Have you ever wondered where to find some age appropriate resources for apologetic training? Click the link, HERE, to see the full version of a very helpful list complied by Ratio Christi (A Student Apologetic Alliance). I have attached the high school, middle school, and elementary school recommendations. Browse and find some gems you can use in your ministry!
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High School
- ACSI Apologetics Curriculum: The Association of Christian Schools International’s program objective is “to teach students to articulate and defend the truth of the gospel through research, writing, and blogging”.
- The Case for Christ DVD study: Former journalist and apologist Lee Strobel transformed his award-winning book, Case for Christ, into this six session DVD series on the evidence for Jesus of Nazareth.
- The Unshakeable Truth: In this DVD father and son apologists Josh and Sean McDowell “present apologetics relationally, showing how right believing affects both believers and people they encounter”.
- Focus on the Family: The Truth Project: This video apologetics series with Dr. Del Tackett is a great resource for small groups.
- TrueU: Does God Exist? and Is the Bible Reliable?: These apologetics curriculums are another great apologetic resource.
- I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist: Apologist Frank Turek “uses logic science and hard historical evidence to show why the Bible is true and why it takes a lot more faith to be an atheist than a Christian” in this 10 part DVD series.
- Summit Ministries’ Thinking Like a Christian and Countering Culture: These apologetics series Sunday school curriculums are “an engaging 12-week study of the Christian worldview” and “worldview analysis”.
- The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator (Student Editions): Lee Strobel’s fantastic series of investigative books revamped in these student edition versions.
- Living Loud: Defending Your Faith: This apologetics book by Norman Geisler and Joseph Holden is especially geared towards high school students so that “every student can feel bold and confident in defending their faith.”
- Smart Faith: Loving God with All Your Mind: J.P. Moreland and Mark Matlock teach you how to “embrace the mind’s role in spiritual formation and acquire new spiritual disciplines” in this book about smart faith.
- Apologetics for a New Generation: A Biblical and Culturally Relevant Approach to Talking About God: This book by popular writer and speaker Sean McDowell is meant for leaders who wish to engage with the emerging generation about Christ, but can be useful for High School students as well.
- Tactics: A Gameplan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions: Apologist Greg Koukl “provides the game plan for communicating the compelling truth about Christianity with confidence and grace” in this great apologetics resource.
- Jesus Among Other Gods (Youth Edition): World-renown author and speaker Ravi Zacharias argues in this book why Jesus is “THE God among other Gods”.
- Know Why You Believe: Paul E. Little answers big questions about Christianity in this fairly short apologetics book and includes a study guide for individuals or groups.
- How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong? Responding to Objections that Leave Christians Speechless: This book is perfect for the objections raised to Christianity in our postmodern world. Author Paul Copan teaches you how to respond to the challenges brought up by non-Christians.
- True for You But Not for Me, Defeating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless: Paul Copan gives “fast, effective answers to today’s tough questions and slogans that often leave Christians speechless” in another great apologetics book. You can also access the study guide for the book here.
- When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics: Paul Copan again teaches us to defend our faith at starbucks, the mall, school, or wherever we are in this apologetics book for countering cultural questions.
- That’s Just Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith: “This book [by Paul Copan] provides incisive answers to slogans related to truth and reality; theism, pantheism/Eastern religion, and naturalism; and doctrinal issues such as the incarnation and truth of Scripture.”
- Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith: Got tough questions? Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler probably have the answer to them in this book. It also includes a study guide.
- The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism: “Written with atheists, agnostics, and skeptics in mind, [Tim] Keller also provides an intelligent platform on which true believers can stand their ground when bombarded by the backlash.” You can access a free study guide to the book here.
- Hard Questions, Real Answers: The great author, debator, and philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig answers some of our hardest questions in this exceptional apologetics book. It is great not only for high schoolers but for anyone seeking answers.
