1. A Short History of Christian Apologetics John Oakes, PhD ARS8/27/2010

2.  New Testament Apologetics  Apologists in the Early Church  Medieval and Resaisance Apologetics  Modern Apologists and Apologetic Approaches

3. New Testament Apologetics  John  John 20:30 Public miracles and signs  1 John 1:1 That which our hands have touched we proclaim. (against Gnosticism)  Peter  Acts 2:14-38  Prophecies  Wonders and signs  Resurrection  1 Peter 3:15-16 The Urgency of Apologetics  Gently and respectfully  With a clear conscience  2 Peter 1:16-20 Prophecy → More certain

4. NT Apologetics (cont.)  Paul  Acts 17:22-34  God is Creator (Stoicism)  God is near (Epicurianism)  God is Judge (Dualism)  Resurrection  Luke: Historical Evidence  Luke 2:1-3, 3:1-2, 3:23-38

5. Apologists in the Early Church  Justin “Martyr”  Logos Theology  Fulfilled Prophecy  Irenaeus (ca. 125-200)  “Against Celsus” (Pagan philosopher)  “Against Heresies” (Gnosticism)  Fulfilled prophecy  Origen (ca. 185-254)  Plunder the Egyptians  Neoplatonism Origen’s School in Alexandria

6. Early Church Apologists (cont.)  Jerome (347-420)  Against Porphyry (Daniel)  Daniel originally in Hebrew  Babylonia, Persia/Media, Greece, Rome  Augustine (354-430)  Against Manichees (Faustus)  Natural theology  Faith before reason. Jerome

7. Scholasticism and Medieval Apologetics  Anselm (1033-1109)  Ontological Argument  Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)  Aristotlean Logic. Truth is Reasonable  “Summa Theologica”  Cosmological, Teleological Argument  “Classical” Apologetics  Martin Luther (1483-1546)  Faith before reason

8. The Age of Reason—The Enlightenment  Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)  Experiential evidence  Pascal’s wager  Joseph Butler (1692-1752)  Against deists: faith is reasonable  William Paley (1743-1805)  Natural Theology (against deism)

9. Oops…..  Young Earth Creationism  Henry Morris “The Genesis Flood”

10. Modern Apologists  James Orr Worldview  Cornelius Van Til Presuppositional  CS Lewis Trilemma, Evidential  Norman Geisler Classical  Francis Schaeffer Experiential  Alvin Plantinga Fideism  Josh McDowell Historical, Legal proofs  William Lane Craig Classical