Course Description:

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). Peter's words ring true in today's anti-Christian culture. In this course, learners compare biblical, historical, and recent approaches to defending faith in God, Christ, and Scripture. The course emphasizes the apologetics of Peter among Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 2), and Paul among the Gentiles in Athens (Acts 17). It compares the still influential approaches of Augustine and Aquinas, but focuses primarily on the approaches of six apologists who led in the resurgence of evangelicalism during the last half of the twentieth century.

Course Objectives:

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Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Summarize relevant Biblical teaching on apologetics, comparing and contrasting Peter's approach to Jews and Paul's approach to Gentiles.
2. Describe the roots and characteristics of non-Christian belief systems and three basic worldviews that challenge twentieth century apologists.
3. Develop a coherent approach that synthesizes the strengths of the six distinctive ways of reasoning.
4. Mature in the art of communicating the faith to varieties of people with varied religious views and cultural expressions.

Course Texts:

Lewis, Gordon R. Testing Christianity's Truth Claims: Approaches to Christian
Apologetics. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1990.

McGrath, Alister E. Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths: Building Bridges to Faith through Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993.

Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door. 4th Ed. Downer's Grove, IL: InterVaristy Press, 2004.