Apologetics Training
by Peter Saunders

Why apologetics?

 

• Fulfils God’s command to defend the truth
• Removes obstacles to faith to aid evangelism
• Gives confidence to believers their faith is true and reasonable
• Encourages spiritual growth
• Contributes and strengthens the culture at large

 

Why apologetics training?

 

• Brings Christians into a deeper knowledge of the truth and level of obedience
• Gives Christians more confidence in the Gospel and in sharing their faith
• Makes Christians more effective communicators
• Multiplies the number of effective evangelists
• Follows Jesus’ example and command in making training a key priority

 

Training – the surgical model

 

Selection of keen gifted people with enthusiasm and commitment

Place them in teams of 2-5 with those at different stages in training

Learn  by apprenticeship – see one, do one, teach one

Observe, Assist, Do supervised, Do unsupervised, Teach

 

Principles of training (from Robert Coleman’s Master Plan of Evangelism)

 

Training – the way Jesus (and Paul) did it

 

1. Selection – He chose from them twelve (Lk 6:13)

Carefully choose trainees – keen, teachable, gifted  people of integrity

 

2. Association – Lo I am with you always (Mt 28:20)

Spend (hugely) disproportionate time with them – (1 Thes 2:8)

 

3. Consecration – Take my yoke upon you (Mt 11:29)

Expect them to be committed and obedient to Christ

 

4. Impartation – Freely you have received, Freely give (Mt 10:8)

Serve them – give them what God has given you

 

5. Demonstration – I have given you an example (John 13:15)

Show them what you want them to do – lead from the front

 

6. Delegation – I will make you fishers of men (Mt 4:19)

Assign them specific work assignments to do that stretch them

 

7. Supervision – They reported to Jesus what they had done (Lk 9:10)

Keep them accountable and give them feedback

 

8. Reproduction – Go and bear fruit (John 15:16)

Expect them to select and train others

 

The key problems with much apologetics training

 

1. Poor selection – too many people and the wrong people
2. No relationship with trainees – lives not shared
3. Failure to gain commitment
4. Unwillingness to pass on skills
5. Unwillingness to model skills – teaching divorced from doing
6. Failure to delegate
7. Failure to supervise, encourage, criticise or hold to account
8. Failure to encourage them to train others

 

The principle of multiplication

 

If you train 100 people a year for six years  - you end up with 600 trained

(100+100+100+100+100+100 = 600)

If you train 3 a year, then they each train 3 a year for 6 years – you have 7,458

(4 + 12 + 48 + 192 + 798 + 4266 = 7,458)

 

Principles on training in Europe in the 21^st century

 

1. 21^st century Europe is a multicultural, multifaith society

Apologetics training must be focussed on defending the Christian faith against the specific questions of all worldviews and also demonstrating the  deficiencies of all alternative world views (eg. non Christian theism, deism, naturalism, existentialism, nihilism, pantheism) at all levels – wrt cosmology, anthropology, thanatology, morality, epistemology, Christology. Trainees need to be taught to think ‘world-viewishly’)

 

2. Our media age is averse to monologue without interaction

The biblical context of apologetics is dialogue - The apostolic model means evangelism ‘In words they understand, in a comfortable environment, with discussion’

 

3. The Gospel is largely unknown or misunderstood

Apologetics must be with the end of gospel preaching in view

Jesus and Paul contextualised to gain hearers (identification), confronted wrong beliefs (prosecution) and preached the gospel (proclamation)

 

4. Even genuine seekers do not see Christianity as a workable worldview

Most non-Christians even if genuinely seeking for answers do not see Christianity as plausible or attractive. Grace vs Law. Religion vs relationship.

Vital vs dull. Hypocrisy, doctrinal confusion and disunity in the church constitute a huge barrier to belief. Incorrect Perceptions of Christianity need to be corrected

 

5. Major barriers to belief not amenable to traditional approaches

Relativism (which denies the existence of absolute truth), Historical scepticism (which maintains suspicion about all historical documents), False belief (commitment to alternative worldviews which make Christianity seem implausible), Moral decline (such that evil is seen as good and good as evil).

           

 

 

Our own training experience

 

– all training involves ‘seeing’, ‘doing’ and ‘teaching’ with trainees progressing through the different levels of involvement.

 

1. Confident Christianity  -- Basic entry level apologetics [1]

 

20-60 people; day conference format in three 2 hour sessions; 2-4 leaders; seminar/interactive style; 12 regional day conferences every three years since 1989.

