The following is the first half of my master’s project, finished by God’s grace in May of 2008. The project is designed as a how-to manual for people who believe God is calling them into the field of apologetics, particularly teaching apologetics to high school students.
It is probably interesting to about 12 people in the world. Therefore, please do not feel obligated to read it, even if we’re friends. My feelings will not be hurt. I understand.
The second half of this project is my apologetics curriculum that I use at Shades Mountain. I decided not to post it here since it is a continual work in process, and lets face it, this is long enough.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
From Personal Experience
Extremely few people specialize in teaching Christian apologetics to high school students, and it is an honor to be among the few. However, I cannot and do not boast of my own ability in this regard, since I have relatively little to do with my current position, but rather I am amazed at God’s providential hand guiding me to the place where I can have tremendous impact on students who are in the formative years of their individual belief systems, instructing them in the theoretical and practical defense of the Christian faith. Who is adequate for a work such as this?
It all began with a tract on the side of the road and it has led to the writing of this project. As a child, there was never a time when I did not believe in God. Belief was like breathing. However my family was not a church-going family and I was not disciplined in the Word of God until later. I was strongly influence, however, by my grandmother, the mother of my father, who often kept my brother and I. She would sometimes kneel in a backroom and pray with her arms outstretched to the Lord, sometimes calling me over so she could pray for me. This image of a faithful follower of Jesus Christ touched something deep inside my heart and moved me to desire knowledge of truth.
Though I was not reared with a consistent ecclesiastical influence, nonetheless as an early adolescent I placed my faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ after having found and read a gospel tract beside my street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This clear presentation of the Gospel, along with my grandmother’s influence on me, was enough for me to turn away from my sin and turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and everlasting life. John 3:16 was not just academic to me, but became intensely personal as the seeds of a truly Christian worldview were being sown in my heart. The sovereign God of the universe is able to move the glorious gospel anywhere, anyplace, and anytime and on that day he called me into his kingdom with clarity and irresistible grace that I might be among the millions who praise him forever.[1]
Years later I was making preparations for the ministry – pastoral ministry – at Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, AL. This small school afforded me the opportunity to enhance my knowledge in many fields, mostly related to ministry, including theology and apologetics. I was introduced to professors and literature that could accurately defend the validity and veracity of the Christian faith and, unconsciously it seems, I fell in love with the discipline of apologetics.
After graduating from college I spent the next five years as the pastor of a small Southern Baptist Church in Pinson, Alabama (2002-2007), gleaning a great deal of practical experience in bringing the gospel to bear upon the individual lives of God’s people. Throughout this time my interest and study in apologetics grew, partly because God has designed me to be analytical and generally skeptical, and partly because my wife had become the secretary of local Christian apologist Craig Branch.[2]
As a result of her employment I was also called upon to help with Mr. Branch’s ministry. One of my duties was creating and sending out information packets dealing with apologetics and cultural issues to those who requested them from our website. The process of creating these packets was often long and tedious and afforded me several hours of reading time while waiting on the copy machine to finish. Thus, I read article after article dealing with a wide array of issues from the Problem of Evil, to Pantheism, to Christian responses to social issues like abortion and homosexuality. Not only did this move much information into my mind for later use, but it allowed me to know where the best apologetics resources could be found regarding certain topics.
A further development increased my interest in apologetics even more. Shades Mountain Christian School[3] in Birmingham, Alabama offered me a position teaching apologetics to seniors, a position I quickly accepted. The desire on the part of the majority of students for learning apologetics was a wonderful surprise and I was happy to hear words of praise from parents about the content and helpfulness of the class. As a result of these responses I began to seek God about expanding the specialized teaching of apologetics to other high school students, a vision which God has since granted.
As of this writing, I continue to teach at Shades Mountain and I am also the youth specialist at the Apologetics Resource Center, the same office directed by Craig Branch. This latter position has led to many fantastic opportunities teaching apologetics to various youth groups, home school groups, summer camps, and other gatherings.
The particular subject I have chosen for this project therefore stems from personal and practical experience. I have a strong desire to help others who believe they are also called to teach apologetics to high school students. Even though there are very few people who are currently in this field vocationally, the need for people to enter this nuanced ministry is great as will be seen with a brief examination of recent statistics concerning the spiritual condition of modern Americans.
B. The Startling Data
Young adults today are in a precarious situation, wedged between the self-defeating rock of religious pluralism on the one hand, and the soul-shattering stone of cultural secularism on the other. In regard to the former, the message of religious equality is preached from many high places, declaring that all religions are essentially the same and all lead to the same divine essence, a view made increasingly popular by the highly influential talk show host Oprah Winfrey.[4] As to the latter, because of the lack of recognition of the absolute moral standard of God’s word, the culture is filled with images of depravity along with a welcome sign inviting others to join. Teenagers are being cultivated in this infertile soil and as a result are largely abandoning the faith or worse, they never recognize it.
Because of a desire to connect with students in their world I created a MySpace page. As more students became my “friend” I was astonished at the amount of morally questionable material appearing on the individual pages of the students. Some of them are laden with images of darkness and blood, images the students seem to believe are harmless novelties. However there seems to be a strong correlation between the images of this culture and the condition of the hearts of the people who produce those images. This intuition is backed up by numbers.
Pollster George Barna laments at the incredibly small number of people in the United States of America who identify themselves as people who are serious about their Christian faith. To see these numbers in context it is important to see how Barna describes an evangelical:
“‘Evangelicals’ meet the born again criteria plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church they attend.”[5]
On the basis of this definition, Barna’s research indicates that in 2007 only 8% of the population of the United States identified themselves as Evangelical. Contrast this percentage with the reality that in the same year around 69% of people claim to believe in “an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today.”[6]
The difference between these two numbers is no doubt indicative of many things, but certainly chief among them would be the gap between general, vague religious beliefs and the notion that Christianity is actually true and leads to action in one’s life. Barna continues that in 2007 only 4% of Americans said they had a biblical worldview where they sought out the Bible as the lenses through which they view reality and make every decision in life. Only 4%!
Ours is a postmodern culture where the idea of truth is frighteningly unpopular. The quest for truth is a lost cause. It is a search for a “holy grail” that doesn’t exist and never did. Postmodernists argue that objective, universal, knowable truth is mythical; all we have ever found in our agonized search for Truth are “truths” that were compelling only in their own time and culture, but true Truth has never been ours. Furthermore, if we make the mistake of claiming to know the Truth, we are deluded at best and dangerous at worst.[7]
Teenagers breathe the air of this poisonous position apparently not realizing or not caring that it is based on the shaky ground of a self-refuting premise: “there are no absolute truths,” which is, of course, a claim of absolute truth.[8] Even many churches have surrendered truth to this illogical notion and have turned Christianity into a set of stories to be uplifting for the community, but not a body of doctrine to be believed as absolute truth for all people at all times.[9]
Because of this pervading and relativistic mindset, many and perhaps most teenagers are not interested in education for the goal of obtaining knowledge of God, themselves, and their world for God’s ultimate glory.[10] Their goal in education is not to know God and know thyself, but rather to prepare to do well in society and earn a nice living. Deep thinking about matters of eternal importance is not a priority for most. The “whatever” mindset is more than just the clever use of a mere word. It is indicative of an apathetic attitude that has prevalence in this generation. Lee Vokich and Steve Vandegriff get to the heart of the problem:
“Young people need to be challenged to think for themselves. They need to be challenged to do their own thinking and not the thinking of media moguls or even the thinking of the group. This king of thinking takes time and energy and sometimes personal research and investigation. This kind of thinking can be hard work.”[11]
The problem with postmodernism is not that is makes people irreligious, but that it makes their religion totally subjective and not worth working to understand it. “The present generation shows a definite and remarkable interest in the study of religion.”[12] But to maintain in this culture that a particular religion is exclusively correct and all others false is to be intolerant and unaccepted in the mainstream culture.[13]
Ours is also a naturalistic culture. The dominating thought patterns in mainstream science continue to have naturalistic underpinnings. This is the worldview structure that maintains that matter and energy are ultimate reality which inevitably leads to an anchorless ethic subject to the whims of opinion.[14] One writer warns college students about this influence:
“Most of your college teachers will probably be naturalists. How will you be able to tell? One student wrote to me about her experience in an ethics class. The textbook mentioned two main kinds of theories about where morality comes from: supernaturalistic and naturalistic. Supernaturalistic theories say morality comes from God; naturalistic theories say it doesn’t. Unfortunately, the textbook considered only naturalistic theories. ‘When I asked the professor why it took such a narrow view,’ she said, “I was told that we would not have time for such superstitious and outdated theories.” As you see, at first her professor tried to ignore Christianity. Then, when her question made ignoring it impossible, he simply treated it with contempt.”[15]
Naturalism prevails in the university system and often appears to students as a better alternative than Christianity. However, neither postmodernism nor naturalism offers young people a solution to their most pressing needs.[16] Recent trends among high school and college students bear this out. Shooting sprees on campuses across the United States and incredible rates of alcohol and drug abuse among teens[17] reveals that these prevailing worldviews are providing neither a sufficient hope nor a sufficient ethic upon which people can build their lives and societies.
