Course Description Instructor: Ray Albrektson, Ph.D. Teacher s Assistant: Adam Dixon Th.M. This course will equip you to respond to the basic objections to Christianity that are frequently encountered in evangelism. Topics include postmodernism, the existence of God, religious pluralism, the fate of the unevangelized, the problem of evil, historical reliability of the Bible, and the resurrection of Jesus. Course Objectives 1. To develop a greater passion to lead others to see and savor the glory of Christ. 2. To understand the need for apologetics in ministry. 3. To identify and examine several current challenges to the Christian faith including the problem of suffering, the existence of God, the problem of religious pluralism, the fate of the unevangelized, the problem of evil, historical reliability of the Bible, questions from science, divergent forms of Christianity, and the resurrection. 4. To formulate biblical, thoughtful and culturally relevant responses to these objections. 5. To learn how to ask better questions as you discuss objections to the Christian faith. 6. To increase your skillfulness in the effective the use of apologetics in ministry. 7. To increase your personal confidence in your faith as you seek to persuade others to follow Christ. Required Texts Keller, Timothy. Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2008. (IBSN: 9780525950493) Craig, William Lane. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010. (IBSN: 9781434764881) 1
Recommended Texts Behe, Michael. Darwin s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. New York, NY: Free Press, 1996. Blomberg, Craig L. The Historic Reliability of the Gospels. Downer s Grove, IL: IVP, 2007. Cowan, Steven B., ed. Five Views on. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. Gundry, Stanly N. ed. Three Views on Creation and Evolution. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999. Kostenberger, Andreas J. The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture s Fascination with Diversity has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2010. Koukl, Gregory. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009. McDowell, Josh. A Ready Defense: The Best of Josh McDowell. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1993. Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: A Journalist s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Ibid. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004. Course Requirements 1. Reading: You are expected to read thoughtfully the assigned texts. You will turn in a reading report indicating your completion of the readings. (10 points) 2. Worksheets: You will complete four worksheets that will allow you to develop key components of your message. (60 points). 3. Final Project: You will compose one of the following three (30 points): A Talk (for a weekly meeting or church audience) A Follow-Up Tool An Evangelistic Article 2
Course Assignments Date Reading Due Class Topics P.M. Homework Nov. 18 Keller: Intro, 2 Craig: 1,2,6,7 Introduction Problem of Suffering Worksheet #1 (15%) Nov. 19 Keller: 1,3,4,5 Craig: 10 Pluralism, Hell, Fate of the Unevangelized Worksheet #2 (15%) Nov. 20 Keller: 6,8,9,14 Craig: 3,4,5 Existence of God, Science and Christianity Worksheet #3 (15%) Nov. 21 Keller: 7,10,11,12,13, Epilogue Craig: 8,9 Reliability of the Bible, the Resurrection Worksheet #4 (15%) Nov. 22 Submit Reading Report (10%) Wrap Up Final Project (30%) due 6:00 p.m. COURSE GRADE Reading 10 % Final Project 30% Worksheets 60% Total 100pts GRADING SCALE 94-100 A 92-93 A- 90-91 B+ 84-89 B 82-83 B- 80-81 C+ 74-79 C 72-73 C- 65-71 D 0-65 F 3
Reading Report (To be submitted on Friday, November 22) Name Date Due Assignment Assigned Pages Monday, Nov. 18 Tim Keller. Reason for God, Intro ix-xxiv, 22-34 W. Craig. On Guard, 13-52, 127-175 29 89 # Pages Completed (if all, write all ) Tuesday, Nov. 19 Wednesday, Nov. 20 Thursday, Nov. 21 Tim Keller. Reason for God, 3-21, 35-86 W. Craig. On Guard, 265-286 Tim Keller. Reason for God, 87-99, 131-164, 222-236 W. Craig. On Guard, 53-126 Tim Keller. Reason for God, 100-128, 165-221, 237-251 W. Craig. On Guard, 177-264 71 22 62 74 110 88 Friday, Nov. 22 Submit Reading Report Total 545 I completed % of the required readings Signature 4
Worksheet #1 Topic: Introductory Issues & Problem of Suffering Name Grade This worksheet covers: Keller: Intro 2 How Could a Good God Allow Suffering? Craig: 1 What is? 2 What Difference Does it Make if God Exists? 6 Can We be Good without God? 7 What About Suffering? 1. List three reasons, according to William Lane Craig, why apologetics are important. Discuss how these three reasons intersect with your own life. 2. What difference does it make whether God exists or not? 3. Can we be good without God? Discuss. An individual with whom you are sharing the gospel offers the following response. You said that God loves the world. I have a serious problem believing in a God who would allow thousands of innocent men, women and children to be killed by an earthquake and Tsunami like the one in Japan. How can you believe there is a loving God when there is so much suffering in the world? 4. What are six questions you might ask this person to try to identify his or her underlying issues or concerns? 5. Imagine that in the process of asking some additional questions you discover that this person is convinced that the existence of a loving God is logically incompatible with evil and suffering. How would you respond? (Write a detailed response below) 5
