

A word about methodology

In our post Christian cultural context there are attacks on the historical Christian faith. There
are many, like Bart Ehrman, who suppose that current Christians follow the wrong Jesus. This
idea influences popular writer Dan Brown and other leading academics. God commands us to
engage in apologetics, but even if he did not, the world we live in does. For the two millennia
of the church’s existence many took the title apologist. There is much to learn from studying
the likes of Justin, Tertullian, Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Francis, Warfield, Van Til, Keller, Frame,
and Schaeffer. Each of these men taught me something about the Christian faith and how I am
to live in this world.

Any good apologist recognizes his/her own weakness, thus recognizing their need to rest in the
person of Jesus. God’s word (the Bible) therefore must serve as our final authority. This class is
not concerned about a debate between methods (classical, evidential, verificationalist, or pre-
suppositional), but we will review them and see how they are each helpful. Because the Bible is
our final authority we will look briefly at the subjects of hermeneutics. Christians need to be
ready to explain false interpretations of a particular passage.

But apologetics is not only about the vindication of the Christian faith. It must connect to dis}
cipleship- to be a Christ follower. We will look at what this means. Therefore we spend some
time looking at the concept of worldview. In doing so we will look at the major competing
worldviews prevalent in our American context today and the major world religions. Concluding
the class, if we have time, we will look at the subject of Christian ethics. In other words- how
should Christians live in this world. This is something that many good apologists seek to do
(Lewis and Wright).

Assessment

• Tests - You will have a test upon the conclusion of each module. Use your notes and quiz}
zes to study from.

• Quizzes are on every Friday we have school. They reflect important information from as}
signments and lectures that week. (Which means you will be tested on your readings that
week.)

• Homework - throughout the semester you’ll be encouraged to interact and dialogue with
your unbelieving friends- asking questions and applying what you learn in the classroom to
your lives.

• Essays - creative writing opportunities where you dialogue with an unbeliever

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Apologetics

• Extra Credit - this is only available once for 10 pts. - a single book review on one of the fol}
lowing books:
- The Reason for God, Timothy J. Keller, (Dutton, 2008)
- What’s so Great about Christianity, Dinesh D’Souza

- Mere Christianity, CS Lewis

- Simply Christian, NT Wright, (HarperCollins)

What does a book review look like?

1000 words summarizing the purpose of the book recounting the author’s intent and thesis.
(Why was this book written? To whom was this book written? And what is this book about?)
Any good book review focuses on the argument of the author. To do this one must follow the
thesis and how it is developed. By the end of the book the reader should have an overwhelming
understanding of the thesis. (That is if you read it closely.) Pay attention to what bothers you,
to what excites you, to what challenges you thinking. Tell me how the book does each of those
things.

Objectives

• understand the biblical mandate to engage in apologetics

• understand and explain the Christian faith in a winsome way

• articulate the concept of worldview

• identify central tenets of competing systems of belief (worldview, religions, and cults)

• Practice and develop the gift of discernment through various activities

Textbooks

• RC Sproul, Knowing Scripture, (Inter-Varsity Press, 2009)

• Richart Pratt, Every Thought Captive (Presbyterian and Reformed, 1979)

Articles

• Tim Keller, Defeater Beliefs

• Francis Schaeffer, A Review of a Review

• N.T. Wright and Bart Ehrman

• Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens, “Is Christianity Good for the World”

• Bertland Ruseel, Why I am not a Christian

• Cornelius Van Til, Why I am a Christian

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Modules Foundations of Apologetics

Apologetic Methods
Culture and Worldviews
World Religions
Cults
Major Objections to Christianity
Christian Ethics

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