CAA Catechism Overview

This is a collaboration of The Christian Apologetics Alliance (CAA) to break the essentials of apologetics up into bite size pieces (400 words or less), catechism-style. We will provide one or two scriptures for each topic (ground it in the Word) and submit the completed project to YouVersion. We will include short audio/video clips (see One Minute Apologist) with each topic. We will also provide references for digging deeper, as well as three questions (one fill-in-the-blank, one multiple choice, and one discussion question) per topic. This will also take the form of blog posts on the CAA blog as a CAA wiki. This began as a CAA collaboration in Google Drive in September of 2013 but moved to the CAA blog in March/April of 2014.

There is a “collaborators” section on every post where someone who supplies actual content (as opposed to merely planning to supply content) can be listed. Each topic may have an unlimited number of collaborators, so we need only those collaborators with thick skin and great sensitivity to the views of others.

All collaborators may work on any of the posts in any order, with no required level of contribution. If a topic seems like it needs to be divided into more specific topics, please suggest the specific topics (with a logical structure in the titling system) within the collaboration notes of the relevant post. Notify the dedicated catechism group of duplicate topics, or if a topic is miscategorized.

Create a doc in the files tab of this group from your computer. If no one has any pushback within a week (or after everyone is happy with the amendments), tag Maryann Spikes, and she will add it to this website. She may not be able to review everything at first (peer reviewers are key), but she will do what she can as time allows. Once three peer reviewers pronounce the topic is complete (not just the summary, but all elements), she will finalize it on this website.

Template for all new topics, once the current index is complete:

[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.]

[Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.]

Summary in 400 words or less:

Scripture for YouVersion:

Short audio/video:

Three questions (1 fill-in-the-blank, 1 multiple choice, and one discussion question):

References for further reading:

Collaboration notes:

Collaborators:
[Add your name here only if you have created this topic or contributed valuable content or editing to this topic.]

[Add a copyright-free, relevant image to the body of the post (click the Add Media button), as well as going back in and selecting it as the featured image.]

Type “YES” and contact Maryann when at least three collaborators agree this is ready to be shared with YouVersion:

*******

Off-site posts can be part of this catechism as long as the author 1) is an established CAA member, 2) modifies their post to follow the above template of 400 words, scripture, three questions, audio/video, and references, 3) links back to this Catechism overview, and 4) permits us to repost their content on our blog with a canonical link back to theirs. Also note that our collaborators may modify any catechism post on our blog and, if so, will be included with the original author on the list of collaborators for that topic. If you have not gone through this process with us, please do not post or print Catechism content beyond more than a few sentences that refer back to our original post. Contact Maryann to submit your polished, off-site post. [Posts on the CAA blog posted under an account other than the CAA Catechism account are considered “off-site” for the purposes of this overview.]

Some things to keep in mind throughout this project: Every question can have a different answer depending on who is asking it. There’s the risk of answers getting dated as new scholarship gets released. We need to think through what assumptions are behind the question that we don’t want to implicitly buy into in giving an answer – some questions need to be challenged with another question. There are some layers of complexity that we need to navigate thoughtfully if we want to do this well. — Carson Weitnauer

The CAA Catechism

Preliminaries

Development Key:
Sum.=400 word summary
Script.=Scripture reference for YouVersion
A/V=Short audio/video
Qs=3 questions
Refs=References for further reading
All=All of the above
(As of now, all topics have banners.)

Faith, Reason, & Science
Z. E. Kendall, David Haines, Edgar Andrews, Maryann Spikes, Jonathan Hanna
Need: 2 Qs

>>>On Burden of Proof
Max Mills
Need: Scripture, A/V, Qs, Refs

What is apologetics?
Mikel Del Rosario, Mark McGee
Ready for peer review.

>>>Answering Objections to Doing Apologetics
Jonathan Hanna
Ready for peer review.