In addition to the pervasiveness of postmodern and naturalistic thought, studies show clearly that teenagers feel as though adults do not pay attention to them. They feel as though the previous generation has a “know it all” attitude and are so self-absorbed that they are unconcerned about the youth in the culture.
While many in the church have not intentionally turned their backs of the young, they are only “beating the air” and as a result, our youth are leaving the church in droves. In some cases, the family and church are present but unaccounted for. In other words, we’re there but we aren’t paying attention. Even though members of the emerging generations try to connect, it seems to them that nobody’s home…More than likely, the real problem is we haven’t been listening.[18]
Vukich and Vandegriff echoe this sentiment:
“Many people think that they understand the teenage period of life because they were teenagers once. This is not so. The person who went through adolescence five years ago is five years outdated. Times are changing, and if we are going tom minister to young people, we must change, even though the Gospel never changes.”[19]
My hope with this project is to reverse this trend and show teens that adults are very concerned about them, especially about their eternal destiny. These trends are not true for every single teenager. I am around faithful students constantly who exhibit tremendous Christian maturity and love for the Lord and his ways and who have great relationships with adults. But among the vast majority of students there exists a tremendous apathy and sometimes hostility towards the things of God even in the Christian school environment where I labor. And the adults around them seem to be so consumed with their own lives that they pay this situation very little attention.
But these trends can be overturned. Now is the time to train faithful students in the science and art of apologetics and confront faithless students with the penetrating gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Dare we believe that Christianity can yet prevail? We must believe it…This is an historic moment of opportunity, and when the church is faithful to its calling, it always leads to a reformation of culture.”[20]
C. Need for a Manual
In many ways this project is breaking new ground. Apologetics as a discipline worthy of the attention of our youth has been out of style for some time now, so those who have the passion to defend the Christian faith and influence the next generation, are engaged in a process of trial and error, in so far as the best means of teaching is concerned. Learning from the trials, errors, and improvements of others can be extremely helpful for the pilgrim traveling down this lonely road.
One of my fellow students at Birmingham Theological Seminary inquired of me one evening about teaching apologetics to youth. He is working on his Masters degree in Apologetics and he has a great passion to learn and be able to teach these great truths, but there is a major practical problem. “How does one get a job in this field?” was his question.
My hope in this manual is to provide basic guidelines for those searching for a vocation in educating youth in apologetics. What is the process involved in entering this unique ministry? I do not claim to have all or even the best answers, but I speak from personal experience and careful research in order to provide a common sense and, I pray, God-honoring approach to teaching apologetics to high school students.
CHAPTER 2: THEOLOGICAL BASIS
A. Introduction
Teaching apologetics to students in their pre-college years is a vital ministry that cannot be neglected by the modern church given the environment of hostility that surrounds us. This is made clear by common sense and a desire to ground students in the truth, but it is also made abundantly lucid in the text of sacred Scripture. In what follows, I would like to show the biblical and theological grounding for my desire to help those who would teach apologetics to high school students.
B. Training Children
God does not hide the fact that he wants Christians to train their children in truth. One of the most famous passages in the Bible, often referred to as the Shema (‘hear”), details God’s intention in believers shaping their children with truth:
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)[21]
Notice the descriptive adverb “diligently,” which means to perform an action with a great deal of intensity and focus. The Hebrew word that stands behind the English word “teaching” implies cutting information into the minds and hearts of those being taught. This indicates a grave seriousness involved in passing truth down to the next generation, a task never to be taken lightly.
The Shema passage unfolds this seriousness by showing all the different modes of teaching. Teaching is to happen in the morning and in the evening, in the process of moving about or staying still. The presentation of godly and truthful information for our children is an ongoing, active process that cannot be neglected.
Earlier in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses makes a similar statement certainly worthy of our consideration:
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’” (Deuteronomy 4:9-10)
Here we see a responsibility to train children in the truth not only given to parents, but also to grandparents. Believers are never finished training children in the ways of God. Just because one’s own children grow into adulthood does not spell the end of this major responsibility.
In the New Testament we find a similar admonition in the Apostle Paul’s words to those who are fathers. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)
Furthermore, Paul remarks to Timothy that it was because he had from childhood “been acquainted with the sacred writings,” that he was knowledgeable of salvation and could continue in the things he believed (II Timothy 3:14-15). The clear implication is that Timothy’s scriptural training as a youngster had a tremendous impact on him as an adult.
Paul takes the idea of training children a step further when he makes it a qualification for serving as an elder:
“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.” (Titus 1:5-6)
If a man cannot lead his own children into the faith of Jesus Christ, what good will he be as a shepherd in the church of God? Training up our children in the truth is a major portion of our theological grid. One cannot believe the Bible and think otherwise.
Now to be sure, these passages do not indicate that apologetics per se should be among the topics believers teach their children. In fact, it is abundantly clear that we are to teach the character, commands, and works of God primarily, so that they might come to know him as Savior and Lord. But does this exclude the teaching of apologetics? Certainly not! For what is apologetics but the defending of that which we believe to be true about God, his Word, salvation, and other Christian doctrines?
Defending these truths from onslaught and attack is a part of bringing the Kingdom of Christ to bear upon our culture. Given the fact that apologetics is designed to focus and sharpen the truth of the Lord, and given the fact that Bible commands people to defend the faith (see next point), training children in this discipline makes a great deal of sense.
C. Apologetics
Having established the biblical truth of the necessity to train children, we now focus our attention directly on the theological grounding for the practice of engaging in apologetics. For there is no good purpose in training young ones in subjects that should be avoided and if apologetics is one of those subjects let us not waste our time with it. But is defending the Christian faith important? Should it be part of the core curriculum in which children are trained? An examination of certain key texts will show that apologetics ought to be taught to children in an intense and focused way.
“But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (I Peter 3:15-16).
Here is a passage that expresses the heart of God in regard to apologetics. Our hope is meant to be defended with reasons. People will ask us why we hope in God and for eternal life. Christians must be able to clearly articulate those reasons in a persuasive, loving way. In his epistle, Jude expresses this same thought in a different way:
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:3-4)
Jude was faced with a crisis of false teachers in the church who “crept in unnoticed” and who were sabotaging the central truths of the Christian faith. This is why he instructs believers to “contend for the faith.” The word “contend” embodies the notion of agony. Believers are to agonize in the defense of our faith. In so doing, Paul states that “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-6).
When we combine these passages with those that require the training of children, it is obvious that one of the things we need to teach children is how to defend the Christian faith. Though I occasionally encounter people who are afraid that apologetics training will breed skepticism in their children, this fear is unbiblical and unfounded. Apologetics is a vital topic for youth to learn and practice.
Of course parents have the chief responsibility in this role of teaching their children. Thus parents should not only be biblically literate and theologically grounded, but also have a good working knowledge of basic apologetic arguments.
The church also has a major role in the training of parents (Ephesians 4:11). Church leaders should not assume that parents are going to do these things at their own initiative. Shepherds need to regularly lead the sheep in the direction they should go. The church can also function as a surrogate parent for those children who attend, but whose parents are not believers and thus certainly not interested in training them in the discipline of apologetics.
But the question arises, what if the church is not performing this duty of training parents and their students? This happens frequently and for a number of different reasons. When it does happen, the need surfaces for someone to come into that church setting and help them perform this task faithfully. Hence, there is a need for a parachurch organization.
D. Parachurch Organizations
Teaching apologetics to high school students as a vocation often requires involvement with a parachurch organization, unless the youth pastor model is chosen. However, the limitations of the youth pastor model are obvious: not as many students are affected by the teaching and there are many other pastoral details to daily consider drawing attention away from apologetics proper. Of course that can also be construed as a strength, given that the youth pastor can invest more time in a certain group.[22]
One who opts to work with a parachurch organization will probably be traveling around from one local church to another or teaching in a Christian school, activities that are often not under the auspices of an individual local church. But is this biblical?