Worksheet #2 Topic: Religious Pluralism, Fate of Unevangelized Name Grade This worksheet covers: Keller: 1 There Can t Be Just One True Religion 3 Christianity is a Straightjacket 4 The Church is Responsible for So Much Injustice 5 How Could a Loving God Send People to Hell? Craig: 10 Is Jesus the Only Way to God In his closing address at the Parliament of World Religions in 1993, the Dalai Lama, head of the Gelugpa order of Tibetan Buddhism, stated the following: Each religion has its own philosophy and there are similarities as well as differences among the various traditions. What is important is what is suitable for a particular person. We should look at the underlying purpose of religion and not merely at the abstract details of theology or metaphysics. All religions make the betterment of humanity their primary concern. When we view the different religions as essentially instruments to develop a good heart love and respect for others, a true sense of community we can appreciate what they have in common.... Everyone feels that his or her form of religious practice is the best. I myself feel that Buddhism is best for me. But this does not mean that Buddhism is best for everyone else. 1 1. How would you summarize the Dalai Lama s viewpoint in your own words? 2. If someone came to you and said, All religions are socially conditioned, what would you say? You discovered that your Japanese neighbor was raised by Buddhist parents although she does not practice Buddhism herself. One day you get into a lengthy discussion about Buddhism and Christianity. She listens very intently as you describe the difference Christianity has made in your life; however, as you begin to explain that Jesus Christ is the only way to God you notice a look of concern come over her face. With a look of disbelief she says, How can you say that Jesus Christ is the only way to God? It does not seem fair. What about my family members who practice Buddhism and have never heard about Jesus? God wouldn t send them to hell, would he? 3. What are six questions (intellectual and personal) you might ask this woman? 1 His Holiness the Dalai Lama, XIV, The Importance of Religious Harmony, in The Community of Religions, eds. Wayne Teasdale and George Cairns (New York: Continuum, 1996), pp. 17-18. 6
4. How do Keller and Craig handle the concept of Hell and the destiny of those who do not receive Christ? You are talking with an acquaintance about religion and see a possible open door for the gospel. As you begin to talk about Christianity, your acquaintance tells you that organized religion is just the product of powerful people trying to maintain control over the masses. In fact, she says, it has probably done more harm than good in the world. She believes in God, but thinks that most religious teaching has been tainted by power struggles, and that no one really knows what God is like. What we really need is to stop fighting about the truth and just focus on what helps people. We shouldn t be trying to convert each other, because this is really just an attempt to control. 5. What are six questions you might ask this person to try to identify what their underlying issues or concerns are? 6. After reading these chapters, how do you define freedom? 7
Worksheet #3 Topic: Existence of God Name Grade This worksheet covers: Keller: 6 Science has Disproved Christianity 8 The Clues of God 9 The Knowledge of God 14 The Dance of God Craig: 3 Why Does Anything at all Exist? 4 Why Did the Universe Begin? 5 Why is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Life? 1. Briefly summarize the Kalam Cosmological argument. What does this argument attempt to establish? How does this connect to the God of the Bible? 2. If you were to build a cumulative case argument based on the clues of God or evidence that He exists, what issues would you cite? Joe is a Biology major at the university, and takes a scientific view of life. He says the only information we can trust is empirical, scientific data. When it comes to God, science really can t prove or disprove anything, which is why Joe is satisfied being an agnostic. To him, faith is irrational because it leaps beyond empirical evidence. In truth, Joe leans toward atheism, believing that science has made God obsolete. He says that through science we have explained the origin of life, evolution, and almost every other question about the universe. Why do we need God? 3. What are six questions (4 intellectual and 2 personal) you might ask Joe to try to identify what his underlying issues or concerns? 4. In your own words, how would you describe Joe s objection(s) to the Christian faith? What is at the core of Joe s objection? 5. Do you find Bill Craig s evidence from the field of math or physics most interesting? Why? 8
Apologetic Worksheet #4 Topics: Reliability of the Bible & the Resurrection Name Grade This worksheet covers: Keller: 7 You Can t Take the Bible Literally 10 The Problem of Sin 11 Religion and the Gospel 12 The (True) Story of the Cross 13 The Reality of the Resurrection Epilogue: Where Do We Go from Here? Craig: 8 Who was Jesus? 9 Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? 1. Your friend Tina Tinker says that the Bible has changed over time and so we can t know what was originally written. It is just like that game we play with our kids, the telephone game, where what was originally said gets twisted and changed as it is passed on. How would you respond to this objection? 2. Based on what he says in chapter seven, how do you think Tim Keller would respond to someone who says, Much of the Bible s social teaching (for example, about women) is socially regressive? Imagine if a person with whom you were sharing the gospel said, I m glad Christianity works for you, but how can you expect anyone to believe what was written in the Bible? Some of the stories are simply unbelievable like the one about a whale eating some guy and spitting him out three days later. On top of that, the Bible contains lots of errors and contradictions. How do we know that Jesus followers didn t make everything up? I read the Da Vinci Code and it says that certain Christians conspired to get rid of the books they didn t like. 3. In your own words, how would you describe this person s objection(s)? Try to state them as clearly as possible. 4. What are four questions you might ask this person to clarify the underlying issues? 5. Summarize the evidence, as discussed by William Lane Craig, for thinking that Jesus is God. 9
6. Freddy Freezy thinks there is no good reason to think that Jesus rose from the dead. And obviously, Freddy says, we know from experience that dead men don t rise from the dead. What could you say to Freddy in response? That is, what is some of the key evidence for the resurrection? 7. What have you found most helpful in this course? 8. What topics, questions do you still have that you would like to explore on your own after this course? 10