SYLLABUS Southern Evangelical Seminary AP464/564 Presenting Apologetics: Presentation Skills & Tactics Dr. Frank Turek (704) 845-1997 (office) E-Mail: FTurek@usa.com May 2016 COURSE DESCRIPTION and OBJECTIVES The course will not only show students a logically sequential case for Christianity (I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist) but also provide them with practical presentation techniques for presenting that case and answering questions. Major issues to be discussed include, Truth, God, Miracles, The New Testament, Evil, Creation/ Evolution, and common counter-claims to the Christian worldview. Depending on class size, some or all students will be required to present a small portion of I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist during class time. By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate a verbal and written proficiency in the sequential arguments for the truth of the Bible (Truth, God, Miracles, New Testament Reliability) 2. Answer the major objections to each of these arguments 3. Answer the major objections from evil and evolution 4. Present the material in such a way that a majority of your peers and the instructor grade your presentation as good or better. CLASS MEETING TIME/DATE The class meets May 2-6 from 6:30-10:00 p.m. and May 7 from 8:30a.m.- 3 pm. COURSE TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS (Required) Geisler, Norman L. and Frank Turek. I Don t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Wheaton: Crossway Book, 2004. Turek, Frank. Stealing From God: Why Atheists Need God to Make their Case. NavPress, 2014. Craig, William Lane, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs, David C. Cook, 2010. Koukl, Greg. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. Koegel, Timothy J. The Exceptional Presenter: A Proven Formula to Open Up and Own the Room. Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2007.
!2 A bibliography of other recommended books defending Christianity is attached. You also will need to be familiar with the works of the popular atheists such as Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Christopher Hitchens (God is not Great), and Stephen Hawking (The Grand Design). COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. Presentation Project In Class You are to read I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, Stealing From God, and The Exceptional Presenter and be prepared to present at least 15 minutes of the I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist seminar in class as if you were presenting to a college audience (some students may not get to complete this project if class size is too large). You can pick any portion of the presentation you want. If you decide to begin your presentation somewhere in the middle of I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, assume that you have already covered with the audience all of the material previous to it. At the end of your presentation, you may be asked questions from any part of I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Utilize the tactics in the Greg Koukl s book as you answer (if appropriate). You can go to www.impactapologetics.com if you'd like to get the DVD version called Why I Still Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (the PowerPoint is available there too). You should use PowerPoint visuals in your presentation. In addition, be sure to utilize the presentation tactics/tips from The Exceptional Presenter. You will be graded as much on your presentation skills as on content. 2. Presentation Project Out of Class In addition to assignment 1, you must also present at least two hours of an I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist seminar at your church or other venue available to you. If no venue is currently available, you can team with at least three other students in this class and make your presentation to them. You will provide a report of this project including evaluations from the students who attended your presentation. 3. PowerPoint Presentation You are to prepare a PowerPoint presentation of the main points of at least 200 pages of any book from the required reading list or attached bibliography (EXCEPT I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist). You can use any of the slide designs from the I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist PowerPoint presentation, but the content must be from another book. Hand it in on a flash drive. If your presentation is good (and it better be), it will be shared with the rest of the class. 4. Final Exam There will be a final exam worth 40% of your overall grade.
!3 5. Graduate Research Paper (graduate only) You are to prepare a 15-20 page paper on one of the following topics: The Hiddenness/Silence of God The Transcendental Argument The Role of Philosophy in Apologetics and Science The Teleological Argument The Argument for God from Final Causality LATE ASSIGNMENTS Assignments that are not submitted by their due date will receive a zero. Exceptions are made only under the most extenuating circumstances. Your circumstances probably do not qualify, so don t test this rule. COURSE SCHEDULE Course will follow the order of I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist for the entire semester (with an occasion detour for a pressing issue). There will also be time spent on student presentations. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Behe, Michael J. Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. New York: The Free Press, 1996. Berlinski, David. The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions, New York: Crown Forum, 2008. Copan, Paul. True for You, but Not for Me: Deflating the Slogans That Leave Christians Speechless. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1998.. Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Grand Rapids: Baker Academics, 1999.. That's Just Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2001.. Is God a Moral Monster: Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2011.
!4. Flannigan, Matthew. Did God Really Command Genocide: Coming to Terms with the Justice of God, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2014. Craig, William Lane and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Third ed. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008.. Hard Questions, Real Answers. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003. Dembski, William and Jonathan Witt. Intelligent Design Uncensored. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2010. Dembski, William and Jonathan Wells, The Design of Life. Dallas, TX: Foundation for Thought and Ethics, 2008. Dembski, William and Michael Licona, Evidence for God. Grand Rapids, Baker, 2010. Feser, Edward. The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, South Bend, IN: Saint Augustine's Press, 2008. Geisler, Norman L. Christian Apologetics. Paperback ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988.. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999., ed. Inerrancy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980. Geisler, Norman L., and Ronald M. Brooks. When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1990. Geisler, Norman L., and Winfried Corduan. Philosophy of Religion. Second ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988. Geisler, Norman L., and Paul K. Hoffman, eds. Why I Am a Christian: Leading Thinkers Explain Why They Believe. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2001. Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas A. Howe. When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1992.
!5 Habermas, Gary R. and Michael R. Licona. The Case or the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Kregal Publicatons, 2004. Habermas, Gary R. Dealing with Doubt. Chicago: Moody Press, 1990.. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company, 1996. Habermas, Gary R., and Anthony Flew. Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? The Resurrection Debate. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1987. Habermas, Gary R., and J. P. Moreland. Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality. Second ed. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1998. Johnson, Phillip E. Reason in the Balance: The Case against Naturalism in Science, Law & Education. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1995.. Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997. Kreeft, Peter. Making Sense out of Suffering. Ann Arbor: Servant Books, 1986. InterVarsity Press, 1996. Kreeft, Peter, and Ronald K. Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994. Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. Paperback ed. New York: Collier Books, 1960.. The Problem of Pain. Paperback ed. New York: Collier Books, 1962.. Miracles. Paperback ed. New York: Collier Books, 1978.. God in the Dock, ed. Walter Hooper. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995. Lennox, John. God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Oxford, Lion Hudson, 2007. Linnemann, Eta. Historical Criticism of the Bible: Methodology or Ideology? Translated by Robert W. Yarbrough. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990. McDowell, Josh D. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.
!6 Moreland, J. P. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul. Colorado Springs: NavPress Publishing Group, 1997. Meyer, Stephen C., Darwin's Doubt, New York: Harper One, 2013. Ross, Hugh. The Fingerprint of God. Orange: Promise Publishing Company, 1989.. The Creator and the Cosmos. Revised ed. Colorado Springs: NavPress Publishing Group, 1995.. Why the Universe is the Way It Is. Grand Rapids, Baker, 2008. Schroeder, Gerald L. Genesis and the Big Bang: The Discovery of Harmony between Modern Science and the Bible. New York: Bantam Books, 1990. Strobel, Lee. The Case for the Real Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.. The Case for the Creator. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004. Wallace, J. Warner, Cold Case Christianity, Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2013., God's Crime Scene, Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2015. Zacharias, Ravi. Deliver Us from Evil. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996.