420 620 2 2017 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS ONLINE Important Notice While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the information given below, it is the personal responsibility of each student to check the current ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook, copies of which may be found in the Library or online at www.actheology.edu.au It is very important that students plan their time carefully to ensure that reading and especially assignments receive adequate attention and so as to prevent a bottleneck of work at the end of the semester. It is very important that all quoted material in assignments be properly footnoted and acknowledged. The attention of students is drawn to the section in the current ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook, headed “Academic Misconduct”. Failure to comply with the standards required will incur penalties as outlined in the ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook. The attention of students is also drawn to the section in the current ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook, headed “Guidelines for Essays.” (See also the QTC Student Handbook) All essays should comply with these standards. 2 PE420D/620D Information about this unit Unit description This unit is designed to help students explore and develop proficiency in the discipline of Christian apologetics, the task of defending the Christian faith from attacks and commending it against rival claimants. This involves examination of the biblical and theological foundations for apologetics, philosophical issues regarding the nature of truth and when there is epistemological warrant for beliefs, and some awareness of the history of apologetics throughout the centuries. From there the unit will consider the arguments for and against the major ‘schools’ or approaches to apologetics in the current era so that students may make an informed decision as to which approach best commends the gospel on its own terms. With this framework in place, the unit will then turn to the various classical arguments for the existence of God from natural theology, arguments for the Christian faith arising from Scripture’s claims, understanding the nature of various critiques on Christian claims and responses that have been made to these, as well as critical interaction with some of the main alternatives to Christianity. Learning Outcomes PE420D Learning Outcomes On completion of the unit, students will: Know and understand: 1. Apologetics as the defence and commendation of the Christian Gospel 2. Apologetics, theology and the nature of truth 3. Critiques of Christian faith 4. Alternatives to Christian belief 5. Strategies to defend and commend Christian faith Be able to: 1. Discuss the nature of Christian apologetics 2. Assess critiques of Christianity from a Christian perspective 3. Evaluate alternatives to Christian belief from a Christian perspective 4. Engage in Christian apologetics 5. Present an analytical evidence-based argument or perspective Be in a position to: 1. Integrate responses to critiques of Christianity into biblical interpretation and Christian thinking 2. Use Christian responses to critiques of Christianity for personal understanding and in ministry contexts 3. Defend and commend the truth claims of the Christian faith 3 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS ONLINE PE620D Learning Outcomes On completion of the unit, students will: Know and understand: 1. Apologetics as the defence and commendation of the Christian Gospel 2. Apologetics, theology and the nature of truth 3. Critiques of Christian faith 4. Alternatives to Christian belief 5. Strategies to defend and commend Christian faith 6. Historic and contemporary approaches to Christian apologetics Be able to: 1. Analyse the nature of Christian apologetics 2. Compare and contrast critiques of Christianity from a Christian perspective 3. Critique alternatives to Christian belief from a Christian perspective 4. Engage in Christian apologetics 5. Present a critical evidence-based argument or perspective 6. Evaluate historic and contemporary approaches to Christian apologetics Be in a position to: 1. Integrate responses to critiques of Christianity into biblical interpretation and Christian thinking 2. Use Christian responses to critiques of Christianity for personal understanding and in ministry contexts 3. Defend and commend the truth claims of the Christian faith How this Unit Contributes to the Course This unit is designed to provide a summary of the theological underpinnings of Christian Apologetics, together with an introduction to different applied approaches to evangelical apologetics. We will also consider some important theological and philosophical approaches to apologetics. It is intended that this unit will assist students to be able to better know, worship and declare the God who is revealed in Scripture above all as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who has acted supremely towards humanity in the work of his incarnate Son. This unit aims to help integrate the findings of units in biblical studies and provide a foundation for ministry practices developed in the practical theology units. 