Category Archives: Apologetics

Age-Graded Apologetics Resources!

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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

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.

Top 10 Questions Teenagers MUST Be Ready To Answer About Their Faith

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In an article posted on christianity.com (linked HERE) written by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, ten great questions are brought to the table and discussed from a youth perspective. Teenagers NEED to be able to answer these tough questions in our day of skepticism and peusdo-spiritual moralism. Can you tackle these hardball questions for yourself? If you can’t, its time to brush up on them because these are typical questions for the rising generation.

  1. How can you know anything is true for sure?
  2. Is God a human invention?
  3. Doesn’t the Big Bang disprove Creation?
  4. How can an intelligent person not believe in evolution?
  5. How can you trust the Bible when it has been changed and corrupted so much through the centuries?
  6. Hasn’t modern science pretty much disproved the Bible?
  7. Who even knows if Jesus ever really existed?
  8. Don’t you think Jesus could have been just a good teacher who didn’t intend to be worshiped as a god?
  9. Do you really believe that Jesus literally rose from the dead?
  10. How can YOU believe in that stuff?

If you want to sharpen your skill for answering tough questions like these, do your homework! It is not an accident that some christians are well prepared to give a reason for the hope that they have.

That is exactly what 1 Peter 3:15 is pushing us toward when it says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Are you prepared to answer the questions of our day? Are we preparing teenagers to be able to speak articulately about their faith? Check out this article and know what you believe!

God is NOT Dead! [and resources to back it up!]

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William Lane Craig expertly writes how current Christian philosophers argue for God’s existence in this Christianity Today article titled, God is Not Dead Yet.

AlbertMohler.com (the highly respected president of my alma mater, Southern Seminary) interacts with the controversial TIME article on this subject, titled Looking Back: TIME Asks, “Is God Dead?”.

AnswersInGenesis.com tackles the question of the reality of God in this article, Is There Really a God?

At the blog, GotQuestions.org, the article Is God Dead? articulates 5 points of logically progression people will fall into when holding this idea.

Offered at Amazon.com, the book, “God Is Not Dead” is described as “a fascinating guided tour of quantum physics, consciousness, and the existence and experience of God. University of Oregon physics professor Amit Goswami shows readers that God’s existence can be found in clues that the science of quantum physics reveals.” (I personally have not read this book to know the theological stance of the author, just FYI)

A book I do FULLY recommend is “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”  by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. Here they argue that Christianity is not only more reasonable than all other belief systems, but is indeed more rational than unbelief itself. This volume will be an interesting read for those skeptical about Christianity, as well as a helpful resource for Christians seeking to articulate a more sophisticated defense of their faith.

On the Poached Egg Apologetics Blog I found an article titled “What is really behind all the skepticism” dealing with questions and doubts concerning the existence of God.

And last on my brief conglomeration of “God is Not Dead” resources, one of the best renditions of David Crowder’s song, rereleased by Newsboys, God’s Not Dead.

What other resources do you know on this hot-topic phrase?  Leave some comments below to share the wealth!

If I Were The Devil…

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In 1942 C.S. Lewis published a classic in christian literature, The Screwtape Letters. I have read this book several times and enjoy it more with each reading. It is a satirical novel written in the form of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior “tempter” named Wormwood. Lewis enters the mind of the enemy and shows the devilish strategies behind the seemingly routine life of Wormwood’s “Patient”. Through the negative vantage point of a demon’s eyes, we see the unpacking of important life lessons. We see the unfolding temptations and trials of the “Patient” in new light and gain understanding into our own lives and the spiritual impact of every event.

Although The Screwtape Letters is one of C.S. Lewis’ most popular works, Lewis reveals in the final pages that it was not easy to bend his mind in such a way. He claims it was “not fun” to write, and “resolved never to write another ‘Letter’.” (p.184)

I am reminded of this masterful piece of christian literature because of its similarity to an audio piece recorded by the well remembered talk radio personality, Paul Harvey.  Mr. Harvey recorded the below clip in 1965. It amazes me that whether we are discussing Lewis, published in 1942, or Harvey, aired in 1965, the principles of Scripture aptly speak to us today. Both mediums take the negative perspective and show us a fresh understanding of our times. They prophetically call us to examine our lives and our society under the standard of God’s Word.