Parachurch organizations have existed for many years carrying out many functions that individual local churches either neglected or simply could not do. Denominations, missionary boards, schools, and benevolence organizations are some of these many groups that are not the organizational church, but that perform functions that are biblically assigned to the church.
Jerry White has aptly connected cultural factors with the rise of parachurch organizations stating, “American individualism is one reason for the proliferation of parachurch organizations since 1960.”[23]
There is great debate today over this issue. Many Christians maintain that parachurch organizations are simply unnecessary and that each local church should step up to the plate and perform the duties Christ assigned her. Other Christians view parachurches as the “true church” which is actually doing what is suppose to do while typical local churches merely meet and have a “Jesus Show” each Sunday. White shows us that one’s theological position is not sufficient to answer this debate.
Theology rarely resolves conflict since most conflict in and among churches is seldom truly theological. Consequently, embarking upon a theological examination of local church and para-local church issues becomes almost futile, since so many people react strictly from their own theological training or from a pragmatic position based on experience.[24]
This being the case, how might we come to some conclusions on a biblical position concerning parachurch ministries? A balanced view would indicate that there are some needed functions that an individual local church just simple cannot carry out on its own. Denominational cooperation is generally considered a good, and perhaps biblical thing (consider Paul and Timothy as bishops over a number of local churches). But a denominational organization is not a church, even if it is comprised of several local churches. Thus a parachurch organization is formed to carry out that which the church organization hasn’t the power to do.
The same is true of missions. It is generally considers good for local churches to pool money, resources, and manpower in the carrying out of foreign missions, but again, this requires the formation of a board that is not a local church. Biblically, the Apostle Paul had a missionary team that moved about local churches, raising support from many of them, and which did not seem to be under the direct auspices of any one church (the church in Antioch is not mentioned after Acts 13 as having strict authority over Paul’s team).
When it comes to teaching apologetics to high school students, it is a niche ministry. This means it would not be viable for most local churches to hire a staff person who specializes only in the field of apologetics geared to high school students. Of course many youth pastors and lay members are trained in apologetics and can masterfully weave apologetics into their other teaching, but most are not. In fact, being a youth pastor generally requires a great deal of time and energy and little is left to the study and teaching of apologetics.
Thus it makes sense to have a parachurch organization that functions to invest in individual local churches in the training of high school students in the vital area of apologetics. This organization, though not a church, can be used of God to strengthen the churches.
Theologically, it seems to me that a parachurch organization is allowable if it serves to strengthen local churches. Of course, there must be accountability for this group and often this accountability can come in the form of a board inhabited with Christians from one or more local churches. It does not seem biblical or allowable for a renegade organization to exist that had no accountability whatsoever.
In conclusion, the practicalities of this project are well grounded in the depth of Scripture. Teaching children is biblical. Teaching apologetics to children is biblical. And utilizing in a balanced way the parachurch model has biblical precedence. For these reasons I proceed to more practical matters beginning with the preparation for the nuanced teaching of apologetics to high school students.
CHAPTER 3: PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY
Having explored the theological basis for teaching apologetics to high school students we now move to more practical matters. To begin with I want to examine three fundamental areas of preparation for this ministry on the part of the apologist: spiritual disciplines, education, and practice. These three broad areas are all necessary if basic apologetics are to be communicated to students in a genuine and believable way.
A. Spiritual Disciplines
This project is not a manual on personal devotion, but without personal devotion this manual will be useless. Teaching apologetics is spiritual warfare and it is not for those who would go at it alone, attempting to have a nice career in this field. “We dot not wrestle against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12).
Consider the fact that apologetics is tied very closely to the gospel and leads to many evangelistic encounters. This means apologetics is not some mere academic exercise or the ability to crush opponents through argumentation, but rather it is primarily an attempt to lead souls to Christ so that they might spend eternity worshipping him as they were designed to do. Without the spiritual disciplines, the apologetics teacher will be off target and will not comprehend the deep spiritual nature of this task. Though I will not spend much time emphasizing this reality it is absolutely crucial that it be understood.
Donald S. Whitney has instructed Christians to consider that, “God has given us the Spiritual Disciplines as a means of receiving His grace and growing in Godliness. By them we place ourselves before God for Him to work in us.”[25] When we pray we are placing ourselves before God for him to work in us. When we study the scriptures and meditate on them we are placing ourselves before God for him to work in us. When we journal and give and serve and attend church and fellowship with other believers we are placing ourselves before God for him to work in us.
To stand before a classroom of students and present the Teleological argument for the existence of God or refute the Problem of Evil, without personal devotion to the Lord, will come across as inauthentic and purely academic to the students. Only when we live out the Christian worldview in a clear visible way will students be interested in why we believe the Christian worldview to be true. Students, like most people, can smell hypocrisy. We must practice the spiritual disciplines and be devoted to the Lord as a part of the preparation for giving apologetic instruction.
I make it a practice to pray with the students I teach. We might be discussing the First Cause argument and thinking very logically about why the first cause must be an eternal thing and that God is the best explanation of this first cause. I have noticed that this argument has a great deal of strength in showing people the high probability that God exists, but it does very little to stoke the spiritual flames of the heart, for its biggest limitation is that it does not identify which God. Thus after I teach this topic I will ask the students to pray with me and I will usually say something like this: “Father, please forgive us if we seem to be making you out to be a science experiment. You are the First Cause, but oh, you are so much more! You are the living God of the ages who has revealed yourself through your Son Jesus Christ.”
This type of prayer shows the students that you are dependent upon God not your own ability to reason through issues. It shows them that even though we are obligated to defend the Christian faith, we can never presume to do it in our own power. We must live out in our teaching the reality that we seek to defend, namely, that God is God and we are not (Isaiah 42:8; Psalm 24:1).
B. Education
The study of apologetics is wide and deep, so much so that most professional apologists find it necessary to specialize in some specific area since it is impossible to become an expert in them all.[26] Needless to say, if you are to teach apologetics you must have a good working knowledge of many different disciplines.
Most of this expertise comes from earning higher education degrees. Most Bible colleges and seminaries offer specialized degrees in apologetics, where students dabble in all the various disciplines. The higher the students go the more specialized they become in one particular focus, say defending the authority of the Bible or the Fine Tuning argument for the existence of God.
Secular colleges and universities can also be healthy ground for education in the field of apologetics. A major in science, history, philosophy or some other connected topic could be incredibly beneficial down the road for the apologetics teacher.
No matter which educational journey is chosen it should be abundantly clear that education is necessary to the process. Not simply because jobs are few for untrained apologists, but because when teaching students, the teacher must have a deep intellectual grasp of the material in order to be taken seriously and answer appropriate questions. Apologetics teachers need to be “walking encyclopedias” filled with facts or the knowledge of how to get the facts. This knowledge is not meant to puff up the teacher, though this can and does happen, but rather this knowledge is meant to be poured out upon students who are desperate for the truth. Below is a list of some of the relevant topics that you would need to master or at least be proficient in before becoming an apologetics teacher of any kind.
Theology. Apologetics is the defense of theology but how can a person defend what we does not know?
For example the doctrine of the Trinity is an orthodox central tenant of the Christian faith and a hot button topic in the world of apologetics. Skeptics maintain that the notion of the Trinity is illogical and untenable. Apologists must take the task of defending against those incorrect views, but how can we unless we understand the correct view? This is not to say that we can have exhaustive knowledge of inner-Trinitarian structures, but rather that we understand the doctrine (theology) well enough that we can articulate what we mean when we say, “One Essence, three persons.”[27]
Examples like this abound. We must have serious, sustained, and continuous training in theology if we are to be effective apologetics teachers.
Logic. The study of logic is difficult but absolutely necessary to the task of apologetics. Unfortunately many arguments for the truthfulness of Christianity are not well constructed and can be easily dismantled when placed beneath the scrutinizing eyes of skeptics. We cannot be content to formulate weak arguments.[28] We must be rigorous (Plantinga-style)[29] in the defense of the Christian faith. But in order to provide strong arguments, we must learn by repetition how logic works. I suggest at least two classes on logic in a higher education setting before a person even considers a vocation in this field.