>>>Apologetics Methods, Tactics, & Logic
Maryann Spikes, Eric Chabot, Z. E. Kendall
Need: All but summary

>>>>>>Classical Apologetics
Need: All
>>>>>>Cumulative Case Apologetics
Z. E. Kendall
Need: Qs
>>>>>>Evidentialist Apologetics
Need: All
>>>>>>Imaginative Apologetics
Samuel Ronicker, Adrian Urias, Holly Ordway, David Marshall
Ready for peer review.
>>>>>>Incarnational Apologetics
Need: All
>>>>>>Presuppositional Apologetics
Bonita Jewell
Need: Script.
>>>>>>Reformed Epistemology Apologetics
Steven Dunn, Frederick Choo, Christopher Riggs, Samuel Inbaraja, Mark McGee, Shandon Guthrie, David Haines, Z. E. Kendall, Maryann Spikes
Need: Qs, A/V, Refs

Answering Existential Objections
Need: All

>>>Is Christianity Just a Wish or Crutch?
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Christian Hypocrites
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Why Do We Need the Church?
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Frederick Choo, Shandon Guthrie, Marcia Montenegro, Bill Dyer
Need: Script., Qs

>>>>>>On Hell
Sergio Flores, Frederick Choo, Peter Grice, Jonathan Hanna, D. Preacher, Z. E. Kendall
Need: A/V, Qs

>>>OT Wrath Versus NT Love?
Chris Lee, JC Lamont
Need: Script, A/V, Qs, Refs

Worldviews & World Religions

How to Examine Worldviews
David Marshall, Frederick Choo, Mike Alexander Perry
Ready for peer review.

Postmodernism, Relativism, and Truth
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

Evaluating Islam
Samuel Inbaraja, David Marshall, Z. E. Kendall
Ready for peer review.

Evaluating Buddhism
Samuel Inbaraja, Marcia Montenegro
Need: All but summary, video

>>>Grace vs. Karma
Sergio Flores, Chris Lee
Need: A/V, Qs, Refs

Evaluating Judaism
JC Lamont
Ready for peer review.

Evaluating Naturalism
Christopher Riggs
Need: All except summary.
(Related: Design Arguments)
>>>Can We Be Good without God?
Zack Schmoll, Samuel Ronicker, Maryann Spikes
Ready for peer review.
>>>Euthyphro’s Dilemma and Hume’s Is-Ought
Need: All
>>>Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism
Frederick Choo
Ready for peer review.
>>>YEC, OEC, I.D., and Theistic Evolution
Need: All
>>>>>>Who Designed the Designer?
Z.E. Kendall
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

Evaluating Atheism, Agnosticism, and Skepticism
Samuel Inbaraja, Maryann Spikes
Ready for peer review.
>>>Concerning the “Nones”
Jonathan Hanna
Ready for peer review.
>>>The New Atheism
David Marshall, Frederick Choo, Mike Alexander Perry
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

Mere Christianity | Why the ‘Christian’ God?
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>Is Jesus the ‘Exclusive’ Way/Truth?
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>Council of Nicea (325 AD)
Chris Lee
Need: Script., Qs, Refs

Evaluating Jehovah’s Witnesses
Cynthia Velasco Hampton, Marcia Montenegro
Need: Script., Qs

Evaluating Mormonism
Jonathan Hanna, Mike Alexander Perry
Ready for peer review.

Evaluating Oneness
Josh Fults, Marcia Montenegro
Need: All but summary, video

Evaluating Panentheism
Marcia Montenegro
Ready for peer review.

Evaluating Universalism
Christopher Riggs, JC Lamont, Marcia Montenegro
Need: Script., A/V, Qs

Ecumenical Apologetics
Brian Chilton
Need: All but summary and references.

Arguments for God

Arguments from Authority, Common Consent, Naturalness of Theistic Belief
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

Arguments from Miracles and Providence
Brian Chilton, Z. E. Kendall
Need: Script., Qs, Refs

>>>Arguments from Mystical or Religious Experience
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Pneumatic Evidence
Benjamin Nasmith
Ready for peer review.