It is my prayer that you would listen to this 2:54 clip, maybe go out and read some C.S. Lewis, and polish the lenses of your Christian Worldview through which we best understand reality all around us.

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

A Daily Apologetics Resource!

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If you want to stay current on today’s issues from a conservative, apologetically minded blog, check out:

The Poached Egg Network 

The Poached Egg Network is where Christian apologetics, history, philosophy, science, theology, and pop culture collide. Our goal is to help guide believers, seekers, and skeptics alike to the Ultimate Source of Truth and a better understanding of the Christian worldview.

I’ll be checking them out regularly and you should too!

Interested in Apologetics?

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Do you know why you believe what you believe?

According to Wikipedia, “Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, “speaking in defense”) is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information.”

I am ok with that definition. “A systematic use of information”.  That works.  I believe most of the christians are not using (or aware?) of the vast wealth information that is readily available about the truthfulness of the christian faith.  We need some people willing to take that next step and get serious about apologetics in our churches.  If you are interested in apologetics you would find these links helpful.  Also check out the blog links in the “Be Informed!” tab at the top of this page!

31 Actions to Advance Apologetics 

Top 10 Grad Schools in Apologetics 

Big Words for a Big Problem

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MTD – Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  I believe this article, the second of four about the current state of youth ministry today, is right on target.  (click here for the full article at Gospel Coalition) Brian Cosby recognizes that the Bible is not to be taught as a guide for being more moral in our society, but the redemptive hope for our souls found in the Gospel!

“That a youth ministry “teaches the Bible” does not necessarily mean it teaches the gospel. Many mistake the gospel with moralism—being a good person, reading your Bible, or opening the door for the elderly in order to earn God’s favor. But the gospel is altogether different.”

Most teenagers are skipping (sometimes fumbling) through life without deeply thinking about their worldview framework through which they make assumptions about reality.  With an ambiguous and often contradiction laden framework, many teens can still coast through Student Ministry without challenging these beliefs!

“According to sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, most American teenagers believe in something dubbed “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” (MTD).  Within this MTD “religion,” God is a cosmic therapist and divine butler, ready to help out when needed. He exists but really isn’t a part of our lives. We are supposed to be “good people,” but each person must find what’s right for him or her. Good people will go to heaven, and we shouldn’t be stifled by organized religion where somebody tells us what we should do or what we should believe.”

And this problem is not just in the realm of our student ministries, but it filters into the church at large!

“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism has little to do with God or a sense of divine mission in the world. It offers comfort, bolsters self-esteem, helps solve problems, and lubricates interpersonal relationships by encouraging people to do good, feel good, and keep God at arm’s length.  When this self-help theology is combined with a sola-boot-strapia sermon from TBN, we start having teens singing, “God Is Watching Us from a Distance” while—at the same time—wondering why Jesus isn’t fixing their parents’ marriage or their problems with cutting.  MTD isn’t just the problem of youth ministry; it’s the problem of the church. And American Christianity has become a “generous host” to this low-commitment, entertainment-driven model of youth ministry.”

I love this quote. It hammers home that our theology should drive our methodology!  Not the other way around!  Always keep this in mind student pastors.

“While our theology of the gospel should inform our method, the American church—to a large extent—has practiced just the reverse. The question on many youth leaders’ minds is, “How do we get bored teenagers into the church?” The question should be, “How are we to faithfully plant and water the gospel of Jesus Christ for his glory and our joy in him?”

This article ends with hope for the church.  That hope rests in Jesus Himself.  Jesus will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!  So we trust Him. We seek Him. We focus our ministries on Him!

I applaud Brian Cosby in this informative and challenging reminder of the dangers this generation and our churches are facing.  May we stand in the gap with a tenacious focus on the Gospel!

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

The factual nature of the Bible – Geography style!

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Here is a cool website I came across. Learn the biblical locations of whatever book and chapter you are currently reading through. Cool to see it all mapped out. click it and see!

www.biblemap.org

This reminds me of the reliability of scripture.  The Bible is not out to mislead us.  It is verifiable and factual. While the Bible is primarily concerned with a spiritual subject matter, namely the Glory of God through redemptive history, when it talks about people and places, those people and places are REAL!  We do not have to sift through legends or myth, this is talking about reality.   It is so great when archeology confirms what we read in the pages of our bibles everyday!

Keep diving into your copies of the WORD!

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam