Apologetics

[sparkman]

I'm thinking about possibly going to college for Apologetics. I know there's a lot of work to be done before that but can anyone suggest any good courses or reading material?

I would suggest the book Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen. Greg was a presuppositional apologist and this is a very God-honoring approach as it presupposes the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture.

There are youtube videos concerning his approach to apologetics. A particular one to watch would be his debate with Gordon Stein.


I would also recommend looking at worldview apologetics. James Anderson did an audio series on this that I like a lot.

Both the audios and handouts are here:

https://www.monergism.com/legacy/mt/mp3/worldview-apologetics

Also, Ligonier Connect has two classes on classical apologetics..it costs 9 dollars a month to join Ligonier Connect. There are also some classes on philosophy which is closely connected with apologetics:

http://connect.ligonier.org

I have a bunch of good books that I could recommend if you want to send me an email through the site and I can also hook you up with some additional Bahnsen audios if you have a Gmail account. Email me through the site and I can provide more information.

I am also a big fan of James White at Alpha and Omega Ministry and he has a lot of debates on YouTube. He has debated Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, same-sex marriage advocates, and Roman Catholics.


If I were you, I'd also endeavor to understand the Bible THOROUGHLY and make sure you are attending a sound evangelical church continually while engaged in apologetics. The Bible is your basis for reasoning regardless of apologetic approach and there is a real danger in delving into other world views without making sure you are securely anchored via participation in a local body of believers, and daily Bible study. Read Ephesians 4 in this regard.

I have heard of individuals who were fantastic in apologetics with Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, but weren't tethered or anchored to the Church by a local fellowship, and they ended up becoming indoctrinated into the JW theology. In fact, one well-respected apologetics ministry won't even consider employing Christians who aren't involved with a local body of believers for this reason.

 

[Kmdavis]

Some of the early Christians did apologetics. Apologetics simply means giving a defense of the Gospel. It's not extra biblical it's biblical.

1 Peter 3:15

[SUP]15 [/SUP]But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

I have learned so much about the word of God through apologetics. I had no idea what I was doing was called apologetics at first. Paul says we must give a defense for the Gospel and that is what apologetics is. I Speak to cults a lot and having a understanding of what they believe helps me to defend the word of God by showing them the truth. When Paul went to Athens he was trying to understand what they believed so he could present the gospel to them. He approached the Greeks differently than he would the Jews.

I watch a lot of Youtube videos. I don't watch TV anymore so I spend my time watching videos from the following people:
David Wood
Sam Shamoun
Jeff Durban
James White
Just to name a few..

I thought about going to school for it but have prayed on it and I feel that God has provided me with enough amo from free online sources. But pray on it and ask the Lord what you should do.

 

[sparkman]

I'm thinking about possibly going to college for Apologetics. I know there's a lot of work to be done before that but can anyone suggest any good courses or reading material?

What about a general theology degree, with a good background in the different books of the Bible, Christian history and original languages, and just a few courses in apologetics?

I think dealing with cults is largely about realizing how they distort the Word of God, Christian history, and make faulty linguistic assertions.

Note that I'm not saying understanding specifics of the groups isn't valuable..it is.

If I was doing that at your age I'd also throw in Arabic as I think Islam is a big threat.

 

[downtime]

Apologetics are actually what convinced me that the Bible is what It claims to be. I might suggest One Minute Apologist (Bobby Conway and many other apologists have done some fantastic work on this series) and Apologetics Press on YouTube. As far as apologists that do debates, Kyle Butt from Apologetics Press has had good ones with the likes of Blair Scott, Bart Ehrman, and Dan Barker. I'd also recommend Dinesh D'souza (though not necessarily all his political views). An author you might consider reading material from would be J. Warner Wallace, as he's a former homicide detective who uses the same methods in approaching apologetics.

 

[CS1]

Apologetics are actually what convinced me that the Bible is what It claims to be. I might suggest One Minute Apologist (Bobby Conway and many other apologists have done some fantastic work on this series) and Apologetics Press on YouTube. As far as apologists that do debates, Kyle Butt from Apologetics Press has had good ones with the likes of Blair Scott, Bart Ehrman, and Dan Barker. I'd also recommend Dinesh D'souza (though not necessarily all his political views). An author you might consider reading material from would be J. Warner Wallace, as he's a former homicide detective who uses the same methods in approaching apologetics.

is not dan baker an atheist?

 

[downtime]

is not dan baker an atheist?

Dan Barker is a former evangelical preacher turned renown atheist author and debater. Kyle Butt did very well debating him, in what I believe was Butt's first debate.

 

[tanakh]

There is only one book you need to study and that is God's Word.
If you want to defend what is right or wrong it is the only source.[/QUOTE
True but people like the New Atheists will question everything in the Bible and aren't satisfied with the word. So you have to talk in their language and defend it. Some people just need it spelled out for them.

I would think the best thing to do is try to find out which books the college uses if possible. In that way you can get a head start before joining and save some cash by avoiding the purchase of books you wont be using in the course.