APOLOGETICS METHODOLOGY....HOW TO: Brief Article & Resources for Study

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone 

who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 

But do this with gentleness and respect...." 

- 1 Peter 3:15b
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Jesus Christ came "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Too often apologetics has been an emphasis on truth...and grace has been left out. The result has often been that the message of the Gospel has been robbed of its power and we have become as annoying as a "clanging cymbal"! (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). There must be a renewed emphasis on the whole command to "give the reason for the hope within us" by doing it "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). And there must also be a renewed emphasis on listening before speaking and being slow to anger (Proverbs 18:13; James 1:19-20)--tough ones for me far too often! 

May we all continue to grow in Christ's likeness so that our proclaiming of the truth of the Gospel may be matched by the way we proclaim it. Bathe it all in prayer, combine with wisdom and strategies from some of today's leading apologists and build the kingdom of Jesus Christ for his glory! Below are some great resources for continuing to do just that.

VIDEOS

*"Argument Clinic" (4 minutes) a classic Monty Python comedy sketch
*Four excellent lectures by Voddie Baucham delivered at Dallas Theological Seminary: "The Pastor/Teacher/Counselor as Expository Apologist" (January 22, 2016); "Expository Apologetics 101" (January 21, 2016); "Apologetics, Holiness, and Suffering" (January 20, 2016); "Doing Apologetics in an Anti-Apologetics Age" (January 19, 2016)

AUDIO
*Apologetic Methodologies Past and Present: A series of 5 lectures by Phil Fernandes. Part of the Tabor Lecture Series at Western Reformed Seminary.
*"A New Kind of Apologist": Mikel Del Rosario interviews Darrel Bock, director of leadership and cultural engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary and Sean McDowell, expert apologist and author of the new book A New Kind of Apologist.
*Also see audiobooks under "Books."

ARTICLES (and Book Chapters)
*"Reaching Roger" an excellent article by my friend Nick Peters of Deeper Water Ministries, who draws lessons from his experience in using apologetics to strengthen a friend who was struggling deeply with questions and skepticism.
*"Are You Properly Motivated as a Christian Casemaker?" by J. Warner Wallace
*"Accessibility as an Apologetic Aim" by J. Warner Wallace
*"Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies": Nice interactive website on logical fallacies and you can even download a FREE! pdf file poster of them or buy a nicer printed one.
**McDowell, Josh and Sean McDowell. Evidence That Demands A Verdict (2017 edition). Sections V., VI. & VII. of the "Introduction" contain excellent insights on this issue.


BOOKS
*Tactics by Greg Koukl. My #1 recommendation. A must-read. Available in Audible audiobook or MP3 CD (and this is one of those books where audio is an excellent way to take this book in) and also Kindle and paperback.
*Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion by Os Guiness. My other #1 recommendation. ;) Also a must-read. Available in Audible audiobook or Audio CD (and this is also one of those books where audio is an excellent way to take this book in). Also available in Kindle, hardcover and paperback.
*How Would Jesus Blog?: Answering Online Adversaries Jesus' Way by Tom Gilson
*Faith Has Its Reasons by Kenneth Boa and Rob M. Bowman, Jr. Read for FREE! online here.
*A New Kind of Apologist by Sean McDowell
*Relational Apologetics: Defending the Christian Faith with Holiness, Respect and Truth by Michael C. Sherrard. This book has received high praise from many top apologists.
*How to Talk to a Skeptic: An Easy-to-Follow Guide for Natural Conversations and Effective Apologetics by Donald J. Johnson
*Five Views on Apologetics edited by Steven B. Cowan. Contributors: Gary Habermas, William Lane Craig, Paul D. Feinberg, Kelly James Clark and John M. Frame.


ONLINE COURSE
*Tactics (3 hours) taught by Greg Koukl