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Lesson OneWhat is Apologetics?4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoArguments from Design4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeMoral Argument4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourIdentity of Jesus4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveChristianity and Other Religions4 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 350
Discussion Questions
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Give a couple of examples from 1 Peter 3:15–16 as to why and how we should embrace apologetics in our faith journey.
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We should honour Christ as Lord, because apologetics is ultimately about why we believe in and follow Christ. We should prepare ourselves to be ready to give an answer anytime. But we should do so with gentleness and respect, not in a proud and argumentative way. All this is so that we are credible in how we present the Christian faith to others.
#apologetics
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First, we must “revere Christ as Lord,” otherwise our witness would be fruitless. Second, we need to approach apologetics with gentleness and respect for the listener. We must ourselves display good character traits. The listener must feel that they are hearing words from an honest, faithful, and sincere person who wants to help them have a more fulfilling and more meaningful life. We must be “prepared to give an answer.”
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We should embrace apologetics because it seems to be in direct correlation in 1 Pet with setting apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. If we have made the decision that Christ is Lord then we must also believe that all he said and taught is true. If that is the case then we need to be able to share that truth in a manner that is both logical and persuasive.
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Embracing apologetics in our faith journey allows us to give a reason for our hope with gentleness and respect, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of our own beliefs and fostering meaningful dialogue with others. These dialogues can bring the hope we have to others, so they may come to know Christ.
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There will be times when we will be asked about the reason for our faith. As mentioned in 1 Peter 3:15-16, there are several things that he charges us to do to prepare for these times: “in our hearts, regard Christ the Lord as holy”, “give a defense to anyone who asks you”, “do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience”.
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How is Christianity more than just a worldview? Provide some examples.
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It is a combination of this world (that we live in) and there is also an invisible reality of God, angels and demons.
God is personal and different from other beings, and nature. -
Christianity is more of a relationship. As God the Father had relationships with Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, so He desires relationships with His creation of mankind. He created us as very good, but we lost that in the Fall and yet now through Christ and His sacrifice on the cross we can have restoration of our relationship with God and because Christ rose from the dead we can live with our God and Savior forever! It is a good and best worldview to have and Lord, help me to defend it boldly!
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A worldview is the lens in which we see everything through. However, Christianity is more than just a way to look at things. Chasing a personal relationship with Christ is one way it’s more than a worldview. We can view Christianity as historical and factual information.
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Well there is more to religion than a worldview. Therefore in Christianity there is history, developed theology, worship, symbols, and experience of God.
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Christianity is not a worldview because God was not a diety far from the world in the sky such as Eastern philosophy beliefs. The Lord came to the Earth as the godman healing teaching Raising the dead and performing many miracles before man and these miracles were recorded as The Bible.
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What is a simple explanation of apologetics? What is apologetics not?
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It is depending the truth.
it is not about i am sorry to be a christian
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According to our lecture, apologetics is defending “this great message of Christianity, of salvation through God’s grace in Christ.” It is defined as, “defending [what] is true and saying there are good and sufficient reasons to believe that there is a God, that Christ is the what that Bible is God’s Word, God’s true communication with us.” Discussion is based on fact and understanding of collaborative evidences.
It is not argument based on what one thinks or believes as these can change over time or with circumstances, bringing in contradicting applications of those beliefs.
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Apologtics is defending our Christianity with facts of history and truth of God found in our Bible (God’s Word) and our spiritual experiences of how Jesus Christ has changed our lives in testimony. Apologetics is not anything to do with the worldview but everything to do with our Spiritual Godly view.
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Apologetics is the defense of the Christian Worldview, applying logic and established truths that are based upon the source of the Christian Worldview: The Bible. It is the governance, foundation and framework for which the Christian Worldview is established. Apologetics is not blind faith or opinionated views based on accepting some aspects of the bible and rejecting others. It is not shaped by individual perspectives nor is it based on Atheism or Polytheism.
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Apologetics is the discipline of defending the Christian faith. Appolgetics is not meant to bully anyone
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What is the purpose of defending truth?
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The purpose of defending truth allows us tho first examine what we believe and why for our own knowledge. Then, after we have found the truth for ourselves, we are to share that truth with others to bring them to Jesus.
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To know the truth and to make a strong defense so that all might come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and declare with all surity that Jesus is Lord!
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“We are defending a set of ideas, but we’re also inviting someone into a new way of life. We are inviting them into eternal life an eternal fellowship with Christ and all the redeemed also this is serious and not merely a defense of certain propositions, but an encouragement and an invitation into a new life that is being born again.”
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Professor G. gives a good working definition of worldview: a set of assumptions about the basic makeup of the world.
So how is Christianity more than just a worldview? The thing is, all world views can’t be true. They all contradict each other. Some world views teach that there is a god; some teach that we are gods or that there is no god at all; some teach about the origins of sin; some teach that there is no such thing as sin. To embrace Christianity is to embrace a lifestyle that is fulfilling, joyful, and hopeful. It is one where we inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ. What you believe makes a difference in what you strive for and where you will spend eternity. -
The Bible says that it is Truth that sets people free. (John 8:32). We defend Truth because it is untruth, lack of truth, and deception that keeps people in bondage to sin and hopelessness.
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Why does Dr. Groothuis use the “cumulative case” as his apologetic method for Christianity?
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Cumulative relies on the ability to prove that what you believe is true drawing on the evidence of historical evidence, scientific evidence and eyewitness testimony and any other source of information that develops into proof for what you are proposing to be true.
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So, we can have an overall case that Christianity is true, and reasonable and makes more sense of the world than any other religion or philosophy.
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The Cumulative Case method builds a “Case for Christ,” if you will, by including science, philosophical arguments, and historical records in our dialogue, along with the Bible’s teachings about the need for salvation. It’s a multi-faceted approach to apologetics. Professor G. uses this approach to show that: (1) basic claims contained in the Word do not contradict each other; (2) there are factual evidences in science and non-biblical historical records that point to the accuracy of Scripture’s claims; (3) to show that Christianity is the only meaningful and rational way to live.
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In the cumulative case Dr. Groothuis expands on the history, science, philosophy, human experience, and this brings about witnesses. This apologetic method is not fideistic and shows that Christianity is internally consistent, factually accurate, and existentially viable and meaningful.
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This method involves using several sources as “witnesses” to strengthen the argument. Using the Bible alone as a source isn’t very effective when speaking to someone who does not believe that the Bible is anything special, let alone the word of God. Appealing to several different areas of knowledge that are indisputable to any reasonable person, like science and history, means that there is even more evidence to prove that Christianity is true.