>>>Prophecy
(Related: Christ Fulfills Prophecies)
Eric Chabot
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>The Virgin Birth
Billy Dyer, Tim McGrew
Ready for peer review.

Arguments from Mental Phenomena
Need: All

>>>Arguments from Consciousness
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs

>>>Arguments from Reason
Christopher Riggs
Ready for peer review.

>>>Arguments from Beauty and Aesthetics
Brian Chilton, Adrian Urias
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Arguments from Desire
Brian Chilton, Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Arguments from Morality
Brian Chilton, Josh Fults
Need: Script., Qs, Refs

>>>Arguments from Other Minds
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Pascal’s Anthropological Argument
Douglas Groothuis
Need: Script., Qs, Refs

>>>Pascal’s Wager
Chris Lee, Brian Chilton, Douglas Groothuis
Need: A/V, Qs, Refs

Arguments from Nature

>>>Cosmological Arguments
Need: All

>>>>>>Kalaam Cosmological Argument
Bishoy Samuel
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>>>>Leibnizian Cosmological Argument
Mark McGee, John DePoe, Brian Chilton
Ready for peer review.

>>>>>>>>>Principle of Sufficient Reason
Z. E. Kendall, Mark McGee
Ready for peer review.

>>>>>>First Cause & Other Thomistic Cosmological Arguments
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>>>>Scientific Confirmation of a Beginning
Billy Dyer
Need: Qs, References

>>>Teleological (Design) Arguments
Need: All
(Related: Evaluating Naturalism)

>>>>>>Arguments from Cosmological Fine-Tuning
Brian Chilton, Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>>>>Arguments from Intelligent Design in Biology
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>>>>Arguments from Language
Need: All

Ontological Arguments
Brian Chilton
Need: Qs, Refs

>>>Conceptual Arguments
Brian Chilton
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

Defending Essential Doctrines

Compatibility of Sovereignty and Free Will
Need: All

Defending the Trinity
Chris Lee
Need: A/V, Qs, Refs

The Historicity of Jesus & the Resurrection
Brian Chilton, Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Minimal Facts Method
Brian Chilton, Maryann Spikes, Z. E. Kendall
Ready for peer review.

>>>Christ Fulfills Prophecies
Eric Chabot, Z. E. Kendall
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs
(Related: Prophecy)

>>>Answering Mythicism
Z. E. Kendall, David Marshall
Ready for peer review.

>>>Eyewitness Testimony
Mark McGee, Christopher Riggs, Z. E. Kendall
Ready for peer review.

>>>Jesus’ Divine Incarnation
Chris Lee, Sergio Flores, JC Lamont, Frederick Choo, Marcia Montenegro
Need: Qs, Refs

The Reliability of the Bible
Need: All

>>>Archaeological Confirmations of Scripture
Mark McGee, Joshua Nielsen, Z.E. Kendall
Ready for peer review.

>>>Historical Confirmations of Scripture
JC Lamont
Need: All except summary.

>>>Scientific Confirmation of Scripture
Mark McGee
Ready for peer review.

>>>Taking the Bible Literally (On Genre)
Chris Lee
Need: Script., A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>On Inerrancy and Inspiration
Chris Lee
Need: A/V, Qs, Refs

>>>Transmission and Canonization of Scripture
Jonathan Hanna, Frederick Choo
Ready for peer review.

>>>Undesigned Coincidences in Scripture
Z. E. Kendall, Tim McGrew
Need: Qs

Contemporary Issues

Church & State
Need: All

Creation Care
Need: All

Pro-Family
Jonathan Hanna, Christopher Riggs
Need: Qs

Pro-Life
Daniel Rodger
Need: A/V, Qs, Refs

Stem Cell Research
Need: All

 

Editor: Maryann Spikes
Banners: JBFisherking