The Case for Christianity: Strengthening Faith with Reason, Logic, and Fact

Introduction

Welcome to the course, The Case for Christianity: Strengthening Faith with Reason, Logic, and Fact. In this course, we'll be walking through the book, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig, which is available as a paperback book or a Kindle book (ebook). If you would like, you can also purchase the study guide - On Guard Study Guide by William Lane Craig and Dennis W. Fuller, which is available as a paperback.

My Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

As a former college educator, I have a certain philosophy of teaching and learning that will be expressed in this course. I see my role as a facilitator of learning, not a teacher. In other words, it's my intent to provide you with the resources, tools and the opportunities to help you learn.

Although the term, "student" is traditionally used for the persons in the classroom, I'd like to you to see yourself as learners. This coincides with my role as a facilitator of learning, but it also helps you see that your role is to take advantage of the resources, opportunities and tools that are provided to learn. As a learner, try to approaches what you learn with curiosity. Be inquisitive. Don't seek to just understand the information, but contemplate and think about it so that it shapes the way you see the world. Look for and absorb insights and let those truths guide your view of the world, God, and how to relate and interact with others.

Each week, we will have only a little over of hour for "class" time. So in order to make the most of the content of the course, you'll want to do the following:

• Read the chapter for the week. (Each chapter will take you about 20 minutes to read.)
• Download the chapter notes for that week from Google Drive. (An explanation of this is below in the section on Handouts.)
  
  

Format of the Course

Each week, we'll be discussing the contents of the ten chapters of On Guard. It is not my intent to cover each chapter, but rather to uncover each chapter. Although I will do some "presenting" of the content, the focus of each session is to give you, in conjunction with your fellow learners, to explore, discuss, clarify, and ask questions related to the content. Therefore, one type of activity we will engage is is called "think-pair-share" in which I will pose a question, or offer to you a choice of questions. We'll divide up into groups of two or three. You'll think about your answer to the question(s). Then you'll share your thoughts with the members of the group.

Handouts

Before each week's session, you can access a Google Docs version of a handout for the upcoming week's session.

As you are reading the chapter in the book, On Guard, have a copy of the handout for that week's chapter available. You can print it off, if you like. If you would like to type in your own notes, you can either use it online in Google Docs, or download in a different format (e.g., Microsoft Word, etc).

If you would like to save to your own Google Docs , follow these steps:
- Open the link provided on the web page for each week's reading. (On the website for the course, look on the left side of the page in the navigation menu, click on "Weeks")
- In the File menu in Google Docs, choose File > Make a copy.
- You can now rename it, if you like, and save it to your own Google Drive.

If you do not have a Google account, you can use File > Download to download the document as a Word, PDF, or other file type for use outside of Google Drive.

On this handout, you'll see an outline of the chapter and possible questions for discussion during the class time.

Making use of the book, On Guard

Note: A copy of the information below can also be found on the web page, How to Get the Most Out of Your Reading.

In order to get the most out of this book, or any book, for that matter, try to focus, be curious, and interact with the content. Here are some practical things to do as you read:

• Read Actively - As you read through the book, On Guard each week, try to read actively, not passively.
• Skim the Headings - Before you begin reading the chapter, take a quick skim at the headings to get a broad overview.
• Ask Questions While Reading - Turn headings and subheadings into questions. Continually ask yourself: What is the author's main point? How does this section connect to what I read before.
• Take Notes and Annotate - Jot down key points, unfamiliar terms, and your personal reactions.
• Summarize and Paraphrase - After reading each section or chapter, summarize the content in your own words. This ensures you understand rather than just recognize the information.
• Make Connections - Relate what you are reading to your own experiences, other readings, and real-word experiences and issues. This will make the material more memorable and meaningful.
• Reflect on What You Read - Ask yourself how the reading fits with what you already know and how it challenges or confirms your thinking.
• Revisit and Review - Regularly review notes, summaries, and annotations to reinforce learning and retention.
• Adjust Your Reading Speed - Some of the content of the book will be "denser" than other parts. Slow down for difficult sections and reread a paragraph, if necessary.
  
  

Argument Maps

At the end of most chapters in the book you'll find a diagram called an argument map. The book indicates that the argument maps for each chapter can be found at http://davidcook.com/onguard, but that is an old link. ==Instead, you can found them here - OnGuard_ArgumentMaps_Images.pdf

Things to do Before Next Week's Session

1. Purchase the book (either paperback or Kindle) - On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig.
   • If you purchase the Kindle version of the book, you'll want to bring a device for accessing the book during our sessions. Examples are a mobile device that uses teh Kindle app (e.g., iPhone, Android phone, iPad) or an actual Kindle device.
   • If you purchase the paperback version of the book, bring your paperback copy to each class session.
2. Optionally, purchase the Study Guide - On Guard Study Guide by William Lane Craig and Dennis W. Fuller.
3. Go to Google Docs and access the handout for next week's class (Week 2 - Chapter 1 - What is Apologetics?) - Ch.1 - What is Apologetics? - Google Docs
   
   

Resources

• You can find a list of books and articles related to apologetics by going here - Resources for Learning Apologetics
• Resources related to learning more effectively can be found here - Learning More Effectively - Resources