APOLOGETICS Class Notes

COVER

PART I: PHILOSOPHICAL APOLOGETICS

I. Introduction to Apologetics

    A. Definitions of Apologetics 1 001 002 003

    B. The Necessity of Apologetics 3   003 004 005

    C. The Purpose of Apologetics 5   005

    D. The Domain of Apologetics 5   005 006 007 008 009

    E. Historical Bibliography of Apologetics 10   010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024

    New Testament (AD 40-95);
        Apology of Aristides (AD 125);
        Apology of Quadratus (AD 125);
        Dialogue with Trypho by Justin Martyr (135-140);
        First Apology by Justin Martyr (153);
        Theophilus to Autolycus (180);
        Apology of Melito (180);
        Against Heresies by Irenaeus (180);
        Apology for Christianity by Tertullian (197);
        Address to Diognetus (175-200);
        Octavius by Minucius Felix (230);
        Against Celsus by Origen (250);
        Divine Institutes by Lactantius (304-313);
        Seven Books of History Against the Pagans by Orosius (41);
        Monologion by Anselm (1076);
        Proslogion by Anselm (1078);
        Summa Contra Gentiles by Aquinas (1258-60);
        The Truth of the Christian Religion by Hugo Grotius (1622);
        Penseés by Blaise Pascal (1669);
        The True Intellectual System of the Universe by Ralph Cudworth (1678);
        The Reasonableness of Christianity by John Locke (1695);
        The Analogy of Religiou by Joseph Butler (1736);
        Natural Theology by William Paley (1802).

II. Christian First Principles: Being and Knowing 25

    A. Christian First Principles Regarding Being (Ontology) 25 025 026 027 028 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047 048 049

          Formulation of Edward John Carnell 42
          Formulation of Cornelius Van Til 43
          Formulation of Francis Shaeffer 45
          A Modest Proposal by Robert J. Dunzweiler 48

    B. Christian First Principles Regarding Knowing (Epistemology) 50   050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063 064 065 066 067

        Skepticism
        Agnosticism
        Subjectivism
        Rationalism
        Empiricism
        Rational Empiricism

       The Effect of Sin upon General Revelation 59
       The Relation between Truth and Human Knowledge 59
       The Relation between Human Reason and Faith 61

        Stuart Cornelius Hackett, Resurrection of Theism

III. The Rational Arguments for the Existence of God 68

    A. Individual Analysis of the Rational Arguments 68

        1. The Cosmological Argument   068 069 070 071 072 073
            Thomas Aquinas, Charles Hodge, J. Oliver Buswell,

        2. The Teleological Argument   073 074 075 076
            Socrates, Plato, Cicero, Thomas Aquinas, William Paley,
            Lewis Sperry Chafer, Floyd E. Hamilton,
            Stuart Cornelius Hackett.

        3. The Ontological Argument   076 077 078
            Anselm of Canterbury, Descartes, Leibnitz,
            J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., Alvin Plantinga.

        4. The Anthropological (Moral) Argument   078 079
            Immanuel Kant

        5. The Ethnological (Religious) Argument   079 080
            Charles Hodge, Floyd E. Hamilton, Henry C. Thiesen, Stuart C. Hackett

    B. Collective Evaluation of the Rational Arguments 80   080 081

IV. The Construction of a Christian Apologetic 82

    A. The Location of a Point of Contact 82   082 083 084 085 086 087

    B. The Establishment of Common Ground 87   087 088

    C. The Selection of an Apologetic Approach and Method 88   088 089 090

    D. Steps Toward a Personal Christian Apologetic.   091 092 093 094 095

    E. Responding to Some Common Objections   096 097 098 099 100 101 102
          (Note: Pages 100-102 are missing)
If God Exists, why are there so many Atheists?
Why does God permit evil and suffering?
Don't the Bible and science contradict?
How can miracles be possible?
Isn't faith blind and irrational and a phychological crutch?
Isn't being good good enough?
Isn't it arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way to God?
What about sincere people in other religions?
What about those who have never heard?
How can I believe with all the hypocrits in the church?
Isn't the Bible just a matter of anyone's interpretation?
Isn't the Bible full of errors?
Doesn't faith give a person a license to sin?
Can anyone be sure they will go to heaven?

PART TWO: CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES

I. Evidence from General Revelation 103

A. Created Universe 103   103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113

        Existence of the universe
        Design in the inanimate universe
        Design in the animate universe
        Origin of the Universe
        Inanimate Design in the Universe

        Ancient Cosmologies
            Hindu-Vedic Hymn of Creation (Rigveda 10.129)
            Babylonian Creation Epic (Enuma Elish)
            Hebrew Creation Account (Genesis 1)

B. Created Life 114   114 115 116 117 118 119 120

II. Evidence from special Revelation

A. Preknowledge of science 121   121 122 123
        Astronomy in the Bible

B. Fulfilled Prophecy 124   124 125 126 127 128

C. Jesus 129   129 130 131 132 133

III. Evidence from Redemption 134

A. Redeemed Individuals 134   134

B. Redeemed Society 135-136   135 136

APPENDIX: The Appendix "Seekers" by Robert C. Newman is available here as text and presentation format:

Russia Seminar Talks: Seeker's Track (1991)

Presentation versions: Powerpoint (ppt) Acrobat(pdf) Web(htm) audio(mp3).

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