Defending the Faith

A Crash-Course in Apologetics

Instructor: Greg Johnson,
Theologian-in-Residence

St. Louis Center for

Christian Study

Equipping Ordinary Christians to Make an Extraordinary Impact

Defending the Faith: Apologetics

This course, taught in St. Louis, Missouri in October and November 2000, was designed to equip students to answer the questions of seekers as well as the objections of skeptics. As you study, you’ll grasp how to help others understand the truthfulness of Christ’s claims, from ‘Absolute Proof for the Existence of God’ to defending the Bible’s reliability, to showing how truth is absolute and not relative. Learn to explain why Jesus is the only Savior and discover helpful tips for speaking with Moslems, Jews, followers of the New Age and cults. Learn how to always return to the question: What will you do with Jesus?

Most apologetics courses only deal with "traditional" apologetics topics, though. This course, however, deals with some more current objections to the Christian faith--including the suggestion that Christianity is 'homophobic' and that opposition to abortion is sexist. What do you say when someone exclaims, "Surely you don't take the Bible literally, do you???" How does God answer the charge that he's selfish? How do you respond when scholars describe Christianity as a white European religion, a product of Western culture? 

Almost 40 students from very diverse Christian backgrounds attended the course--from inner-city street evangelists to university students to internationals studying in the United States. You'll find about a hundred pages of notes defending the truthfulness of Christ's amazing claim to be Savior of the world and Lord over all. Due to the tremendous feedback received, tentative plans are to teach this class again in St. Louis in 2002.

Download the entire course in Adobe PDF Format

Course Objectives

This course is NOT...

  1. A course in Christian philosophy or epistemology.
  2. A course in personal evangelism.
  3. Greg doing apologetics—that takes a lot more time than we have.

The goals of this course are to...

  1. Introduce you to the science of Christian apologetics.
  2. Answer the most common objections to the truthfulness of Christianity.
  3. Give you as much kingdom ammunition as can be done in 16 hours of class. 

Syllabus

Part 1: WE OFFER THE TRUTH

1. For Such a Time as This: Hitting both the heart & the head

2. How can you think your religion is the only true one?

Part 2: GOD IS

3. Absolute Proof for the Existence of God

4. How do you know the Bible is God’s Word?

Part 3: GOD HAS SPOKEN

5. 200 years of critical scholarship have proven the Bible isn’t accurate history.

6. But the Bible was created by the Church in 396AD!

7. Surely you don’t take the Bible literally?

Part 4: ALL MUST COME TO JESUS

8. How do you know Jesus is the Son of God?

9. What about the Innocent Native whose never heard about Jesus?

Part 5: THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

10. How could a good, all-powerful God create a world full of suffering and evil?

11. The Trial: Is God Selfish?

Part 6: CREATION & MORE

12. Darwinian Evolution explains human existence; we don’t need a Creation.

13. But Christians are hypocrites! Look at the Crusades and the Inquisition!

14. Christianity is a White European religion, a product of Western culture.

Part 7: THE WISDOM OF GOD’S LAW

15. Christian opposition to abortion is sexist.

16. Christians are homophobic!

Part 8: WITNESSING TIPS

17. Tips on witnessing to Mormons

18. Tips on witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses

19. Tips on witnessing to Jewish People

20. Tips on witnessing to New Agers

21. Tips on witnessing to Moslems

Part 9:  Follow Up

22. For Further Study

23. Exam