Christian Apologetics Course

Christian Apologetics With James Ruark

This class is a general survey of Christian apologetics, which is the discipline of how to defend and advance the Christian faith. We will discuss the need for apologetics, develop some apologetic tools and learn how to use those tools in our interaction with others. We will study the best arguments for the existence of God, the reliability of scripture, and the person and work of Christ. Other topics include creation, the resurrection of Christ, miracles and the “problem” of evil. The students will choose an apologetic issue that interests them and use the tools learned in the class to develop a convincing argument for the truth in that issue.

Course Details

INSTRUCTOR: James Rurak

James likes to quote Augustine of Hippo– “Faith seeks to understand.” He has spent most of his life learning and teaching what Christians believe and why they believe it. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from Calvin College and his master’s degree in Christian apologetics from Liberty University. He has worked as a middle school teacher and social worker before taking his current job as clinical director at Servants Center, a Christian ministry that provides help to persons who are chronically homeless or who have severe psychiatric disorders. He has been an elder at River of God Church in Byron Center, Michigan since 2005. He and his wife, Lori, have been married since 1992. They have four adult daughters and four grandchildren.

OBJECTIVES
1. Students will become familiar with the primary arguments against the existence of God, and will learn how to respond to those arguments in a convincing manner.

2. Students will become familiar with the primary arguments against the authority of scripture and will learn how to demonstrate that the scriptures are reliable, authoritative and divine in origin.

3. Students will become familiar with various arguments against the divinity and uniqueness of Christ and will learn how to explain the gospel clearly to skeptics.

4. Students will develop the tools to identify and research new arguments for and against the teaching of the scriptures and the Christian faith so that they can build their apologetic “toolbox” on an ongoing basis.

5. Students will become skilled in various tactics that enable them to reason effectively with unbelievers. Tactics include “Columbo,” recognizing self-contradictory ideas and discerning logical fallacies.

COURSE FORMAT
This directed study format enables you to receive college level instruction while studying at home. (Note, AIM Institute does not offer accredited college credits.)

Course elements include:

Weekly video assignments.
Required textbook reading assignments.
Contact time with the instructor and classmates by means of a weekly Zoom debrief classroom.
Study questions for your personal benefit as well as preparation for the weekly debrief.
The course will be graded as pass or fail. Bear in mind your weekly preparation will have a direct bearing on how much you gain from the course.