In my high school apologetics courses, I devoted up to three class sessions instructing the students in basic logic. It makes a huge difference later on when picking apart the weak arguments of opponents and formulating stronger arguments in defense of Christianity.
Philosophy. Apologetics is not philosophy but certainly makes diligent use of it. It would be impossible to understand, evaluate, and criticize the naturalistic worldview without a proficiency in epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. An apologetics teacher to lower grade levels must not only understand these things, but also be able to communicate them to students who, most of which, have never studied philosophy at all.
“If you want to do apologetics effectively, you need to be trained in analytic philosophy. And I say this even if your area of specialization is not philosophical apologetics.”[30]
The challenges here are great because as an apologist, we must uncover detailed philosophical arguments while not being a professional philosopher. The task can sometimes be daunting considering the amount and difficulty of philosophical material published regularly. But the apologetics teacher need not be an expert, since he will not have the time for that, rather he must have a good working knowledge of the issues and know who the experts are in case they are needed.
Science. There are several prominent defenses of the Christian faith which pop up in various scientific fields such as biology, astronomy, archeology, and so on. The argument that irreducibly complex organisms contain strong signs of design, for example, requires some knowledge of biology to make sense.[31] Likewise, when a piece of limestone is uncovered in Caesarea with the words, “Pontius Pilate Prefect in Judea,” inscribed on its face, the apologist must have some knowledge of the archeological process in order to use that find as a defense of the trustworthiness of the Scriptures.
The apologetics task is a multi-discipline task. In my opinion this makes it exciting and interested, but at the same time terribly difficult since we cannot master any one subject in order to be a good general practitioner of apologetics. Again, it is a good idea to have a general working knowledge of each of these areas of science and be able to punt to the experts in a given field when needed.
Textual Criticism. One particularly important scientific area is that of textual criticism. The apologist will do well to move beyond general knowledge in this field and really learn the facts of the transmission and preservation of the Old and New Testament documents. One of the chief objections against the Christian faith is that we do not have what the Bible writers wrote. Through the use of textual criticism however that claim finds no basis in reality. The apologist must be able to show the overwhelming data to the contrary and be able to speak about these issues fluidly with students who have questions.
History. One of the most effective evidential apologetic arguments that I am aware of is the connection between Christianity and history. There are various tie-ins throughout the Scriptures with what we know to be true from other sources. Plus, the entire Christian message is the story of God working through people engaging in what become historical events. This fact allows us to check Christianity for accuracy and also to see it as a coherent belief system. Of course none of this is possible unless you spend considerable time studying history. The apologetics teacher cannot be an expert in this area either, a task which would consume all of his time, but he can be proficient in general historical data and be able to find the experts when needed.
Many other subjects could be brought forth as important for the apologist to know: sociology, literature, educational philosophy, and so on, but for the purpose of this manual enough has been said: apologetics teachers need a solid and ongoing education in order to be prepared for the rigors of this ministry.
C. Practice
Education is needed and a prerequisite to practice, but education without practice is failure. Some people have a tremendous talent in understanding apologetic issues but cannot communicate those issues to students in an effective way. Throughout a person’s training period, regular teaching sessions should be executed in order to sharpen skills in the delivery process. But where does this happen?
The best place is the context of the local church. A Sunday School class, a youth group, or the pulpit are all appropriate places to practice the craft of teaching apologetics. If you look and connect with church leaders you will find a myriad of options available in this area. It is imperative to take the raw information you have learned, put it into an understandable outline form, and communicate it to a specific audience.
I suggest listening to those who are already established apologists and glean ideas from them. There is only one Ravi Zacharias,[32] but we can learn much about illustrating our points from this master of communication. There is only one William Lane Craig,[33] but we can learn much about clarifying our points from this master logician. Spend time via recordings with these masters and you will benefit greatly. Incorporate their techniques into your presentations and then give them a run on a live audience. This step is a must for those preparing for this ministry.
D. Conclusion
So when all the preparation is finished and the apologetics teacher is ready for a job, how do they actually find one? Teaching apologetics is nothing like putting in an application down at McDonalds. The jobs are few and in most cases need to be created. It can be a difficult and often discouraging endeavor trying to find the best position, but God is faithful who has called us and he hears our prayers. He has a plan for his children and if he has called a person to teach apologetics then he has the position available for them to carry out that task.
I would suggest at this stage, looking for openings in existing ministries. Later I will discuss the Youth Pastor Model, which is a tremendous way to teach apologetics and maybe the easiest way to get started. But it may be that you want to be a part of a parachurch apologetics ministry. In the next chapter I will discuss the pros and cons of such a model and offer suggestions for doing it well.
CHAPTER 4: PARACHURCH MODEL
The bold apologist might be adventurous enough and risky enough (or faithful enough) to start his own apologetics parachurch ministry. In this chapter I want to address the various issues related to this possibility. There are a number of bumps in the road if this path is chosen, but at the same time it can be exceedingly rewarding.
A. Independent?
First, he must ask the question whether he wants to be independent or affiliated with some existing organization. By affiliated I do not mean working directly for that organization, but rather I mean to “franchise” that organization.
Counter-cult group Watchman Fellowship is an example of a franchising apologetics organization. Centralized in Arlington, Texas, there are offices in six other states and one in Romania.[34] Watchman Fellowship might very well be open to establishing additional ministries in new places.
The Apologetics Resource Center, based in Birmingham, AL, also has an office in Kansas City, MO headed by Keith Gibson, a local pastor with a passion for apologetics. There is a desire to open more offices in other locations given that proper leadership can be found. Other large and established groups might also be interested in new offices that bear the same name, but function in a certain geographic locale.
If it is decided to franchise, there would be a number of benefits but also some drawbacks. The benefits include having experienced mentors, non-profit status intact, name recognition, an established website, and other such things. The drawbacks would be the loss of some control over the direction of the ministry and the methods used to carry it out. For some this is not a problem. For others control is needed especially if they want the ministry to be a reflection of their understanding and methodology.
If the latter is the case, independent is the way to go. Being an independent apologist is similar to being an independent insurance agent. The agent must knock on doors and make phone calls in order to build a client base. This takes time and great effort and is never finished. Likewise, the independent apologist must constantly contact pastors, youth pastors, church leaders, and interested individuals in order to build a support base. This can be an incredibly intimidating process but the independent apologist who chooses to ignore it will probably not do well long term.
The person who intends to be an independent apologist must be prepared for the difficulties that lie ahead. This road is not for everybody, but those who have traveled it successfully have seen the long term rewards for sticking with it. The person who does not personally have the stomach for this model should dismiss it and carefully consider the other two models.
B. Filing for Non-profit Status
One of the first goals of an independent apologist is filling for nonprofit status – 501(c)(3). This process can be long and tedious and can weary the lone apologist who is simply trying to raise funds to survive. But in the long run it is a profitable process (no pun intended). Expert Sandy Deja lists several important benefits including exemption from federal income tax, tax deductibility for donors, eligibility for bulk mailing permit, and credibility.[35] So how is it done?
First, most tax experts strongly suggest eliciting the help of an attorney who works in the nonprofit sector before beginning the process. One prominent tax expert book advices: “We suggest you seek the help of a competent accountant from the moment you decide to incorporate your nonprofit. Make sure you choose someone experienced in the many special requirements of nonprofit bookkeeping.”[36] Given that tax laws vary from state to state and that they can be quite extensive in nature, this is noble advice.
Even if professional help is sought and obtained, the apologist must also be proficient in understanding what is required. A helpful website called “501(c)(3) Fact Sheet” lists out the basic steps in the process.[37] Here they are with a few comments about each one.
Budget $500 for the application fee.
This fee seems high but if nonprofit status is attained it will eventually pay for itself and much more. Donors can be very generous but most also want a tax break if they are donating to a ministry. The ministry that does not have this status will find many people putting their money in other places.
Obtain Tax ID Number using form IRS Form SS4: Application for Employee Identification Number.
A federal Tax ID Number will benefit the independent ministry in more ways than simply allowing the process of obtaining nonprofit status to move forward. For instance, it will also allow for the opening of a bank account under the name of the ministry. Filing for this number can be done separately or with the nonprofit paperwork. Note carefully, obtaining a Tax ID Number does not guarantee nonprofit status.
Develop a budget for the next two years.
The United States Government is generous in allowing ministries to file for nonprofit status, but they do want to be sure that the organization is serious and legitimate. One way to determine that is through budget numbers. Every ministry should be doing this anyway as a responsible steward of God’s resources and as a way to look ahead at future goals and ambitions.
