APOLOGETICS I Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
INSTRUCTOR: Professor Nicole J. Johnson, M.T.S. (email: )
ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR: Minister Ron Nunn (email: )
ADMINISTRATIVE ASST.: SisterChevelle Downs (email:)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to equip Christians to understand and uphold the validity of the Christian faith. In particular, students will learn how to defend key doctrines such as the reliability of the Bible, the existence of God, and the deity of Christ. Students also will learn biblical responses to contemporary issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage.
COURSE GOALS: 1.) Students will learn the nature of apologetics, and its importance in the context of evangelism.
2.) Students will learn how to construct a biblical defense for classical and contemporary apologetics issues.
3.) Students will become more confident, competent and compassionate in their evangelism as a result of having a strong sense of the biblical call to apologetics (1 Peter 3:15).
TEXTBOOKS:
Required:The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell (ISBN: 978-0-7852-4363-2)
Recommended:Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion by C. Stephen Evans (ISBN: 978-0-8308-1465-7)
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
In accordance with the Detroit Bible Institute policy, all students must attend a minimum of 10 classes in order to receive credit for the course. Excused absences are considered at the discretion of the instructor and will not count against the student. In the event that a student does have an excused absence, the instructor reserves the right to assign extra homework and reading to make up for lecture time missed by the student.
BEHAVIORAL POLICY: Students will fail the course and may be dismissed from the class if they are found cheating, being dishonest about work done in the course, harassing other students, or demonstrating destructive behavior.
GRADING:
Quizzes:100 points- There will be four quizzes worth 25 points each.
Reading:100 points - Students will be given a reading schedule and are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to the classfor which they are listed. Students must submit a reading report, including a summary of each assigned reading. Due:March 21.
Writing Assignment:100 points -Students are responsible for writing a final paper which will demonstrate their ability to engage in apologetics. This paper will be 5-7 pages in length. SeeWriting Assignment Guidelines.Due: March 21.
Class Participation:100 Points -Students are expected to be vocal and active in class. In addition, a portion of these points will be awarded based on your participation in a group project. Details will be discussed in class.
Grading Policy: Students must complete a minimum of 75% of all coursework in order to pass the course (this equates to earning at least 300 of the possible 400 points for this course).
CLASS SCHEDULE/ASSIGNMENTS
January 3 – Class Introduction, Developing a Christian Worldview
January 10 –What is Apologetics?
Reading Assignment Due: Introduction from The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
January 17 – Defending the Existence of God
Quiz #1
January 24– Defending the Reliability of the Bible
Reading Assignment Due: Chapter 1 in New Evidence (pgs. 3-16)
January 31–Defending the Reliability of the Bible, Part II
Reading Assignment Due: Chapter 2 in New Evidence (pgs. 17-32)
February 7 – Defending the Deity/Uniqueness of Christ
Quiz #2, Reading Assignment Due: Chapters 6-7 in New Evidence (pgs.137-163).
February 14 – Defending the Doctrine of the Trinity
February 21–Group presentations(Defending:the Existence of God, the Reliability of the Bible, the Deity of Christ or the Doctrine of the Trinity)
February 28– Creationism vs. Evolution
Quiz #3, Extra Credit(25 points): View“Expelled”movie and write a one-page summary
March 7 –Abortion
March 14–Homosexuality/Same-Sex Marriage Debate
March 21–Final Paper Due
Quiz #4
Bibliography
Brooks, Christopher. Learning to Defend Your Faith Workbook. Detroit: Equipped for Life Media Ministries, 2009.
Cornish, Rick. 5 Minute Apologist. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2005.
Evans, C. Stephen. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
Geisler, Norman. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999.
Geisler, Norman. Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004.
Gundry, Stan and Cowan, Steven, eds. Five Views on Apologetics. Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 2000.
House, H. Wayne and Holden, Joseph M. Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Kreeft, Peter and Tacelli, Ronald K. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.