WESTERN SEMINARY

                                                            Portland, Oregon 97215

                                      PTS 503 -- Practicing Evangelism & Apologetics

                                                           Summer Semester, 2004

                                      Dr. Steve Walker & Dr. Gerry Breshears, Instructors

 

                                                                    SYLLABUS

 

CLASS TEXTS

Little, How to Give Away Your Faith

Strobel & Hybels, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary

Strobel, The Case for Faith

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Strategies and programs for biblically based evangelism are explored in this course. You will develop your own skills in personal evangelism, as well as how to do evangelistic outreach through the local church. You will develop an ability to address questions about the truthfulness or believability of Christianity that often arise in evangelistic moments through a biblically based and personally relevant apologetic strategy. 2 hours

 

CURRICULUM COMPETENCIES

 

A well equipped leader

 

1)         properly emphasizes glorifying God by fulfilling faithfully the evangelizing, edifying, and worshipping functions of the Church

 

2)         is able to train others to develop their God-given capacities for Christ-like character and ministry (including evangelism, edification, worship, leadership and other essential functions of the Church)

 

COURSE GOALS

 

After completing this course you will

 

BE:

1.                  more confident in telling the good news of Jesus.

2.                  committed to the mobilizing the church for evangelistic ministry.

 

KNOW:

1.                  the true meaning of evangelism and apologetics.

2.                  some methods of developing relationships with lost people.

3.                  the place and power of prayer in evangelism.

4.                  how to develop evangelism as a total church ministry.

5.                  the reality of the devil's opposition to evangelism.

 

BE ABLE TO:

1.                  make the gospel of Christ clear and relevant.

2.                  deal with various categories of irreligious people.

3.                  develop approaches to sharing the gospel that fit your personal style.

4.                  share the gospel personally with at least one non-believer.

5.                  overcome some of the barriers that hinder faith in Christ.

6.                  answer key questions about the truth of Christianity.

7.                  defend against the traditional attacks on Christianity.

 

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US:

Western: (503) 517-1870; 1-877-517-1800

Home: 2306 SE 54th Portland, OR 97215; (503) 234-4274

FAX:  (503) 517-1859

Email:  GBreshears@WesternSeminary.edu; Gerry@Breshears.net; SWalker@Rosenet.net

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Pre-class Preparation

 

A.                 Read the assigned sections of at least one of the class texts before the class begins. Write a 15 word summary of each assigned chapter and a 15 word summary of each of the three books. Rate the book (1‑5) giving a point each for readability, insight, practicality, challenge and biblical faithfulness, explaining briefly your rating. Turn these in at the beginning of the class. (5 hours)

 

In-class Presentations

 

B.                 Attend and actively participate in all class discussions and activities. This is a way you model commitment.

 

C.                 You and a teammate will pick one of the topics in Strobel, Case for Faith or Case for Christ (summarized at the end of Case for Faith). You will prepare a 10 minute presentation where one is to be the questioner, the other the defender. It should show that you understand the question and have a good answer for it. Give careful consideration to your methodology of answering questions in your presentation. Hear the question, summarize proposed answers, locate and develop common ground, lead the questioner to an answer. Presentations will be August 26.

 

D.                 You will do an oral presentation of the gospel in class on Friday, August 27. You will have five minutes to present the gospel to an unbeliever (who can be anyone you define). Your grade will be based on effective introduction, connecting with a need, clarity of the gospel itself, explanation of response, clarity of the invitation, absence of  "christianese"

 

Post-class Assignments (due by October 18)

 

E.                  Complete your reading of the assigned sections of at the class texts. Write a 15 word summary of each assigned chapter and a 15 word summary of each of the three books. Rate the book (1‑5) giving a point each for readability, insight, practicality, challenge and biblical faithfulness, explaining briefly your rating. Turn these in at the beginning of the class. (10 hours)

 

F.                  Prepare a gospel tract that will aid your approach to gospel presentation. In it you will state the gospel in a way that is theologically accurate and creatively packaged. You will define and illustrate in ordinary language (not "Christianese") key concepts like sin, God, atonement, faith, receive Christ, etc.  Do this so that your target group (be it humanists, new agers, Catholics, etc.) can see and understand the unique points of the biblical gospel.  As you prepare the tract, think through how you will make the transition to the gospel. 

 

Give us a written explanation of the design and rationale of your tract. We must be prepared to initiate this phase of the conversation.  The temptation to "wait 'til they ask" is a trap to be avoided as is the "hit 'em over the head with your Bible" trap.  Most seminarians we know are far more likely to fall into the first trap than the second. In your rationale, tell us your strategy to bring the gospel into a conversation. Attach a statement of your personal experience or your personal testimony as you would use it in a gospel presentation. (3 hours)

 

G.                 Present the whole gospel, including giving an opportunity for response with at least one non-believer. They may well be people with whom you have had long term relation. Explain in a page how the conversation began, how it turned to the gospel, how you presented the gospel, what the response was, and what you learned from the experience. (3 hours)

 

H.                 Write a 3 to 5 page paper evaluating the strengths and weaknesses your church's evangelistic philosophy and practice. Note that the philosophy is probably not a written document. Even if there is a document, many times it does not describe what’s actually going on. In approximately a page each, explain the philosophy, how it works in practice, and how effective it is from your viewpoint. ­Conclude with suggestions for greater impact on lost and unchurched people. Present your paper to the church's leadership for response which you will include with the paper.

 

If your ministry focuses on a campus or other venue, please talk with us and we'll adapt this assignment for your ministry situation. (8 hours)

 

 

FINAL GRADE

 

The final grade will be determined on the following basis:

 

Reading & Summaries                          100

Gospel Tract                                                   100

Gospel Presentation                                          100

Apologetic Presentation                                    100

Book Review                                                   100

Church Evaluation Project                                 100

Class Participation                                            100

Total Points                                          600

 

The grading scale is A+ 99-100%, A 95-98%, A- 94-93%, B+ 92-91%, B 90-88%, B- 87-86%, C+ 85-84%, C 83-81%, C- 80-79%, D+ 78-77%, D 76-74%, D- 73-70%. Borderline grades will be determined on the basis of class par­tici­pation and pattern of improvement. To receive audit credit, you must attend at least 80% of the class sessions. You may negotiate due dates in advance to allow for your demanding schedule. Talk to one of us no less than a week in advance of the due date and give us a note with the revised due date. If satisfactory prior ar­rangements have not been made, the mark on assign­ments turned in late will be reduced at the rate of one half letter grade per week day and one letter grade per weekend up to a maximum deduc­tion of two letter grades. Unless you qualify for an incom­plete as defined in the catalog, all assign­ments must be turned in by October 18.

 

READING REPORT

PTS 503

Drs. Walker & Breshears, Instructors

Summer, 2004

 

 

__________    I have completed reading chapters 1-8 of Little, How to Give Away Your Faith

 

 

 

__________    I did not read the following assigned portion of Little, How to Give Away Your Faith:

 

 

 

 

 

__________    I have completed reading Strobel & Hybels, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary

 

 

 

__________    I did not read the following portion of Strobel & Hybels, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary

 

 

 

 

__________    I have completed reading Strobel, 7-76, 121-157, 203-234, 343-373 (Introduction, Road to Answers, Objections 1, 3, 5, Conclusion and Appendix) plus two objections of your choice.

 

 

 

__________    I did not read the following assigned portion of Strobel at all:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Name