Tips and Tricks, please

[Lil Red]

i'm starting a four week apologetics class for juniors and seniors in high school through young adult ages. we are using the "beginning apologetics" books. the first four weeks (well, actually three since the first meeting will be an introductory meeting) will cover approximately half this book. any tips or tricks i should know before starting to teach this class? any suggestions? what not to do? etc. anything would be helpful. thanks!

[Lil Red]

btw, here is a link to the booklets:

[url="http://www.catholicapologetics.com/ba1.htm"]http://www.catholicapologetics.com/ba1.htm[/url]

[Era Might]

I would weave in a lesson about the correlation between apologetics and ecumenism. Apologetics, to be truly effective, needs to be a dialogue between persons, and not just a battle of minds. This dialogue involves an exchange of gifts by both parties (cf. Ut Unum Sint).

[Lil Red]

thank you, good and humble advice.

[phatcatholic]

metaphors or examples from every day life are usually helpful for children. so, any chance you get to explain a doctrine w/ something like that, u should do it.

for example, the Real Presence can be difficult for teenagers to understand, so i use Jesus himself as an example. after the consecration, what our senses tell us is bread is actually the Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity of Christ. likewise, the people who examined Jesus' body when he was alive would have said that he was just a regular human being. but, we know that he was more than human, he was our God. its not a perfect parallel, but its helpful.

my only other advice is to make sure you don't speak on something unless you are sure about the answer. if you don't know the answer to a question, or aren't sure of yourself, write the question down and make sure you have a way to get back w/ that person on the answer.

good luck!! you'll do just fine :

pax christi,
phatcatholic

Edited August 24, 2005 by phatcatholic

[phatcatholic]

oh, and make sure they know that, before they set out to learn about the Lord or to defend his Church, they should pray. apologetics w/o prayer is futile. St. Justin Martyr is the patron saint of apologists. St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of students and theologians. of course, Mary's intercession is powerful as well.

[Cure of Ars]

The number one thing to remember is that becoming a saint is primary while apologetics is always secondary.

[url="http://cureofars.blogspot.com/2005/06/martyrdom-and-apologetics.html"]http://cureofars.blogspot.com/2005/06/mart...pologetics.html[/url]

[thessalonian]

Have you read "Search and Rescue" by Patrick Madrid or "Winning Souls for Christ" by Fr. Raoul. I think one of the most important but one of the most difficult things in apologetics (I certainly haven't mastered it) is detachment. We are planting seeds. We need to depend on others to water them, and the Lord to make them grow.

1Cor.3
[6] I planted, Apol'los watered, but God gave the growth.

I highly recommend those books in that light as they are not just about the arguements but also about proper perspective. We are instruments of God. We do not have to reel every fish in. The arguements are neccessary as tools for us. But the apologetic mindset must be discussed as well. That is what these books did for me. It is not about winning a debate, it is about winning a soul.

Also teach them to stop thinking in terms of dichotomies which is a very human way of thinking. Faith or works, Jesus or Peter is the rock, Jesus or Mary.

It is both/and that is the Catholic way of looking at things. They need to put on the mind of Christ.

Blessings

Edited August 25, 2005 by thessalonian

[thessalonian]

And another thing I learned by hard knocks, though I will say I still don't follow it as I should. Men will react to what we say with anger, with insults, with condescention. We must never respond in kind. These verses are in my head every time I post and that is why I put God bless or blessings at the end of almost every post I write:

Luke.6
[28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
Rom.12
[14] Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

If one wants some comfort from the cursings and the anger you can go to the end of Romans 12.

[20] No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."
[21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

God bless

Edited August 25, 2005 by thessalonian

[thessalonian]

Also, don't forget to introduce them to online Bible tools such as Bible search engines, concordances etc. These make my life so much easier. I remember a phrase and can find what I am looking for.

I must say I am jealous. I wish I could teach and apologetics course to someone. I tried but the priest and just somehow never got back to me for over a year. Then when I hit him again he had me make my pitch to another guy. That guy just never got back to me. He had some negative things to say about apologetics when I met with him so I am not surprized. Perhaps it will happen in time. Perhaps the Lord knows more than me and I was not ready.

Edited August 25, 2005 by thessalonian

[thessalonian]

By the way, that BA series is a very good set. How much of it do you expect to get through?

[Benedict]

I have the whole set and frequently use it to find a particular verse number.

Prayer and devotion are what you need to emphasize. The Catholic Evidence Guild requires 1 hour before the Blessed Sacrament for every hour of apologetics work.

Mark Brumley writes, in How Not To Share Your Faith, of the seven habits of effective apologists:

1. Prayer
2. Study
3. Dialogue
4. Clarity
5. Faith
6. Hope
7. Charity

I also remember reading, but forget exactly where (I believe it was something by either Catholic Answers or Patrick Madrid), that if you are not a confessing, mass-attending, sacrament-receiving, faithful Catholic, you have other concerns far more pressing than devoting yourself to apologetics.

[daugher-of-Mary]

Encourage them to read the chapters before and after the passages pertinent to the particular topic you are discussing. Then go back and find parallels in the OT. Eh, while you're at it, read the Bible daily! To be taken seriously by protestants, they need to have a working knowledge (and love) of Scripture.

Like everyone else has said, charity, patience, and prayer are your best weapons in apologetics. Chances are, they will encounter people who already don't trust/fear/hate (out of ignorance) Catholicism, and they need to learn to establish relationships that have the love of Christ we share with our seperated brothers as the foundation for apologetics. Only God can accomplish a conversion of heart.

[phatcatholic]

[quote name='thessalonian' date='Aug 25 2005, 08:47 AM']I must say I am jealous.  I wish  I could teach and apologetics course to someone.[right][snapback]698244[/snapback][/right][/quote]
hehe, yea, i'm jealous too

[Lil Red]

[quote name='thessalonian' date='Aug 25 2005, 08:10 AM']By the way, that BA series is a very good set.    How much of it do you expect to get through?
[right][snapback]698270[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

well, they suggest that each chapter is one unit, one unit per week. we are going to repeat again in december (catholic karate 2).

first unit will be the Eucharist.

i'm going to step up my prayer/Mass/Confession life a lot to make sure i bring all of God to these classes and none of me.

say a prayer for me, please!

i'm also giving everyone a prayer card that has the armor of God prayer on it.

[phatcatholic]

[quote name='Lil Red' date='Aug 26 2005, 01:46 PM']well, they suggest that each chapter is one unit, one unit per week. we are going to repeat again in december (catholic karate 2).

first unit will be the Eucharist.

i'm going to step up my prayer/Mass/Confession life a lot to make sure i bring all of God to these classes and none of me.

say a prayer for me, please!

i'm also giving everyone a prayer card that has the armor of God prayer on it.
[right][snapback]700151[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
ur awesome!!!

[Lil Red]

just pray for me, please. i'm really nervous, so i need to really make sure i humble myself. i know basics of apologetics, but not frontwards and backwards, so i really need help!

[Lil Red]

what do you think are the top five apologetic websites?

1. Catholic Defense Directory
?????

[Era Might]

Check out Dave Armstrong's site. He has tons of stuff.

[url="http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZHOME.HTM"]http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZHOME.HTM[/url]

[goldenchild17]

www.scripturecatholic.com is a nice quick find for verses.