- On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision: “This concise guide [by Dr. William Lane Craig] is filled with illustrations, sidebars, and memorizable steps to help Christians stand their ground and defend their faith with reason and precision.”
- Stand Your Ground: An Introductory Text for Apologetics Students: This is great introductory material for students new to apologetics. “Dean Hardy takes readers on a spiritual and intellectual journey, addressing such issues as the nature of truth and reality, the investigation of other worldviews, the evidence for Christianity, critics’ arguments against Christianity, and the relationship between apologetics and evangelism.”
- Reason to Believe Apologetics Academy: “Reasons Academy offers a high school science apologetics program designed to prepare students to stand strong in the faith amid the challenges of a secular culture.”
- RZIM’s ASK Curriculum: An apologetics curriculum; one for Indian students and one for North American students. Great for all youth, high school and middle school.
Middle School
- ACSI Apologetics Curriculum: In this program designed especially for middle schoolers, ACSI’s objective is “(1) to prepare Christian middle school students to defend their faith by teaching them apologetics in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades and (2) to strengthen the individual faith of students by introducing them to answers to the toughest questions and oppositions facing Christianity”.
- Summit Ministries’ Lightbearers: This series “is a one or two semester video-based curriculum for 8th grade designed to help students clearly understand the tenets of the Christian worldview, and how they compare to the tenets of the leading humanistic worldviews of our day.”
- The Defense Never Rests: A Workbook for Budding Apologists: “A fill-in-the-blank workbook on Christian Apologetics based on the work of William Lane Craig. Topics include various arguments for God’s existence, the Trinity, incarnation, atoning death, and resurrection of Jesus.” It is reccommended you also get the teacher’s handbook.
- Apologia Educational Ministries’ What We Believe Series: A great series to teach kids the essentials of the Christian faith.
- Cornerstone Curriculum: A one year worldview biblical worldview curriculum.
- Accessible Apologetics Curriculum: “Apologetics Guy” Mikel Del Rosario’s essential apologetics curriculum is a great resource for middle school aged kids who are new to apologetics, but can be taught to all ages. It comes highly reccommended by various apologists.
- Wrecking Crew Apologetics Curriculum: “The Wrecking Crew Apologetics curriculum utilizes a variety of teaching methods to equip young people to defend their faith, including readings, lectures, note taking, Bible inquiry, internet lessons, games, group discussions, role playing, debates, and mock trials.”
- Spiritual Formation 4 Youth: “This curriculum is designed to help Christian teachers and youth pastors train students to break through the noise, temptations and fears by focusing on the full life that God offers for them.”
- FBI: Finding Biblical Intent: “The purpose of the Finding Biblical Intent curriculum is to help teachers teach students how to investigate and understand the Word of God.”
- RZIM’s ASK Curriculum: An apologetics curriculum; one for Indian students and one for North American students. Great for all youth, high school and middle school.
Elementary School
- Big Thoughts For Little Thinkers: The Trinity: Wonderful apologetics book by Joey Allen for little kids. “In simple and precise language, God-centered theology is promoted, giving children a firm foundation in God’s timeless truth.”
- Resurrection iWitness: Apologetics children’s book by Doug Powell that “gives evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ by using the easy-to-understand Minimal Facts argument. That means it relies only on the historical facts that all biblical scholars (including atheistic, Jewish, and liberal) accept and shows how only the biblical story of the resurrection can account for all these agreed-upon facts.”
- Fact or Fantasy? A Study in Christian Apologetics for Children: A great book on simple apologetics for children by David Walters.
- The Awesome Book of Bible Answers for Kids: “Respected Christian apologist Josh McDowell encourages children to stand on the foundation of truth with this contemporary gathering of concise, welcoming answers for kids ages 8 to 12.”
- If I Could Ask God for Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids: “A unique kid-friendly book jam-packed with clear, fresh answers to important questions about God, faith, prayer, and Christianity in language that children can understand” by Kathryn Slattery.
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