Apologetics meets Sunday School

[Drone]

I have been attending a Lutheran church since I was five and in the whole time I've been going, Bible School has always focused primarily on Bible stories. This is all well and good, but I remember when I started middle school, and then high school. I could not answer a single difficult question posed to me by my friends. I was frequently embarrassed and my own faith started to falter as I struggled to find answers.

Recently I came across some writings and podcasts by Prof. William Lane Craig, whom I have taken as my personal Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was in one of those podcasts that he recommended fusing apologetics with Sunday School to give our children a head start on a true Christian worldview with an understanding that extended beyond Noah and the ark. I am 24 years old, so I'm technically eligible for the voters guild. I'm just not sure how to go about presenting this sort of idea to my pastor.

How difficult would this be to carry out? What resources would we need? Would I be an acceptable teacher? I've read just about every reputable book on the subject out there, and am just beginning a semester of courses towards a certification. Not to say that I am on the level of teacher in the least, but I do believe I could teach middle schoolers some of the basics (finely tuned universe, argument from evil, etc...) and how to answer some basic questions when asked.

[Athanasius]

It wouldn't be very hard, but doing things in the right order is essential.

[Frecs]

As for approaching the pastor: be prepared. Just as apologetics says to be ready to give an answer, you need to be ready to answer the pastor's questions. who, what, where, when, why, how.

who: who are the proposed students? who would teach?
what: what will be taught? are there prepared lessons or would you design them yourself? If the latter, be prepared with a general outline of ideas and point-of-view
where: in an existing class? start a new class? if the latter, is there a room available?
when: during normal Sunday School time or another time?
why? here is where you pitch why it is important to teach this to the age group you want to teach.
How: not just teaching method, how much is it going to cost the church? if you want to use prepared lesson materials, how much do they cost and from whom would they be ordered?

Pastors love new ideas better if the person presenting them is willing to head up the program. They get lots of people with "great ideas" they think someone else should do. If you go in with "I have an idea and I'd like to head it up" you will have the Pastor's attention! If it won't cost too much, you will have the Board's attention, too!

Frecs

[th1bill]

Drone,
The class is a snap as long as you trust in God, completely. Your study materials must include your Bible and the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by N. Geisler, ISBN 0-8020-2151-0. It is a single volume and when I purchased mine I paid fifty dollars for it but I have been informed by others that it s less expensive now. My volume is 841 pages of nine point print and it covers every possible aspect of Apologetics for our faith. Mr. Geisler spent forty years researching the book and it includes, bibliographed, references from all of the, time period, historians from the known world as well as from scripture. My copy has proven to be worth ten times what I paid for it an I recommend it for every teacher.

[Romber]

I really can't offer much advice other than I completely agree with your position. I am a student coming out of high school/ beginning college and if I didn't teach apogetics to myself I never would have been able to answer the more difficult questions out there. I am a firm believer the church needs to address those issues way more than they do now.

[crossnote]

Don't nearly all Lutheran Churches have their own schools? Perhaps apologetics should be taught during the week in their schools and concentrate more on the teachings of the bible/catechism during Sunday School?