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Your Reasoned Response

The capstone project for Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect — a free Civic & Life Skills course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

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.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose ONE question from this list, or a close variant you have actually been asked: (a) If everything needs a cause, who caused God? (b) Hasn't science made God unnecessary? (c) The New Testament was written long after the events and copied many times, so how can anyone trust it? (d) If God is good and powerful, why is there so much suffering in Nigeria? (e) Christianity is the white man's religion. (f) Dead people stay dead, so why should anyone believe the resurrection? You will be graded on the quality of your reasoning, your fairness and your accuracy, not on what you believe. A learner who is not a Christian may write the paper as a fair account of how a thoughtful Christian would answer, followed by their own assessment.
  2. Part 1. The objection at full strength: in 250 to 350 words, state the objection as its most thoughtful supporter would. Give their best reasons and at least one source, thinker or piece of evidence they would point to. A person who holds the view should be able to read this and say that you have put it fairly.
  3. Part 2. Your response: in 600 to 800 words, respond. Set out your argument in clear steps, name the kind of argument you are making, use at least two pieces of evidence or reasoning taught in the course, and check your facts, particularly any numbers, dates and quotations. Say honestly where your response is weaker, where Christians themselves disagree, or what it does not establish.
  4. Part 3. The reply you would get: in 150 to 250 words, write the strongest comeback a thoughtful person would make to your Part 2, and then say briefly how you would answer it or what you would concede.
  5. Part 4. A five-minute talk: give an outline for a five-minute talk on the same question for a campus fellowship or a youth meeting. Include an opening story or question, three points, one illustration drawn from Nigerian life, and a closing that invites further conversation rather than claiming victory.
  6. Part 5. A conversation plan: imagine a real person raising this with you, such as a course mate, a colleague or a neighbour of another faith. Write five questions you would ask them before you argued anything, two things you would avoid saying and why, and how you would end the conversation if it became heated. Where the other person is of another faith, show how you would speak about their beliefs accurately and with respect.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
The objection is stated fairly and at full strength, in a way its supporters would recognise22%
The response is a clear, valid argument that uses evidence accurately and draws on the course28%
The paper is honest about weaknesses, disagreements and the limits of what the argument shows, and handles the comeback seriously18%
The talk outline is clear, well structured, rooted in Nigerian life and ends with an invitation rather than a victory claim14%
The conversation plan shows real listening, accuracy and respect towards people of other beliefs, and a sensible way to end a heated exchange18%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Christian Apologetics: Giving a Reason with Gentleness and Respect is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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