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Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect

The arguments for Christian belief and the strongest objections to them, taught fairly, for campus, church and conversations between neighbours in Nigeria.

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About this course

Sooner or later someone asks you why you believe, or you ask yourself. It may be a course mate who thinks science has settled the matter, a Muslim neighbour with a sincere question about the Trinity, a cousin who walked away after one fake miracle too many, or your own mind at two in the morning. This course prepares you to answer honestly. It is taught from within the Christian tradition, and it is fair: every objection is stated at full strength before any response, contested points are marked as contested, and popular claims that are weaker than they sound are said to be so. You will learn how to reason clearly and spot bad arguments on every side, then work through the classic questions: whether God exists, how faith and science relate, whether the New Testament can be trusted, who Jesus was, the evidence for the resurrection, and the problem of evil and suffering. The Nigerian setting is present throughout: the African roots of Christianity from Alexandria and Carthage to Aksum and Ajayi Crowther, respectful conversation with Muslims and with African Traditional Religion, the prosperity gospel, and why young people leave. The aim is not to win arguments. It is to give a reason with gentleness and respect, in a country where how we talk about faith can make peace or break it. Learners of any belief, or none, are welcome and will be graded on reasoning, not on what they believe.

The fellowship programme at a university in Ibadan has just ended, and Chidinma is packing up the projector when her course mate Tunde walks over. He is not hostile. He is curious, and a little tired of being preached at. "I listened to all of it," he says. "But nobody in there ever said why any of it is true. You are a microbiologist. You would not accept a result without evidence. Why is this different?" Chidinma has a real answer somewhere inside her, but what comes out is a verse, a nervous laugh and an invitation to next week's meeting. On the bus home she feels she has failed him. She has not. She has met the question this course exists to prepare her for.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 12 lessons

  1. What apologetics is, and is not15 min
  2. Thinking clearly: arguments, fallacies and steelmanning16 min
  3. Does God exist? The cosmological arguments16 min
  4. Design, fine-tuning and the moral argument16 min
  5. Faith and science: the warfare myth and the real questions16 min
  6. Can we trust the New Testament?17 min
  7. Who was Jesus? What history can and cannot say16 min
  8. The resurrection: weighing the historical case17 min
  9. Evil and suffering: the argument, and the person in front of you17 min
  10. Christianity among the religions: Islam and African Traditional Religion17 min
  11. Hard questions from home: the white man's religion, prosperity and hypocrisy16 min
  12. Doing apologetics well: listening, questions, doubt and a five-minute talk16 min

Your project

Your Reasoned Response

One document (Google Doc shared with view access, or an uploaded Word or PDF file) with a headed section for each of the five parts and a short list of the sources you used.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect free?

Yes. Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect take to complete?

6 weeks · ~4 hrs/week. There are 12 lessons, about 3 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect?

Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect?

You will build practical skills in Building and testing arguments, Spotting logical fallacies on every side, Stating an opposing view at full strength, Cosmological, design and moral arguments and their objections, The relationship between faith and science, New Testament manuscripts, dating and textual criticism, Historical evidence about Jesus and the resurrection, Responding to the problem of evil with honesty and care, Respectful dialogue with Islam and African Traditional Religion, The African history of Christianity, Answering criticism of the church without defensiveness, Listening, asking questions and speaking with gentleness. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your Reasoned Response and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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