PHIL 2703 - Contemporary Christian Apologetics

Credits: 3 Spring, Odd

Christian apologetics is a defense of the reasonableness of believing that the Christian worldview is universally and objectively true. Apologists draw on objective reasons, arguments, and evidence for this purpose. Apologists employ these rational resources both to help faith grow by offering a positive case for Christian claims (watering) and to prevent faith from dying by arguing against objections to Christian claims (weeding). The goal is to try to show that Christian faith is at least as reasonable as its most reasonable competitor or, if possible, that it is more reasonable than any worldview with which is competes. But there are both theoretical and practical limits to apologetics. Apologists need to be humble, irenic, and aware that all their arguments are rationally resistible.

Prerequisites: PHIL 1043.