Twelve weeks of fun and challenges

This Thursday Sharon and I will be starting our sixth year of apologetics classes at our church, Emmanuel Faith in Escondido. I'm really looking forward to it.

First, some background on apologetics. Many people don't know what it is--a defense of the Christian faith. We can look at science, history, and philosophy for reasons to believe the Christian message. Anyone who's interested can devote a lifetime to all the research being done in these fields.

We're looking forward to the class for several reasons. First, it's a chance to catch up with many friends. We have met some great people who share our interests in understanding Jesus, his times, manuscripts, evidence for the existence of God, and grappling with difficult issues like the problem of evil.

Secondly, we're going to try something different. Instead of reading a book or hearing someone lecture, we are  going to watch DVDs and comment on them every few minutes. We have lined up some heavy hitters in the field of apologetics--William Lane Craig, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel, J. P. Moreland, Greg Koukl, Gary Habermas, and others. Should be good.

Finally, I love the class because of feedback we get. People who had been shy about their beliefs or not sure how to answer challenges are strengthened. They get into interesting discussions with others, not in an argumentative way but as an attempt to get a conversation started.

So, this Thursday will be a lot of fun for us. there will be an interesting mix of new people as well as old familiar faces. In addition, we are happy that young people come out too. I'm afraid apologetics has a reputation of appealing only to older guys. Not true in our group.

I wish pastors and youth workers were aware of the importance of apologetics in today's world, where the Christian message is being challenged by some loud voices. It's good to know there are answers to these voices.