Prepare bylaws and articles of incorporation. These may be modified versions of the bylaws and articles of incorporation other similar organizations have submitted to the IRS in their 501 (c)3 applications.
As with the budget, the preparing of bylaws and articles of incorporation is important even if filing for nonprofit status is not desired.[38] It is so very helpful to have down on paper what the goals, aims, and guidelines are for the ministry. These will be a constant reminder of what God has called the apologetics teacher to do, and if the apologist is ever able to hire others they will also have an objective (on paper) understanding of the purpose of the ministry.
The articles of incorporation must be filed with the probate judge in the area. Articles of incorporation do not guarantee nonprofit status.
Designate a committee of “incorporators” who will have primary responsibility for developing by-laws and dealing with preparation of other documents for the IRS application.
These could be the potential board members of the ministry or perhaps people in the apologist’s church who are interested in the ministry. I have learned through experience with the Apologetics Resource Center that the more people are involved in this aspect of the ministry the more likely they are to be large donors. Therefore, I strongly urge independent apologists not to be afraid to ask people to participate in this part of the process. Certainly many people will say no, but history proves that many will also say yes.
When incorporation paperwork is received and bylaws are written, file for 501(c)(3) status with the IRS.
It is strongly suggested by tax experts that all 501(c)(3) paperwork be completed before sending it in and that copies be made for personal records. Once the IRS receives the application it can take several months before a decision is reached. Patience is the name of the game. This is a worthwhile process and it will allow the raising of funds with greater ease, plus it provides a sense of legitimacy to what the ministry is accomplishing. The legitimacy does not come in being “approved” by the government, but rather it comes as people will see the apologist is serious about running an efficient ministry.
C. The Board
One of the most difficult aspects of being an independent apologist is developing and maintaining relationships with a board, but this too is an integral part of the process. Who should be invited as a board member? The most obvious answer to this question is leaders in the church. An independent apologetics ministry ought to be an organization that exists from and for the local church of Jesus Christ and one of the best ways to do this is to assemble a board from the local church.
This does not mean that every board member must be a member of the teacher’s church. Some churches do not have that many people interested in this type of ministry. At any rate board members should have a passion for the local church in general and be exemplary Christian witnesses.
Board members should also be people willing to put in the time to pray, attend meetings, and think through the various issues surrounding the ministry. They should also be people interested in apologetics or else they may not grasp the importance of the ministry. Some may serve because they like the apologist as a person and though this has some value, it would be better if board members bought wholeheartedly into the mission and vision of apologetics.
The board should meet on a regular basis to discuss the issues relating to the ministry including financial updates, fundraising objectives, planned events, and the fruit that has come from the ministry. These meetings should be a time of encouragement and direction for the apologist as he submits to the accountability of the board. Careful minutes should be taken of each meeting so that set goals can be remembered at the next meetings.
Dennis Dale Pointer has written a book called The High Performance Board: Principles of Non Profit Organization in which he details what an effective board will look like.[39] Several of his insights are recorded here.
First, the high performance board “meets its fiduciary obligations.” That is, the board will understand the legalities surrounding the organization and will maintain strong and strict control over such matters.
Second, the board will formulate “a precise, detailed vision of what the organization should become.” Apologetics ministries can look a variety of ways with many possible emphases. The board will help determine which direction to go and where to pour in resources.
Third, the board will determine the director of the organization. Of course this person is usually the one who founds the organization and has the passion for it. A strong board however, will be able to replace that person and continue the ministry if and when it is necessary.
Fourth, the board should “fulfill its responsibility for quality by recognizing that product and service quality and client satisfaction and essential to the organization’s success.” A non profit ministry can provide a high or low quality product. Because of the importance of the ministry it is imperative that the quality be high.
Fifth, the board needs to set the financial tone of the organization, helping formulate and carry out the budget.
D. Fundraising
Fundraising can be a dreaded task but it need not have to be. I have discovered that the difference between drudgery fundraising and exciting fundraising is the attitude toward the ministry itself. If it is truly believed that the “product” being offered (careful instruction in apologetics for high school students) is a valuable product that needs to be distributed, then it will not be problematic asking people to join the team. Potential donors will also be watching the apologist’s attitude. If people feel that the teacher does not believe in what he is doing then neither will they. Students need apologetics desperately therefore nobody should be ashamed of raising funds to bring apologetics to them!
At the Apologetics Resource Center I have spent many hours considering how the support base of that organization was built. It primarily came from individual apologists contacting churches, asking for the opportunity to speak, soliciting interested people in that church to sign up for the newsletter, and then asking for funding through the newsletter. This is a relational process that allows supporters to see the value of the ministry and how apologetics instruction can enrich their lives.
Given this process, it makes the most sense to contact church leaders as a priority and attempt to show them the value of the ministry. Most pastors and youth pastors are interested already in apologetics and usually will listen. Many times they will offer the opportunity to speak. The apologist must take advantage of these opportunities to expand his mailing list (and more importantly to teach apologetics).
The mailing list is the bread and butter of fundraising for the independent apologist. James Greenfield, nonprofit fundraising expert, once wrote, “Eighty percent of the gifts Americans give each year star out…with a letter.”[40]
There should be a constant desire to expand the mailing list as one speaks in churches and meets people who are sympathetic to the ministry. I would suggest as a goal, increasing the mailing list by 200 to 300 people per year. But do not be content with a big mailing list. The apologist must do something with this mailing list!
Monthly mail-outs must happen. I can attest to the difficulty of sitting down every single month to write an update letter, but I have found this to be the biggest source of financial support. The letter should include stories of how God is working through the ministry, upcoming speaking engagements, and a section detailing personal items such as family life, etc. The cost of these mail-outs might spark an internal cringe, especially if the mailing list is rather large, but staying connected with supporters and prayer partners is a necessary part of the process that cannot be neglected.
It should also go without saying that those who do give should be contacted in a special way, perhaps through a thank-you note or a personal visit. These types of contacts can be brief but they will certainly be meaningful to the donor and could lead to future donations.
E. Building Relationship with Youth Pastors
It is clear where an independent apologist whose focus group is high school students needs to be – moving about churches and speaking to their youth groups in a variety of settings. The students at those meetings will be the most interested in your message and will open the doors for you to speak with unbelieving students at their schools and homes. But in order for this to happen, networking must take place.
In Christian circles, we tend to revolt against business models of networking since they seem to be only for the purpose of self-promotion. Networking however can be done in a sanctified way. Jesus, for example, was a networker. He enlisted the help of twelve men and worked through them to reach the masses who wanted to relate to him. Paul too made deep and serious connections with many people in order to make various local churches strong. At the end of many of his New Testament letters, Paul lists out people with whom he has forged deep relationships allowing ministry to flourish.
Diane Darling is an author who specializes in networking. She indicates that networking is not selling anything, receiving a donation, or securing funding, but rather “Networking is building relationships before you need them! Then when you need them, you know whom to call and he or she will want to help you.”[41]
The youth apologist’s best friend in ministry is the youth pastor and it is primarily with youth pastors that he should network. This is true for several reasons. First, senior pastors with their busy schedules are usually hard to contact and usually do not resonate as well with the idea of youth apologetics. I have found several exceptions to this rule, but for the most part senior pastors leave the organization of a youth group to the youth pastor. Youth pastors are usually much easier to contact, especially in smaller churches. I spend a considerable amount of time at Starbucks chatting with youth pastors about their ministry and how mine can enhance theirs.
Second, relationships with youth pastors are vital because they are and a door into that local church as a whole. Again, raising funds can be terribly difficult, but many lay members in the average local church will be interested in helping, but somehow we have to get our message in front of them. Most youth pastors have a relationship with the senior pastor and can sometimes open the door for you to have spot in a major worship service to present your ministry to the congregation and find a pool of potential donors.
Third, youth pastors can benefit themselves immensely from your expertise. I have found in my own relationships with youth pastors that they appreciate having a sympathetic ear and often covet your advice about their ministry. Supporting youth pastors in this way and through prayer can become a major part of the ministry and connect us more tightly with the local church.
F. Denominational Issues
The Christian church is splintered into many smaller pieces causing quite a bit of concern among believers and unbelievers alike. If God commands us to “love one another” why are we so broken? We should all long for the day when denominationalism is no longer a needed reality as it is in this fallen world; the day in which every tribe, tongue, and nation will gather around the throne of the Lamb. Until then we must deal with the brokenness and hopefully bring healing between the various rifts, but certainly not at the expense of theological soundness.
