Description
What do you think of when you hear the word “apologist”? Maybe you know that it originates from the Apostle Peter’s use of it in 1 Peter 3:15. He says that Christ followers are to always be prepared to give a defense (apologian) of the reason for our hope in Christ.
Apologetics is the act of defending the gospel as Paul writes in Philippians 1:16. It is something one does; it is not one’s title or job description. It is a skill to possess, not a role one claims to be called to fulfill. Every believer is commanded to be ready to make a defense by Peter, but not every believer has to be trained as a professional apologist.
It may be less intimidating to think of yourself as an ambassador when defending the Christian faith. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul says that we are “ambassadors for Christ” as we bring a message of reconciliation that has been given to us by God to the world. To “be” an apologist implies that you know how to win arguments similar to how a lawyer wins a case in court. To “be” an ambassador indicates the process of representing your sovereign king or government well. Since evangelism is not about winning arguments but rather representing the God of the Bible and his kingdom, ambassador gives us a more accurate word picture.
In his book Tactics, Greg Koukl lists three skills of an effective ambassador for Christ. First, one needs to acquire the basic knowledge to represent your sovereign well. Second, ambassadors need wisdom to fashion a clear persuasive message that fits a given cultural context. Finally, ambassadors have to develop godly character that enhances rather than detracts from the message. Although this course is tilted towards the first skill, it does have in mind the acquisition of wisdom and the necessity of living a life of integrity. CCBT prays that the small group setting and the open discussion format will enhance the growth of the whole person (head, heart and hands) into truly effective ambassadors for our Lord and Savior.
You may have heard the dismal statistics regarding the lack of evangelism by evangelicals. People tend to talk about things that they have knowledge of such as their hobbies, jobs, families, etc. We recommend Defending Your Faith as a starting point to enhance your biblical knowledge and strengthen your confidence for meaningful discussions with unbelievers about spiritual things. We pray that this course is one more building block towards making effective ambassadors for Christ.
Blessings,
Don Closson, editor
Table of Content
Introduction
Issue 1 Apologetics & Evangelism / 1
Issue 2 Building a Case for Faith / 17
Issue 3 The Christian Mind / 31
Issue 4 Introduction to Worldviews / 47
Issue 5 The Self-Revealing God / 61
Issue 6 The Reliability of the Bible / 75
Issue 7 The Deity of Christ / 93
Issue 8 Faith and Science / 113
Issue 9 The Problem of Evil / 131
Issue 10 Religious Pluralism / 147
Bibliography / Recommended Resources / 163
Glossary / 167
Acknowledgements for Probe and CCBT / 177
