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International Alliance of Christian Colleges and Universities
Christian Center for Science and Apologetics
Euro-Asian Accreditation Association

Offer (in Russian) an intensive course for training leaders of Apologetics Seminars

EFFECTIVE CHRISTIAN PERSUASION

The course will be held on October 11-15, 2003
at the Black Sea coast of Crimea, in the retreat format The course equals 3 academic hours on Apologetics
Academic Objectives of the Course:
to develop student's
  • understanding of the necessity and possibility of Christian persuasion;
  • capacity of operating with facts of philosophy, history, ethics and science;
  • comprehending the basic arguments supporting the Christian faith, and ability to use them in practice;
  • skills of sharing one's believes effectively.
Spiritual Objectives of the Course:
  • strengthening students and teachers in their believes; training them to be prepared “to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

Goals: : By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the basic principles of apologetics and practical skills. They will be able to lead apologetic seminars at schools, churches, and small groups.

Course Supervisor: Sergei L. Golovin, Teacher-Specialist (Physics), M.Sc. (Earth Physics); ТСМ Institute for Biblical Studies student (M.A.), Christian Center for Science and Apologetics founder and president, Holy Trinity College (Kursk, Russia) and Donetsk Christian University (Donetsk, Ukraine) visiting professor, Christian Students Fellowship of Ukraine National Board chairman. “Man and Christian Worldview” Annual International Symposium committee member. Simferopol Christian Church Council chairman. Married, has two children.

Topical seminars will be offered by prominent Russian and Western apologists.

The Course Description

Applicants of the course should be born-again Christians under 30 with higher education or pursuing it at the moment. (Students who do not have higher education, or who are over 30, can be considered on the basis of their church or ministry leaders’ recommendation).

Applications should include following information: full name, birth date, date (year) of conversion, name of local church, and how long you are a member of that church. Application should also include a one-page testimony and recommendation from the church, signed by elder (pastor, presbyter).

With the application the students should pay a registration fee of 40 UAH (for those students who are not from Ukraine - equivalent of $10 US); Students should submit their list of books chosen for the elective reading assignment, send an application for the textbooks needed and for elective reading books that the Christian Center for Science and Apologetics has available (other books a student should find and purchase him/herself).

The cost of the books and the shipment, as well as travel expenses from Simferopol to the venue is covered by the registration fee.

The student is responsible for other expenses, including travel to Simferopol and return, as well as meals and lodging at the venue. The latter expense is set by the venue administration and is approximately $60 for the entire period. The exact amount will be specified later. A student can apply for financial assistance to the church and/or mission that sends him/her for the study.

Pre-course assignment: read the books that you have chosen from the elective reading literature list (see below). The total amount should be no less that 450 pages, A5 format. With the professor's approval, other apologetic books, in addition to the course textbooks (see below), can be used. The student should write a reading report on every book read and send it before September 30, 2003. For the requirements for the reading reports, see below

The research paper paper (4 computer-typed pages in total) is based on a particular issue chosen by the student and approved by the professor. It should be written on a level appropriate for presenting to educated unbelievers. The research paper should be submitted no later than June 30, 2003. The best research papers will be presented at the International Symposium, "Man and Christian Worldview," October 9-10, 2003, prior to the training course. Symposium expenses are undertaken by the symposium planning committee.

At the end of the course the students will have a final test exam.

Grading: Reading reports make 20%, research paper – 50%, final test – 30% of the final course grade.

Grading System:

93% - excellent
90% - close to excellent
87% - very good
 83% - good
80% - almost good
77% - more than satisfactory
 73% - satisfactory
70% - less than satisfactory
69% and less - unsatisfactory

Course Description:

  1. THE CONCEPT OF CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS.What apologetics is about. The role of apologetics among other biblical disciplines. Apologetics methods of Christ and Apostles. Apologetics and evangelism, a strategy. The present urgency of Apologetics. Types of apologetics. Limitations of apologetics.


  2. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND LOGICS. Logic in the Bible. Logic and the work of Holy Spirit. Tools of logic. The most common logical errors. Logic in the ministry of Jesus. Limitations of logic.


  3. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND PHILOSOPHY. History of philosophical influence upon apologetics: Plotinus' neoplatonism, Augustin's "moral thinking," Thomas a Kempis' "natural theology," Kant's "critiques," Descart's rationalism, Freud's psychology. Ontological and cosmological arguments: history of development and contemporary forms.