The independent apologist has a unique opportunity to be part of the glue structure that holds many of these denominations together. Baptists and Presbyterians disagree on when a person should be baptized, but they both agree (usually) that the Christian faith must be defended from onslaught. The Church of God and most conservative Episcopal churches disagree on how to conduct a worship service, but they both agree (usually) that the Christian faith needs to be defended from attack. Since this is the case, the apologist is welcomed into a variety of denominational settings and becomes in some ways the “social butterfly” moving from one flower to the next.
The problem I have encountered with this, however, is that the apologist must himself be a member of a local church and must therefore choose among the denominations. His choice will become common knowledge. I am a Southern Baptist, a denomination not known in large part for theological rigor and precision, thus some PCA churches are hesitant to have me come speak to their students. Likewise, I have seen many Baptist pastors and deacons slow to welcome a Presbyterian apologist into their midst, after all he is part of the “frozen chosen.” These types of caricatures will probably remain with us until Jesus comes. But how are they to be overcome here and now?
The answer is relationships. I have many strong ties and relationships with Presbyterians for example, which opens doors for me to teach apologetics in those churches. When people trust us as individuals, denominational boundaries usually come falling down. I would suggest setting up appointments with pastors and youth pastors of other denominations, buying them a cup of coffee, and just sharing an hour or two with them. You do not have to walk away from such meetings convinced that the other person is right nor do you have to destroy all of his arguments. The goal is to love one another in spite of the differences, allowing the gospel to heal whatever wounds might be present. In this way that apologist can be part of the cohesion that connects the whole body of Christ.
We must remember however, that many denominations teach heresy. Though we might befriend someone who is Mormon, bridging gaps is not the goal of that relationship, but rather winning them to Christ. Some denominations are closer together than others and this takes wisdom and discernment on the part of anyone who would flutter among them.
G. Advertising
Being an independent apologist will require a great deal of effort, creativity, and time. Most people starting out in this endeavor are limited on funds meaning it is difficult to pay someone for a decent website and advertising through other normal media outlets is almost impossible. But advertising in some form must be done! Somehow the apologist must break through what David Shenk calls the “data smog”[42] By this he means that the average American is bombarded with hundreds of advertisements each day through TV and radio ads, direct mail, billboards, internet ads, and a host of other mediums. With all of this clutter, it is terribly difficult make an apologetics ministry noticeable.
Creating your own website with software or starting with a blog (purchasing a domain name to point to it) might be the best way to go in the early stages. If a person puts forth the effort to write a high quality, medium length blog every single day, and spends considerable amount of time on other blogs, commenting and leaving links, quite a bit of interest can be stirred up. Unfortunately, the interest stirred is usually not local interest, nor is it the type of interest that leads to successful fund raising or speaking engagements. Spending too much time doing this can be counterintuitive and thus damaging. But a blog is a great place to “store” good articles you have written so that others can read them, and it is a great place to link apologetics resources online. Whenever I speak at a church, I inform the students that my blog is loaded with resources for them if they should desire to search into these matters further.
The best advertising, especially early on, is grunt work: making phone calls and sending e-mails to local pastors and youth pastors. The independent apologist cannot be afraid to talk to people and “sell” the ministry to them. What has helped me in this regard is a strong belief in the “product” I am offering. I truly believe that students desperately need apologetics training and since I truly believe this, I have no problem attempting to get a church leader or potential fundraiser to see my point of view.
I would suggest going online and searching for churches in your city and other nearby cities. Most church websites give information about the youth pastor. Compile names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses and start calling and sending out e-mails. Set up appointments when possible to meet in person and share what your ministry is all about. Again, this is grunt work, but with limited funds it is the only way to get the ball rolling.
H. Writing
I often tell students that if they are truly interested in apologetics, they must read. I pull books down off the shelf constantly and recommend them to students. Apologetics teachers just simply do not have the time to cover all the nuances of a particular topic so reading is vital to the process. Plus, reading forces the reader to meditate on and thing deeply about the issues.
This is why I suggest that any apologetics teacher also have a writing ministry. I have often taught a subject and at the end of class offered an article that I wrote on that subject. I have found that students who know you and much more interested in reading an article that you wrote as opposed to someone else (even if it is an R.C. Sproul or someone like that).
But where does one start? Again, I suggest starting with a blog. It is a great place to write short or long pieces and it is easy to point students to that blog. These blog posts will spark the imagination and could open the doors for potential book ideas. But wherever you start, writing should be a key component in the apologist’s tool bag.
In conclusion, the independent apologist model is not for everybody. The business side of it can be grueling at times. For this reason other models seem to be better suited for most people. But for those who have the stomach for it, there are many ropes to learn in the process. Now consider the youth pastor model.
CHAPTER 5: YOUTH PASTOR MODEL
I spent some 12 months around the turn of the millennium as a youth pastor in Irondale, Alabama. It was an enjoyably difficult ministry which I count as a worthy portion of my overall learning experience so far. The students I pastored were “railroad kids,” because they literally lived right next to a major railway station. The sounds of clanks and engines and connections constantly filled the air. The kids lived in homes were discipline was either absent or overdone to near abuse. None of the parents came to church but they did seem to appreciate the free babysitting. No wonder whenever we had youth meetings behavior was always a problem.
In spite of these difficulties, none of which were unique to my situation, I was still able to connect with these students and often using apologetics discussions. They wanted to know if the Bible really was true. They did not come from families who forced them to believe this, so I think there was an authentic desire on their part to know. They wondered if God really exists and they wondered what salvation was all about. I had the privilege of being the local apologist for those kids at that church for about a year. In no way do I doubt the significance of that time for both the students and me. It was an incredible opportunity to share the information I had learned about defending the Christian faith with people who were interested.
If you desire to teach apologetics to students, becoming a youth pastor is one of the best ways of carrying out that task. One obvious benefit is that it provides for a regular income and fundraising is not the focus. The local church who hires a youth pastor is usually happy to support him in the work (though many parishioners differ on exactly how they would like their youth group to be conducted).
If a student apologist decides to go with the youth pastor model, there are many benefits but also some cautions. I would like to spend this chapter dealing with the good and the bad when it comes to utilizing the youth pastor role as a vehicle for apologetics.
A. All the Other Things (A Youth Pastor Must Do)
We will start with the obvious: a youth pastor is a pastor not primarily an apologist. This means that as a youth pastor, the apologetics teacher will deal with teaching students a variety of subjects the most important of which is the Bible itself. Preaching the word of God is priority, not teaching apologetics. And even this first priority is difficult to focus on, for even though it is true that “the tyranny of the immediate forces many to neglect the weightier matters of youth ministry,”[43] nonetheless what forces the neglect is usually a very long and tedious to-do list.
Dettoni provides a list of the basic tasks of today’s youth pastor. He is a model, counselor, resource person, facilitator, authority figure, friend, teacher-communicator, developer of leaders and prayer warrior.[44]
It can be overwhelming at times to wear so many different hats. As a counselor alone, the youth pastor will spend considerable amounts of time dealing with the personal problems that the students are going through. They are at a stage in life where they are much more interested in the fact that you care about them rather than what you know and can teach them. Youth pastors must develop relationship with students, playing sports with them, attending their band and choir concerts, taking them on retreats, and getting parental permission slips for the many activities.
There are a large number of details to deal with as a youth pastor that cannot be neglected just because one has a strong interest in apologetics. It is important to know these things going into the job. If a person decides to take this route as a means of teaching apologetics, he must remember that although apologetics can still be important it will be reduced to one of many details. But this leads us to the biggest overall benefit of the youth pastor model.
B. The Benefits of Long Term Relationships
The youth pastor gets to spend hours and hours with a relatively few students, getting to know them very well. “The fact is, most students get involved in a youth ministry because it gives them a chance to connect with people with whom they want to socialize.”[45] The youth pastor learns about students’ interests, their strengths and weaknesses, and their personalities. He is also able to apply teaching to their lives in direct ways and follow up with them to hold them accountable. Naturally, when it comes to apologetics, this is ideal.
Josh Mcdowell is one of the best know Christian apologist of the past generation.[46] He is known for detailed and careful arguments for the deity and resurrection of Christ and for the trustworthiness of the Bible. I heard him speak recently at a conference and I anticipated him speaking on some major apologetics issue. He surprised me however when he announced his topic as dealing with relationships. Relationships? Yes.