4 PE420D/620D Pre-requisites and Co-requisites PE420D is an advanced-level (400-level) elective unit in the Diploma of Theology, Diploma of Ministry, Associate Degree of Theology, Bachelor of Theology and Bachelor of Ministry courses. PE620D is an advanced-level elective unit in the Master of Divinity, Graduate Diploma of Divinity and Graduate Certificate of Divinity courses. Students enrolling in this unit need to have successfully completed two units (8cps) of 300 level OT and/or NT and /or CH and/or PE and/or TH. How this unit is organized & what we expect of you The unit is taught over a Semester comprised of 13 teaching weeks (with a mid-Semester break part-way through), followed by an assessment period. It is delivered online, requiring students to have regular access to a reliable internet connection and an internet-capable device suitable for downloading unit content and completing written unit assessments. Weekly unit material will be delivered in a mixture of formats, predominantly audio recordings prepared specifically for online delivery, alongside written materials drawn from publications, together with notes and other resources produced by the lecturer. Occasionally short video files may also be provided; however these will generally not be lengthy so as to not require substantial downloads. All materials supplied by the lecturer will be made available through the QTC Moodle page for this unit; students will also participate in online discussions and activities through Moodle. This unit is worth 4 credit points towards your degree. A 4 credit point unit is considered to require a total time commitment of 6-8 hrs per week at BTh level, and 7-9 hours at MDiv level. Please speak with the lecturer as a matter of urgency if you are finding that you need to consistently spend more time than this on PE420D/620D. Students are expected to listen to all lectures, complete any set reading and complete any assessment tasks by the relevant due date. This includes participation in online forums. Please do be in touch with the QTC Registrar as soon as you can if you anticipate having any difficulties with your assessments or with meeting the due date. Note: Assignments submitted late and without an extension granted will incur late penalties (please refer to the QTC student handbook). 5 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS ONLINE Teaching staff LECTURER & UNIT CO-ORDINATOR Mr Mark Baddeley P 07 3062 6939 E: [email protected] Please feel free to contact Mark if you have any problems or concerns about the course. Other Key Contacts Registrar’s office Contact the Registrar’s office for any queries about which unit to enrol in next, if you wish to change your enrolment, defer due to illness, family circumstances etc., or request an extension for your assessment (criteria apply). P 07 3062 6939, extension 2 E [email protected] Moodle functions and queries Contact the Registrar or the Assistant Registrar for help if something on Moodle is not working, if you need help using Moodle etc. P 07 3062 6939, extension 2 E [email protected] Library/Resources Contact the Librarian for help with finding resources for your assessment, finding full-text database articles, for help with logging into the library databases and catalogue, to request a chapter of a book or article emailed to you, to request a book posted to you, and for help with how to renew a book for longer or place a hold on a book currently out to another person. P 07 3062 6939, extension 3 E [email protected] 6 PE420D/620D Unit timetable: topics & teaching and learning activities Subject to adjustment LECTURE TOPIC WEEK 1 Introduction, Theological Foundations WEEK 2 Theological Foundations, Epistemological Considerations WEEK 3 History of Apologetics WEEK 4 Apologetic Frameworks WEEK 5 Apologetic Frameworks MISSION WEEK No Lectures WEEK 6 Cosmological, design, and moral arguments for the existence of God WEEK 7 Ontological and other natural theology arguments WEEK 8 Arguments for the resurrection and the canon of Scripture HOLIDAYS No Lectures WEEK 9 The problem of evil and suffering WEEK 10 The challenge to Christian exclusivity from the existence of other faiths WEEK 11 The challenge to Christian truth claims from the OT and the doctrine of Hell WEEK 12 Major alternatives to the Christian faith and the challenge of Christian sexual ethics WEEK 13 Constructing an apologetic approach 7 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS ONLINE PE420D Assessments (Online Learning Mode) Assessments are submitted online via Moodle In order to pass the unit, you must submit all assessment pieces and attain a mark of at least 50% for the unit as a whole. Unless an extension has been applied for and granted in accordance with the Late Penalty Policy found in the QTC Handbook, where a student submits an assessment past its due date, the assessment marks will be reduced at the rate of 3% of the total possible marks for the Assessment item per calendar day, up to 14 days late. Your essays must also be within 10% of the required word limit and your ability to meet this requirement will also be taken into account in determining your mark. QTC seeks to prepare you for ministry, and in ministry delivering presentations on time and within an acceptable length are essential skills. ASSESSMENT TASK(S) DESCRIPTION Online Forum On two occasions during the semester, students will be Contributions asked to upload a brief 150-word summary of one or more key ideas of their own choice from the topic for that week, Approx. 