8.00-8.50, grade 9-10	8.55-9.45, grade 11-12	
Ian  14 		Lect. 1	Intro1. Define Apologetics. Examples of Apologetics. History of Apologetics: names, methods, arguments, partners (religions, science, philosophy). Topics: Does God exist? Is Jesus divine? Did Jesus came back to life? Is Jesus unique? Do all people believe the same thing about God? How did God create the world? Will there be an end of the world?	Intro1. Define Apologetics. Examples of Apologetics. History of Apologetics: names, methods, arguments, partners (religions, science, philosophy). Topics: Does God exist? Is Jesus divine? Did Jesus came back to life? Is Jesus unique? Do all people believe the same thing about God? How did God create the world? Will there be an end of the world?	
Ian  21 	Lect. 2	Intro2. Is apologetics something about defending something or about convincing others? For equals, for superiors, or for the persecuted?
It is personal = defending the gospel you believe in...
Danger: overusing reason and postmodernist relativism: the need for absolutes...  as a starting point, existentialism and ethics

 Relativism and “The Elephant.” In this story, blind men are trying to understand what an elephant is like. One grabs the elephant’s trunk and says, “An elephant is like a snake.” Another touches the elephant’s leg and says, “An elephant is like a tree.” A third man touches the tail and says, “An elephant is like a rope.” Relativists believe that is what the world’s religions are like. Each has only a piece of actual reality, and they are arrogant to assume they have the whole truth.

Witnessing and arguing...
Personal witness is one of the strongest arguments.
1 Pet. 3:15, give a reason for your belief...

Apologetics creates a friendly environment for explaining God and ourselves, according to the Bible...

The source for objective knowledge:
Nature (all facts? Partial, transcended)
Ourselves (Feelings, Reason, Senses)
Scripture (Which Scripture?)

1. God is the ultimate source of truth. 
2. God reveals to us what is true. 
3. Shine the light of God’s truth into a dark world.

Acts 17: Cultural communication of the gospel and its rules, speaking to a large audience. Speaking as an equal.
-	Connect, communication and curiosity
-	Connect, acceptance of  people and culture, acknowledgment, common ground, (politeness) of religiousness, an altar, thoroughness
-	Develop: accept history, culture, search for the divine (God), ie significance
-	Develop: affirm spirituality of God, transcendence
-	Connect: spiritual culture (quotations)
-	Connect: identity, significance of human life
-	Provide: generous opportunity for faith and repentance (anti-Jonah)
-	#rezist: don’t be disappointed

Homework: 
Acts 22-23: ...
Acts 26: ...
1 Cor. 15: ....
Romani 1-3: the Law and human conscience... 
1 Cor. 2, Xn epistemology (knowledge)
Be ready to give an account
Luke and stories,
Matthew and money and teachings,
Mark and the Romans...	Intro2. Is apologetics something about defending something or about convincing others? For equals, for superiors, or for the persecuted?
It is personal = defending the gospel you believe in...
Danger: overusing reason and postmodernist relativism: the need for absolutes...  as a starting point, existentialism and ethics

 Relativism and “The Elephant.” In this story, blind men are trying to understand what an elephant is like. One grabs the elephant’s trunk and says, “An elephant is like a snake.” Another touches the elephant’s leg and says, “An elephant is like a tree.” A third man touches the tail and says, “An elephant is like a rope.” Relativists believe that is what the world’s religions are like. Each has only a piece of actual reality, and they are arrogant to assume they have the whole truth.

Witnessing and arguing...
Personal witness is one of the strongest arguments.
1 Pet. 3:15, give a reason for your belief...

Apologetics creates a friendly environment for explaining God and ourselves, according to the Bible...

The source for objective knowledge:
Nature (all facts? Partial, transcended)
Ourselves (Feelings, Reason, Senses)
Scripture (Which Scripture?)

1. God is the ultimate source of truth. 
2. God reveals to us what is true. 
3. Shine the light of God’s truth into a dark world.

Acts 17: Cultural communication of the gospel and its rules, speaking to a large audience. Speaking as an equal.
-	Connect, communication and curiosity
-	Connect, acceptance of  people and culture, acknowledgment, common ground, (politeness) of religiousness, an altar, thoroughness
-	Develop: accept history, culture, search for the divine (God), ie significance
-	Develop: affirm spirituality of God, transcendence
-	Connect: spiritual culture (quotations)
-	Connect: identity, significance of human life
-	Provide: generous opportunity for faith and repentance (anti-Jonah)
-	#rezist: don’t be disappointed

Homework: 
Acts 22-23: ...
Acts 26: ...
1 Cor. 15: ....
Romani 1-3: the Law and human conscience... 
1 Cor. 2, Xn epistemology (knowledge)
Be ready to give an account
Luke and stories,
Matthew and money and teachings,
Mark and the Romans...	
Ian  28 	Lect. 3	Arguing correctly. Principles, Rules and Pitfalls. Bible. Logic. Religions. Science.	Arguing correctly. Principles, Rules and Pitfalls. Bible. Logic. Religions. Science.	
				
Feb  4 	Lect. 4	Logic	Logic.	
Feb  18 	Lect. 5	Seminar1 – conducting a debate	Seminar1 – conducting a debate	
Feb  25 	Lect. 6	Science	Science	
				
Mar  4	Lect. 7	Religions	Religions	
Mar  11	Lect. 8	Bible.	Bible.	
Mar  18	Lect. 9	Defending faith and non-Christians	Defending faith and non-Christians	
Mar  25	Lect. 10	Defending your Christian denomination	Defending your Christian denomination	
				
Apr  8	Lect. 11	Seminar 2 – Explain yourself respectfully	Seminar 2 – Explain yourself respectfully	
Apr  15	Lect. 12	Creation: world views	Creation: world views	
Apr  29	Lect. 13	Creation: and evolution	Creation: and evolution	
				
May  6	Lect. 14	Jesus divinity	Jesus divinity	
May  13	Lect. 15	Holy Trinity	Holy Trinity	
May  20	Lect. 16	The life and future of man	The life and future of man	
May  27	Lect. 17	Seminar 3 – faith, functional society, tolerance and identity	Seminar 3 – faith, functional society, tolerance and identity	
				
June 10	Lect. 18	Society and faith	Society and faith	
June 17	Lect. 19	Reading books and thinking	Reading books and thinking	
June 24	Lect. 20	Conclusions	Conclusions	

Who studies and who uses Apologetics? – A Christian, to explain and defend his faith. 
Apologetics is a way to explain what you believe, not necessarily to convince finally and definitively. It is an art of judging and thinking that youl politely defend your views, credibly, and will politely take into account the other one’s views, politely. It is a way to help one see Christ and believe in Christ. It is the way to one want another opportunity to think and to believe. It is a testimony and a hook. A piece of good and polite thinking, that leaves the work of conviction on God.

Seminar and lecture topics:
Horoscope and the Bible. Whose force is guiding your life – God, spirits, stars, yourself?
Defending and politeness: Athens. Rules of approaching different cultures.
Defending and logic: 1 Cor 15. Rules of thinking.
Apocalypse – now? 1-2 Thesalonians.