Mcdowell said that he had learned over the years that people will not care what you know until they know you care. That people very often form their beliefs, not on the basis of the best and most logical argument, but on the basis of love. Those who reach out to people have the privilege of communicating beliefs to them. This is why, I believe, the Mormon cult has been so successful. Even though they have no shred of evidence that their faith is true, nonetheless they continue to grow at an astounding rate because they reach out to people in seeming kindness.
The youth pastor has this type of “power.” It is not the kind of power that should ever be abused, but it is the kind of power that affords the youth pastor the honor of speaking into students lives in such a way that they will listen, precisely because they have developed a long term relationship of trust and respect with the youth pastor. I speak with students regularly about their youth groups and it is clear that respected youth pastors become like a family member to them. Dettoni advises youth pastors to “find a point of contact, beginning with the personal…In a church youth group teachers have the opportunity to learn general characteristics of youth and get to know their own learners during the week.”[47]
The youth pastor model requires a person to engage in many details he otherwise might not be interested in, but it also gives the great advantage of long-term relationships with students, a factor that is huge in relating apologetics to the students.
C. Interweaving Apologetics with Bible Studies
As already mentioned, exposing the Scriptures should be primary on the youth pastor to-do list, since he is the shepherd of souls. The Word of God is living and active and the holy message from God to men, and it is all that is required to inform us of the way of salvation. The youth pastor should be a careful exegete of the scriptures and apply them directly the students’ lives.
Apologetics, on the other hand, is different than Bible study. Defending the trustworthiness of the Bible is different than studying the Bible. Working through evidential arguments for the existence of God is different than working through the book of James. This can be a problem for the youth pastor who has usually less than 2 hours of teaching time each week.
One solution is to make apologetics a recurring theme in the cycle of study through which the youth pastor moves his students. A sample teaching schedule might look something like this:
January – February…The Gospel of Mark
March…The Christian Worldview
April-May…Genesis
June…Life of David
July…Does God Exist?
August-September…Judges
October…Church History
November…A Study in Proverbs
December…Answering Objections against the Christian Faith
Of course many other topics could be covered and certainly should be over the course of several years, but the point is, apologetics is weaved into the regular pattern of teaching.
In addition, the youth pastor can interweave apologetics themes into the other lessons. For example, if he is preaching through I Peter, he will come across chapter 3 verse 15: “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” This would be a great place to spend some time discussion how to “make a defense.” Many other passages of Scripture would also lend themselves to a focus on apologetics.
The youth pastor who has a passion for apologetics can be creative in many different ways to bring apologetics teaching to bear upon the lives of the students.
D. Providing Apologetics Information to Students
The student minister should also become a resident apologist, theologian, and philosopher for students. Not necessarily a person who has all the answers since no such person exists, but a resource person for the students. There are many great books, articles, and audio messages that cover a huge range of issues related to apologetics. If students know that you know where that material is found, they will constantly ask for information on various topics as they become interested in those topics.
I have students ask me for information on Mormonism, Scientology, evidential arguments, etc. It is awesome to be able to print them out an article, copy a journal article (careful with copyrights), or lend them a book that deals with that subject. Because of the long-term relationship youth pastors have with students, there can be follow up: “Did you read the article I gave you? Why not?” Accountability can be a strong advantage for the youth pastor as a resource person.
In summary, the youth pastor model is ideal in many ways for the person who wants to teach apologetics to high school students. It offers stability, there are many jobs available, and it affords the opportunity to forge long-term relationships. The only drawback is that this model removes the focus from apologetics to the entire range of pastoral responsibilities. But with a bit of creativity this factor is not entirely negative.
So far we have covered the independent apologist model and the youth pastor model, but there is another unique avenue some may choose. There are some people who are not interested in either the grueling fundraising involved in being an independent apologist, nor in all the pastoral responsibilities of being a youth pastor. Some people just want to teach apologetics. The ideal model for this person is the school teacher model.
CHAPTER 6: SCHOOL TEACHER MODEL
I teach apologetics to seniors at Shades Mountain Christian School. This is a job that I would never have considered or thought possible were it not for my wife provoking me to present my resume to the administration. The result was a job where I spend the bulk of my time thinking about, writing about, teaching, and discussing apologetics topics. It is perhaps the dream job of one who sincerely desires to bring apologetics into the lives of young people. This is not to say that I do not have any other responsibilities, which is often evidenced by the reality that I often have crossing guard duty, lunchroom duty, and parking lot duty. Plus, there are discipline issues to deal with in the classroom. But the overall focus is on the teaching.
A number of Christian schools understand the value of worldviews and apologetics training and have begun classes to accommodate the need. Others would be willing to start a class if they had a teacher who could administrate the process. This chapter is designed to help the blooming youth apologist to potentially fill the roles.
A. Getting the Right Education
Teaching at a school might require a somewhat different slant to preparation. Most schools strongly prefer their teachers have a number of education courses and perhaps a minor in education. Principles and headmasters are not only interested in smart teachers, but also teachers who can teach – which is an art form itself. For this reason, it is wise to make a decision early if you want to end up in a school, so that you can take classes fitting for such a course.
In my case, I never desired or fathomed I would be teaching in a school setting and did not take any education courses. However, I was working on a MA in apologetics which was appealing to the administration. There are different paths to the same goal sometimes. Plus, some schools require more than others when it comes to education courses. If you feel like you have had the proper training the next step is finding an actual job.
B. Finding a Job
Christian schools are plenteous but so are the number of teachers who stay long term at those schools. It is sometimes difficult to even know of an opening (few that they are) and when there is one, the administration usually receives several resumes. I would strongly suggest visiting the ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) website, where job openings are posted online.[48] This is an invaluable resource. Of course, getting a job in a school might involve moving to a different city or even a different country, a reality that the apologist must be ready for.
I also suggest that the apologist spend a considerable amount of effort making his resume attractive. All experience teaching should be included, as well as a brief doctrinal statement. A large number of references should also be included. Suggesting on a resume that the administration not call references is a mistake. Rather references should be listed out with addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, showing willingness for them to be contacted. Schools are interested in hiring honest and moral teachers and one of the ways to demonstrate that is through having open references.
I also suggest taking the time to get to know people at the school. If a school has a job opening, the potential teacher should first visit the school’s website and learn as much as possible there. An administrator should be called with questions about the school, the students, and the administration. One of the best ways to find a job is to network and develop strong relationships. Christian schools (like most other organizations) usually value relationships and very often hire people “known” by the group. Expertise in apologetics is not enough. Administrators will also want to know if a potential teacher is going to be a team player with them, with other faculty members, and with students and their parents.
I would finally suggest looking into home school possibilities. Home school is not what it used to be. Now much of home school doesn’t take place in the home. Coop groups offer classes for students who come once or twice a week. Of course, parents still maintain control over their child’s schedule and no class is mandatory, but many home school families have taken advantage of this opportunity.[49]
I met a local home school mom who does much of the administrative work for their group. She suggested that I offer an apologetics class. As a home school teacher, I charge each student a set enrollment fee. Twelve students signed up for the class and many others showed interest for the next year. Although home schooling alone would probably not offer enough support, it is a great way to reach more students with apologetics and to supplement personal income.
C. Beginning an Apologetics Class
Many Christian schools do not have an “apologetics” class but they do have Bible classes. One of these schools might be interested in you and hire you. You might not be interested in teaching Old Testament or New Testament or Systematic Theology, but you can. I would strongly suggest taking the job anyway, because you will be able to weave apologetics into those classes and other opportunities might come up within that school later on. Once you are on the faculty and put in some time, you could potentially have the opportunity to start an apologetics class.
Tony Canevero is the secondary history teacher at Shades Mountain Christian School. He had been teaching at the school for years when he began to learn about worldviews and how people’s worldviews affected their thinking. He decided to begin a worldviews class at the school and with the approval of the administration began teaching it. This is the class that I now teach and it has developed into a requirement for graduation. If a history teacher can do this so can a Bible teacher.
D. Curriculum
One of the biggest obstacles in teaching apologetics as an academic discipline to high school students is the lack of quality curriculum available. I decided to create my own – a process that is still in process. I developed an outline that covered the whole gambit of apologetics issues, developed note sheets for the students, and continue to develop PowerPoint presentations to go along with each talk. I write my own quizzes and tests and create my own assignments as well. This process involves an incredible amount of work, but is worthwhile since the teacher learns an abundance of material just by going through the preparation process.