  4. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND SCIENCE. Empirical scientific method and its limitations. History of scientific worldview. Teleological argument: Paley's "Watchmaker" argument and its weaknesses, development of the argument; Behe's "Irreducible Complexity" argument. The Second Law of thermodynamics and the origins of the universe. Anthropic Principle. Theory of information. Failure of naturalism.


  5. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND MORALS. Paradox of evil and theodicy. "Moral evil," "natural evil," "meaningless evil." Free will and development of personality. Active theodicy: failure of the alternative approaches. Moral argument.


  6. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND HISTORY. The nature of historical research. Inductive character of historical analysis. Accumulation of data: primary and secondary sources. External evidence: higher and lower criticism. Internal evidence. General reliability of the New Testament writings: reliability of sources, reliability of contents, authorship and dating. Generally acknowledged facts about the Resurrection. Biblical evidence for the Resurrection. Early evidences. Character of encounters with the resurrected Jesus. Jesus' exclusiveness. C. S. Lewis' trilemma - free historical argument.


Course textbooks (are to help the student and are not to be used for the elective reading ):

Терри Л. Мизи, Гари Р. Хабермас. Зачем верить? Бог есть! - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 1998.- 300 с. (основной)
Головин Сергей. Логика и Библия.- Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 1999.- 24 с (дополнительный)
Хэм Кен. Сотворение и Евангелие на рубеже тысячелетий - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 2000.- 160 с. (дополнительный)

Elective reading literature (no less than 450 pages, A5 format):

Брюс Фредерик. Документы Нового Завета — достоверны ли они? Чикаго: SGP, 1990.- 155 с. (эквивалентна 77 стр. формата А5)
Виланд Карл. Камни и кости - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 2001.- 32с.
Гарднер Лин. Христианство остается истиной. - Минск: Церковь «Благодать Божия», 1996.- 160 с.
Головин Сергей. Всемирный потоп – миф, легенда или реальность? - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 1999.- 94 с.
Головин Сергей. Эволюция мифа. Как человек стал обезьяной. - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 1999.- 94 с.
Джонсон Филлип (ред.) Гиотеза Творения. - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 2000.- 336 с.
Как возникла Библия... - CLV, 1993.- 224 c.
Купер Билл. После Потопа - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 1997.- 224 с.
Литтл Брюс. Откуда мы знаем. Религиозная эпистемология. - Симферополь: Крымско-Американский колледж, 1996.- 96 с.
Льюис Клайв. Просто христианство. // Собрание сочинений в 8 томах. - М: «Виноград», 1998.- т.1, сс. 11-200.
Льюис Клайв. Любовь. // Собрание сочинений в 8 томах.- М: «Виноград», 2000.- т.1.
Макдауэлл Джош. Доказательства воскресения. - М: Соваминко, 1991.- 208 с.
Макдауэлл Джош. Неоспоримые свидетельства. - М: Соваминко, 1991.- 320 с.
Ричардсон Дан. Вечность в их сердцах. - Чикаго: SGP, 1989.- 260 с.
Сарфати Джонатан. Несостоятельность теории эволюции. - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр, 2001.- 136 с.
Тейлор Йен. В умах людей: Дарвин и новый мировой порядок - Симферополь: Христиан­ский научно апологетический центр, 2000.- 550 с.
Хайниц Томас. Творение или эволюция - Wheaton, Illinois, USA: Slavic Gospel Society, 1993.- 112 p.
Хэм Кен, Вилэнд Карл, Баатен Дон. От одной крови - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр.-, 2001.- 156 с.
Хэм Кен, Снеллинг Эндрю, Вилэнд Карл. Книга ответов расширенная и обновленная - Симферополь: Христианский научно-апологетический центр.-, 2000.- 287 с.
Шейфер Френсис. Как же нам теперь жить? - Чикаго: SGP, 1990.– 272 с.
Шелли Рубел. В защиту христианской веры. - СПб: Всемирное христианское радиовещание, 1994.- 260 с.
Behe Michael J. Darwin’s Black Box. - Touchstone, 1998.- 307 p. Johnson Phillip E. Reason in the Balance. - InterVarsity Press, 1995.- 245 p.

Minimal requirements for the reading reports (3-5 thousand characters for each book):

  1. Indicate the title of the book, and the reason why you chose it.
  2. Indicate the author's goal in writing this book.
  3. What means does the author used to achieve this goal?
  4. What do you like most:
    1. In the author’s approach?
    2. In the contents of the book?
  5. What do you disagreed with:
    1. In the author’s approach?
    2. In the contents of the book?