How to Get Apologetics in Your Church: Introduction
During the month of September 2010, Apologetics 315 will feature a series of blog posts that respond to the question: “How can I get apologetics in my church?” For many delving into the stimulating world of Christian apologetics, this is a burning question.
The goal of this project is a simple one: to share stories, experiences, and advice that will help Christians to start their own local apologetics initiatives. Whether you be a pastor, youth pastor, teacher, elder, or lay person, this series of short essays could hold the keys you need to get things started in your own local congregation. [MP3 | RSS | iTunes]
The contributors to this project range from lay leaders to pastors, self-taught to formally trained. But they all share something in common: they are Christians who love Jesus, they have a passion to defend the Christian faith, and they have found an outlet for training and equipping others in the local church. As you read (or listen) you will hear them describe their situations, challenges, and testimonies as they helped initiate small groups, apologetics Sunday school classes, apologetics events, movie nights, and sermons.
Each blog post will also be made available as an MP3 file to be released along with their respective text version. These audio files can be downloaded through each day’s blog post, or through the “How to Get Apologetics in Your Church” podcast feed here or in iTunes. At the end of the series, readers may download an ebook version of the collection.
It has been a pleasure working with the contributors to this project. My prayer is that what they share here will spark ideas and ignite groups like theirs. I also pray that their ministries will be blessed and that through them many will be strengthened in their faith, emboldened in their witness, and brought nearer to Christ.
Enjoy.
Brian Auten
Brian Auten is the founder emeritus of Apologetics315. He is also director of Reasonable Faith Belfast. Brian holds a Masters degree in Christian Apologetics and has interviewed over 150 Christian apologists. His background is in missions, media direction, graphic design, and administration. Brian started Apologetics315 in 2007 to be an apologetics hub to equip Christians to defend the faith.
Comments:
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Mikel
Been looking forward to this, Brian!
Hey, Tim–this sounds great. Did you guys put together your own curriculum or did you buy something for this?
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Timoteo Zieger
Mikel,
Yea, Viki and her husband Dave, with insights from their brother Tim McGrew, have been putting it together. I really haven't anything to do with that end of it, but, because I'm doing the distance MA program from Biola, they graciously asked me to be involved with the teaching end of it. The curriculum is not in fact totaly finished at the moment but it is close to completion. Viki especially has put many hours into it, and we are all loking forward to getting it into the classroom and seeing how it may need to be tailored.
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Mikel
Tim, that's an awesome program and I'm so glad you're in it. Been working on my own curriculum, too. Many feel existing studies don't exaclty fit their group's purposes and take the plunge into writing their own material. Is it online?
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Mike Sutherland
Hi guys! Glad to see all this interest – Praise God! I too completed the distance program at Biola – was in the 2nd class. I built a study during that timeframe and have had it available online for quite a few years now – am in the middle of updating and expanding it now.
Looking forward to seeing this…
God Bless!
Mike -
Timoteo Zieger
Mikel,
Unfortunately, it is not online yet, but we were discussing that a bit tonight. Perhaps in the not to distant future.That is wonderful that you are working on some curriculum! How is it oriented? Do you find your local body to be primed and receptive to the apologetic perspective? It is a true blessing to witness what seems to be an intellectual revival in some of our churches.
Mike, your material really looks great! I just began the program, but am quite looking forward to the studies in store. The resources that are available to us online in this age are quite astounding.
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Mikel
Hey, friends! My Accessible Apologetics curriculum is now online. Love to hear your thoughts on this.
Brian just reviewed it here:
https://apologetics315.com/2010/12/review-accessible-apologetics.html
Comments are closed.
Timoteo Zieger
Brian,
Thanks for this new series. A church oriented emphasis is quite prudent in our own time, and I look forward to gleaning some helpful insights from others "on the ground".
In my own local church, we are just beginning an apologetic sunday school series based off of a brand new curriculum. The Course is being organized by my friend and former music instructor's wife Victoria McGrew in conjunction with her brother-in-law, Timothy McGrew, a philosophy professor at Western Michigan State University.
The Curriculum is geared toward late High-School or early University age students, but is useful in a variety of contexts. The substance of the course is as follows:
Unit 1: Clear Thinking
Unit 2: Existence of God
Unit 3 Authorship and Dating of Gospels
Unit 4: Miracles
Unit 5: Ressurection of Jesus
Unit 6: Conversion of St. Paul
Unit 7: New Testament Cannon
Unit 8: Non-Christian Relegious Ideas
This is a test run so-to-speak, so as we learn our lessons, perhaps we could share some insights as well.
Thanks so much for your dilligent work!
~Tim Zieger