In addition to the notes, I also provide students with articles to read that pertain to the subjects we discuss in class. Since I have created my own curriculum, I am able to choose which articles I think are best for the students. So far I have not required the students to read a supplemental book however that will probably change in the future. Unfortunately, there are no books that I know of that cover a comprehensive number of apologetics topics on a level for high school students. Because of this need I felt a desire to fill the gap and write my own book which is currently in the proofreading stage of development.
If however you would rather use existing material, my top recommendation comes from David Noebel of Summit Ministries and is called Understanding the Times.[50] This material has been around for many years and is constantly updated and revised. The curriculum package includes a teacher manual, textbooks, and more than a dozen well made videos that can be shown in class.
Some schools require all teachers to use a certain curriculum. If the apologist ends up in this environment he of course can lobby for the material he feels is most appropriate. He should also keep in mind that using material does not imply that he can’t weave his own material into the teaching process.
E. Combining Models
Probably the biggest drawback to the teaching model is its low pay. Operators at Chik fila are guaranteed $30,000 salaries, but teachers at Christian schools should not expect so much. This is because funds are usually limited in the Christian school context. Parents are taxed greatly in order to fund public education and then they are given a sizable bill in order to send their kids to a Christian school. As a result of this unfair situation, many parents are simply unable to afford the education they would prefer for their children and as a result teachers in private schools usually except much less then their counterparts in public schools.
My salary at Shades Mountain is not even half of what my family budget requires me to earn (I have three children). For this reason and others, I have decided to combine models. Not only do I teach at the school (and the home school class on Tuesday afternoons), but I also operate as a youth apologist for the Apologetics Resource Center. In the latter position, I meet with pastors and youth pastors, and conduct apologetics classes in a variety of local church settings. This position allows me to raise the additional funds needed to support the family.
Combining models however has a major drawback – it is exhausting! It requires a great deal of energy and drive and it lessens focus on one particular group of students. But sometimes it is necessary in order to provide the needed funds.
Models can be combined in a number of different ways. One suggested way would be to teach at a Christian school and be a youth pastor at the same time. This is ideal especially on the level of schedule, since school is never in session during traditional church meeting hours.
One model that does not work because of schedule problems is mixing the independent model with the youth pastor model. The problem is that churches will want you to speak to their students on Wednesday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night, but these are the very hours that you will be required to teach your own group.
In summary, the Christian school teacher model is a strong and viable option for the person who desires to teach apologetics to high school students. I strongly suggest this route, because it allows a focus on the teaching of apologetics rather than the raising of funds (unless you have to go to a combined model).
[1] 1 Pet 2:9 (ESV).
[2] Apologetics Resource Center, “K. Craig Branch,” Staff, http://www.arcapologetics.org/branch.htm [accessed March 18, 2008].
[3] Shades Mountain Christian School, www.smcs.org, [accessed March 18, 2008].
[4] John Hick, “Is Christianity the only true religion, or one among others?” Lecture, presented to a Theological Society, Norwich, England, 2001. Article form available at http://www.johnhick.org.uk/article2.html [accessed March 18, 2008]. Professor Hick is a preeminent defender of religious pluralism.
[5] The Barna Group, “Evangelical Christians,” http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=17, [accessed March 1, 2008].
[6] Ibid.
[7] R. Wesley Hurd, “Postmodernism,” http://www.mckenziestudycenter.org/philosophy/articles/postmod.html [accessed May 14, 2008].
[8] For a brief overview of self-defeating statements see J.P. Moreland, “So Right Its Wrong,” http://www.boundless.org/features/a0000942.html.
[9] Albert Mohler, “What Should We Think of the Emerging Church,” http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2005-06-29 [accessed May 14, 2008].
[10] Cornelius Van Til, “The Reformed View of Education,” Essays on Christian Education, (Phillisburg: P&R), 1979, 78-92.
[11] Lee Vukich and Steve Vandegriff, Timeless Youth Ministry, (Chicago: Moody Press), 2002, 109.
[12] Ibid., 34.
[13] For more about the redefining of tolerance see Brad Stetson and Joseph G. Conti, The Truth About Tolerance, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP), 2005.
[14] Ronald H. Nash, Worldviews in Conflict, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 1992, 116-129. Nash explains, “For a naturalist, the universe is analogous to a box. Everything that happens inside the box (the natural order) is caused by or is explained in terms of other things that exist within the box. Nothing (including God) exists outside the box; therefore, nothing outside the box we call the universe or nature can have any causal effect within the box.”
[15] J. Budziszewski, How to Stay Christian in College, (Colorado Springs: NavPress), 1999, 43.
[16] This is a major reason for the rise of New Age mysticism. In a world where Scientism prevails and God is excluded, the soul yearns for some form of spirituality. For a detailed explanation of the New Age Movement and its deceptions, see Douglas Groothuis, Unmasking the New Age, (Downers Grove: IVP), 1989.
[17] According to the Department of Justice in 2006, 66.5% of high school seniors had consumed alcohol within the past 12 months and 31.5% had used marijuana in the past 12 months. Many studies also indicate that prescription drug abuse is on the rise among teens. See http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/du.htm#youth.
[18] Walt Mueller, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture, (Downers Grover, IL: IVP), 2006, 24.
[19] Vukich and Vandegriff, 42.
[20] Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy, How Now Shall We Live? (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers), 1999, 37.
[21] All scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated.
[22] See section on Youth Pastor Model in this project for a more detailed discussion of this point.
[23] Jerry White, The Church and the Parachurch: An Uneasy Marriage, (Sisters, OR: Multnomoah), 1983, 58.
[24] Ibid., 63.
[25] Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, (Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress), 1991, 18.
[26] William Lane Craig, “Advice to Apologists,” Reasonable Faith. http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5341 [accessed October 21, 2007].
[27] Quoted from the Nicene Creed originally composed in 325 A.D.
[28] The late C.P. Thiede was a German scholar who sought to prove an incredibly early date for P64 (Magdalene Papyrus). He seemed to ignore much of the evidence for a later date and his own methods were heavily criticized by conservative and liberal scholars alike. Rather than helping the Christian cause, Thiede’s attempts to overstate his case has actually damaged it.
[29] Alvin Plantinga is a Christian philosopher and professor at Notre Dame, known for his rigorous methodology in presenting arguments.
[30] Craig, “Advice to Apologists.”
[31] William Dembski, “Science and Design,” First Things 86, (Oct. 1), 1998.
[32] www.rzim.org
[33] www.reasonablefaith.com
[34] See http://www.watchman.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.offices for a list of all the Watchman Fellowship offices.
[35] Sandy Deja, “Pros and Cons of obtaining 501(c)(3) Status,” Help Filling out your 501(c)(3) application, http://form1023help.com/_wsn/page2.html [accessed February 22, 2008].
[36] Anthony Mancuso, How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation. (Berkley, CA: Nolo), 2002, 7.
[37] “501(c)(3) Fact Sheet,” EZ/EC, http://www.ezec.gov/Toolbox/501c3factsheet.html [accessed February 22, 2008].
[38] Anthony Mancuso, How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation. (Berkley, CA: Nolo), 2002, 7/1-7/21. Mancuso offers extensive possibilities for arranging and wording bylaws.
[39] Dennis Dale Pointer, The High Performance Board: Principles of Non Profit Organization, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass), 2002, xvi-xviii.
[40] James M. Greenfield, The Nonprofit Handbook, Fundraising, (NY: John Wiley), 2001, 457.
[41] Diane Darling, The Networking Survival Guide, (Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill), 2003, 16.
[42] Ken Sacharin, Attention!: (How to Interrupt Yell, Whisper, and Touch Clients), New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2001.
[43] John M. Dettoni, Introduction to Youth Ministry, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 1993, 17.
[44] Ibid., 49-50.
[45] Richard R. Dunn and Mark H Senter III, Reaching a Generation for Christ, (Chicago: Moody Press), 1997, 88.
[46] www.josh.org.
[47] Dettoni, 65.
[48] www.acsi.org. At the time of this writing, there were 18 Bible teacher positions available.
[49] “How To Get a Job Teaching Homeschoolers,” http://www.ehow.com/how_2209925_get-job-teaching-homeschoolers.html [accessed March 4, 2008]. No author named.
[50] David Noebel, Understanding the Times, http://www.summit.org/curriculum. This material can be previewed online at no charge.
