This document discusses strategies for integrating apologetics into local churches. It notes that many students are leaving the faith due to intellectual skepticism and a changing culture. It recommends teaching on key issues like the authority of Scripture, supernatural events, and evolution. Resources mentioned include books, videos, and Truth Academy, which uses scenario-based learning to inoculate people against objections. The document advises motivating protection of beliefs, using refutational preemption, and starting small within churches.

1. ©2014 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
Strategies for Integrating
Apologetics Into Your
Local Church
Guest Carey Waldie

2. ©2014 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
The Forum
Engaging Culture for Christ
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3. ©2014 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
The Forum
Engaging Culture for Christ

4. ©2014 T hird Colum n Ministr ies
Strategies for Integrating
Apologetics Into Your
Local Church
Guest Carey Waldie

6. PROBLEM: THE CULTURE HAS CHANGED, THE
CHURCH HAS NOT.
• Our students are facing ideas and personalities
that previous generations did not have broad
access to.
• Up to 70% of students are leaving the faith
post high-school. Large reason – intellectual
skepticism.

7. KEY ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AND TAUGHT
• Authority of Scripture – I like to give folks a sense of history of how
we got here – Julius Wellhausen, Higher Criticism. Deal with
manuscript issues. I use: P. A. M.
• Polemical Theology: New Age, Naturalism, Islam, Cults
• Supremacy of Christ/Trinity: Evidences for resurrection
• Evolution
• Homosexuality

8. RESOURCES WE USE
• More Than a Carpenter. McDowell (giveaway books for visitors)
• Thinking Like a Christian (Summit Ministries. For Jr. High and upper
elementary)
• Truth Academy (All ages but a focus for teenagers)
• Various You Tube Debates, Ultimate Proof of Creation (logic lesson), Scenario based
learning, role playing, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Turek.
• Truth Project – Focus on the Family, small group settings
• Various Topics Covered in Small Group settings
• Canoe Trip – Trusting the Scriptures, Supremacy of Christ
• Incorporate a “What About” in my sermon preparation.

11. TRUTH ACADEMY
• Born out of a realization that our students were not
ready to deal with real challenges to their faith. Even
though I addressed key issues during classes and
sermons
• Teaching style birthed from what I learned in Flight
Instructor Academy – scenario based learning under
pressure situations.
• Also drawing from Inoculation Theory

12. INOCULATION THEORY – WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO
CHANGE SOMEONE’S DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS
 No preparation. Certain amount changed mind. Third least change.
 Reinforced prior belief. Want to let you know that brushing your teeth
is good for you. when they went in and read the scientific arguments
they had thought they had been lied to. Hardest to de-program. Had
an emotional commitment to the new information because they
thought they had been lied to.
 Warning. You’re going to read an article that tells you that brushing
your teeth is bad. Second least change
 Warning plus refutation. Least amount of change

13. INOCULATION THEORY
 Greatest amount of change was with the group that
just had a reinforced prior belief. When they went in
and read the scientific arguments they had thought
they had been lied to. Hardest to de-program. Had
an emotional commitment to the new information
because they thought they had been lied to.
 Least amount of change - Warning plus refutation.

14. KEYS TO INOCULATING PEOPLE AGAINST THE LIES IN
THE CULTURE
 Motivation to protect your beliefs
 Refutational preemption – the ability to form
arguments in anticipation of arguments against
their positions.

15. SO WE TEACH AT FOUR LEVELS:
 Introduce the material
 Introduce the defeaters
 Introduce the defeater to the defeater
 Create scenarios that force each student to interact with the
defeaters within a typical context (usually a university setting).
 We have volunteers come it to role-play professors or liberal pastors in a class
setting.
 And we also have volunteers in separate rooms that each have a specific scenario.
For instance, you would meet with me before class, I would hand out your
scenario, “You are a university biology professor, you claim, “Religion has no place
in the science classroom, they are non-overlapping magisteria.” You then listen to
see if the student can refute that defeater. There may be four rooms each with a
scenario and the students rotate through so they get one-on-one time with each
defeater.

16. CONVINCING CHURCH LEADERS
• Show yourself to be a team-player within your body and not a perpetual
thorn in the side of church leadership.
• Let your life reflect balance.
• Be good with people.
• Show the need for the younger generation (play the grand-child card)
• Use examples from pop culture
• Start where you can
• Avoid division if you can – (always fun to navigate Young/Old earth stuff)

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