 

1^st session: Pre-evangelism, God’s role and ours, Gospel Sermons in Acts, Gospel Outline (Chapman’s God - Man - God); role plays of gospel presentation

2^nd session: Biblical basis for dialogue evangelism, Little’s ‘Seven deadly questions’, Circular argument, Relativism, Engle Scale

3^rd session: Role plays in groups with leader playing devil’s advocate

 

Levels of involvement:

• Attend a training day and do role plays
• Share and defend faith on one to one level
• See - Organise a dialogue event for someone else to speak
• Do - Speak at dialogue event
• Teach -  a CC course module or two under supervision
• Teach half a CC day under supervision
• Supervise and lead a CC day

 

2. Ishmael my Brother – Basic level training in sharing faith with Muslims [2]

 

20-60 people; day or residential weekend conference format; 2-3 leaders; seminar/interactive style; ~20 conferences since 1995

 

Content: Introduction to Islamic beliefs and history, Muhammad, Bible/Qur’an comparison, Islam post Sept 11; Source criticism of Islam; Common questions; Relating to Muslims on campus; Evangelistic models; Resources; Evangelism at Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner

 

Levels of involvement:

• Attend a training day
• Get into personal dialogue with Muslims at university/internet
• Attend a Muslim meeting with fellow believers
• See - Organise a dialogue event for someone else to speak
• Do - Speak at dialogue event
• Teach -  seminar and role play on Islam
• Teach at an Ishmael weekend conference
• Organised debate with a Muslim apologist

 

 

 

 

3. Turning the Tide – Basic Ethics Day Conference [3]

 

20-30 people; day conference format in three 2 hour sessions; 2 leaders; seminar/interactive style; annual event

 

Content: Overview of developments in medical ethics; World views; Secular and Christian bases for decision making; Biblical authority; Biblical ethics; Hermeneutical principles; Conflicting commands; Ends and Means; Arguing a Christian position in secular terms; Role plays on specific ethical issues

 

Levels of involvement:

• Attend a training day
• Get into personal dialogue with fellow students
• See – Organise/attend a dialogue event for someone else to speak
• Do - Speak at dialogue event/ debate at medico-political event
• Teach - seminars and role plays on ethical issues
• Teach at ‘Turning the Tide’ event
• Speak at organised debate on an ethical issue
• Media training
• Media interviews and debates – radio/television

 

4. Short talks – Advanced training for speaking at dialogue apologetic events

 

8-12 people with proven apologetic skills; residential weekend; 2 leaders; Prepare 15 minute talk on apologetics issue beforehand

 

Content: World Views; Teaching on the Identify/Prosecute/Proclaim model; Training in how to run a dialogue event; See model talk; Give own talk and answer hecklers; criticism and discussion;

 

Levels of involvement:

• Attend a training weekend, give a talk and receive criticism
• See an apologetics event where someone else is talking
• Do - Give an apologetics talk and answer questions
• Develop a range of talks
• Teach and model talks to others

 

5. Hyde Park Christian Fellowship 

 

A teaching and witnessing fellowship of 20-30 regulars acting as a training ground for apologists especially for witness amongst Muslims

 

Content: Sunday lunch and lecture on Islam apologetics issue; 4 hours of dialogue evangelism at Hyde Park  (progression from prayer/observation, asking questions, heckling, speaking on ground, speaking on ladder)

 

 

 

 

 

Levels of involvement:

• Attend an Ishmael event (see above)
• Attend a Sunday lunch and lecture
• See - Join the team as a pray-er and observer
• Do – Get involved in one to one dialogue with ‘friendly’ Muslims
• Debate with more skilled individuals
• Heckle speakers from the crowd
• Speak from a ladder and take questions
• Debate skilled hecklers from a ladder

 

6. Media training – entry level and advanced courses

 

Selected 6-8 people for day seminar with 2 BBC interviewers and one doctor with media experience; 6 days per year

 

Content: Introduction to the Media; Getting your message across; Different contexts – live and recorded, debates and interviews; Recorded television and radio interviews and debates with feedback/criticism

 

Levels of involvement:

• Attend a Media Training event
• Friendly recorded radio interview
• Hostile radio debate
• Live hostile television debate
• Regular contributor
• Teach a media training day

 

CMF’s ministry experience - Right language, right environment, with discussion

 

1.      World View Surveys – Dave Montoya’s computer world view survey (based on James Sire’s Universe next door); class surveys or individual survey and discussion 

 

2.      Dialogue suppers – 4-12 ‘friends’ with common link, food and conversation, coffee, clear 5 minute gospel presentation, questions

 

      3.   Lunch bar evangelism – good publicity, personal invitations, free food, short apologetics talk (based on IPP model), questions

 

      4.   Debates – best as joint events, attractive subject, clear structure and high-profile neutral chairman, questions

 

      5.   Grill a Christian – popular venue, good quality panel of different people, clear 5 minute gospel presentation, Christian chairman, questions

 

     6.    Street evangelism – popular venue (eg Hyde Park), dialogue an essential feature, 

 

     7.    Evangelism Teams – week-long evangelistic camps in Eastern Europe/former USSR. 20-80 students, team of 2-10, Bible talks, seminars, apologetics issues, dialogue

 

     8.    Internet evangelism – common interest group, high interactivity, free threads, range of world views represented, eg. the doctors.net religion forum

 

Basic Apologetics Resources

 

Chapman C. Christianity on Trial.

Giesler N. Christian Apologetics

Kreeft P and TacelliR. Handbook of Christian Apologetics.

McDowell J. Evidence that demands a verdict; More evidence that demands a verdict; He walked among us.

Moreland JP. Scaling the Secular City.

Schaeffer F. The God who is there; Escape from Reason; He is there and He is not Silent.

Sire J. The Universe Next Door; Discipleship of the Mind; Why should anybody believe anything at all?