Unit 3: Mission Catalyst Respond

As we think about sharing our faith, we often imagine our conversations turning confrontational as people challenge our faith statements.  Hopefully, you've done enough faith-sharing through the last unit to know that concern rarely happens. Yet, some people respond to faith-sharing with questions that can seem confrontational.  In this unit, we will help prepare witnesses for the objections they might encounter.  The course will include an introduction to apologetics.  Christian apologetics is about defending the faith.  Evangelism is about sharing the faith, not defending it.  If we confuse witnessing with the argumentative exchange of Christian apologetics, we will fail to share the faith and defend the faith.  This is not to say that people have not come to faith through apologetics.  It can happen, but it is very rare.  This course includes apologetics because Satan often uses a skeptical bystander to derail a witnessing opportunity.  It is useful to recognize when it is happening and have a strategy to prevent, if possible, the conversation from becoming confrontational.

Confrontational conversations are most likely to occur through Social Media.  So, this unit includes training to help you become more competent in digital conversations.

When people hear the Gospel for the first time, they will have questions or even concerns about the Gospel call. 

In this presentation, Timothy Keller makes a gentle apologetic case for God's reasonableness. Notice how his presentation invites greater conversation and dialog. Also, notice how he handles the questions and comments at the end of the video.

Watch the video below, in which Tim Keller describes the shift in culture from an open-minded to a close-minded posture regarding faith.

Apologetics is the discipline of defending the faith. The practices of evangelism and apologetics often get confused or blended into one activity. Unlike the previous unit where we focused on addressing questions or concerns, the apologist addresses people who are confrontational or hostile to the Christian faith. 

Watch and take notes on the video, A Case for Christ. Notice how the presenter describes the Apologetic process. For more information, you might want to read the book, A Case for Christ.

Watch and take notes on the video, Why I Believe in Jesus. Notice how the presenter describes the Apologetic process and his approach to defending the faith. Ravi Zacharias has produced many materials on the subject of Christian apologetics. You may find many of them helpful. You can locate them through an internet search.

Digital Evangelism is strategically using the Internet, mobile, and social media platforms to meet the needs of others and share the Gospel with the online world.  Using digital means to further the Gospel work opens the doors for more church members to serve as missionaries and more people will know of Jesus's saving love.

The next portion of this course introduces the topic of Discipleship.  Discipleship in this context refers to the process whereby a new believer grows in the their faith knowledge and practice to become an active missionary to their community.