500 words with the lecturer allocating students to weeks for this task at the end of Week 1. When not scheduled to provide a 10% of final grade summary, each student shall, in other weeks, respond briefly to the summaries uploaded by other students to the forum. Students will be assessed on their contribution to the forum over ten weeks of Semester. No forum contributions are required in Weeks 1 or 13, or in the week following Wednesday 13 September. See further details in the Guide to Assessments. In line with ACT attendance requirements, students must contribute in at least eight out of the ten weeks, otherwise they will receive a mark of zero out of ten. A notional total word count of 500 words is allocated to this assessment item. 3000 word Essay Write a 3000 word essay on ONE of the following topics: 40% of final grade 1. Outline some of the key challenges to the Christian faith Due Friday 29 offered by the New Atheism, and some of the ways in September 2017 which these challenges can be met. 2. Is it rational to believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead? 3. Critically evaluate two theodicies for their utility in responding to the problems of evil and/or suffering. 4. Critically evaluate the usefulness of the argument from the fine tuning of the universe for the existence of God. 5. Disscuss what arguments can be offered in responding to the charge that Christianity’s views on sex and sexuality are not good for people. 8 PE420D/620D Take Home Exam Complete a Take Home Exam comprised of three tasks. The total word length of your examination script is to be 2500 2500 words words 50% of final grade The Exam Response will involve: Due Friday 10 1. Letter to the editor for the newspaper (500 words) November 2017 2. Brief tract to be handed out to interested non- Christians (1000 words) 3. Item in the church bulletin (1000 words) All three items will have a choice of topics selected from material covered in the unit to be the subject of that part of the assessment task. Students will be supplied with the exam via Moodle one week before the due date. 9 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS ONLINE PE620D Assessments (Online Learning Mode) Assessments are submitted online via Moodle In order to pass the unit, you must submit all assessment pieces and attain a mark of at least 50% for the unit as a whole. Unless an extension has been applied for and granted in accordance with the Late Penalty Policy found in the QTC Handbook, where a student submits an assessment past its due date, the assessment marks will be reduced at the rate of 3% of the total possible marks for the Assessment item per calendar day, up to 14 days late. Your essays must also be within 10% of the required word limit and your ability to meet this requirement will also be taken into account in determining your mark. QTC seeks to prepare you for ministry, and in ministry delivering presentations on time and within an acceptable length are essential skills. ASSESSMENT TASK(S) DESCRIPTION Online Forum On two occasions during the semester, students will be Contributions asked to upload a brief 200-word summary of one or more key ideas of their own choice from the topic for that week, Approx. 500 words with the lecturer allocating students to weeks for this task at the end of Week 1. When not scheduled to provide a 10% of final grade summary, each student shall, in other weeks, respond briefly to the summaries uploaded by other students to the forum. Students will be assessed on their contribution to the forum over ten weeks of Semester. No forum contributions are required in Weeks 1 or 13, or in the week following Wednesday 13 September. See further details in the Guide to Assessments. In line with ACT attendance requirements, students must contribute in at least eight out of the ten weeks, otherwise they will receive a mark of zero out of ten. A notional total word count of 500 words is allocated to this assessment item. 3000 word Essay Write a 3000 word essay on ONE of the following topics: 1. What is the role of Apologetics? What role can it serve in 40% of final grade people coming to faith and being secured in the faith? Due Friday 29 September 2017 2. Make the case for one approach to Apologetics (like those in Five Views on Apologetics, but not limited to the five included there) in critical dialogue with two alternative approaches. 3. How should a Christian apologist respond to the challenge of the problems of evil and suffering? 4. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the argument for the existence of God from the existence of morality. 5. How should a Christian apologist respond to the charge that Christianity’s views on sex and sexuality are not good for people. 10