Defending the Faith: A Crash-Course in Apologetics
St. Louis Center for Christian Study
Directions: Answer any three (3) of the following questions. You do not need to give every facet of the answer given in class, but the more angles from which you can approach the question, the better. A tight, concise answer may be half a page, while a more verbose answer may be a couple of pages. Content is more important than length. This is just a trial run for the discussions God is going to bring you next week. Remember to tell me which three questions you’re answering.
1. You’re talking about your faith in Christ, and a friend asks, “Surely you don’t think your religion is the only true one, do you?” How might you respond?
2. “There really isn’t any evidence for the existence of God,” a co-worker tells you. “It’s just a blind leap of faith.” What are some points you’d like to bring up in conversation with this person?
3. A Christian student asks the professor whether he believes the Bible is the truth. The professor casually responds:
200 years of critical scholarship have demonstrated the Bible to be factually unreliable. The Jesus Seminar, for example, has scientifically proven that Jesus said only 18% of the sayings attributed to him in the gospels. The books of Moses and the gospels are a hodge-podge of different authors. Half of Paul’s letters are forgeries. This class is about hard, objective science, not religion.
This begins a broader class discussion. What counter-points might you like to bring up?
4. You cousin tells you he really respects your faith in Jesus. But to him, he says, Jesus is more a good moral teacher than a Savior or the Son of God. What can you say?
5. “God is good. God is all-powerful. Evil is real. One of these three statements must be false.” How could you go about refuting this logic?
6. You’re talking to someone who tells you, “Listen. We now know scientifically that people evolved from primordial soup over millions of years. We no longer need myths about a great sky-god creating us.” What scientific concerns have been raised about the likelihood of Darwinian evolution?
7. You’re sipping a latté at Starbucks, and you mention that you send a monthly support check to a missionary working among Hindus in India. Your friend drops her latte, screams, and shouts:
That’s horrible! The people of India have their own culture. Why do you want to push Western culture down their throats? Do you think we’re better just because we’re white European-Americans?”
What’s the key assumption in her objection? While you’re helping her mop up her coffee, how would you respond?