Growing up as a “military kid” in locations across the U.S., Houston Baptist University Professor Dr. Philip Tallon learned to be adaptable to his family’s way of life. Yet, accepting the precepts of the Christianity he’d been taught wasn’t as simple as accepting a new town or school.
“I think I have a comfort with learning unexpected things and a discomfort for having to settle for easy answers,” he said. “I went through a long period where I wasn’t getting good answers, and my confidence in Christianity as having validity waned. God sent people who could explain Christianity on a deeper level, and in a compelling way that made sense to me. That’s a big part of why I think apologetics is important to me.”
Tallon felt a call to ministry and academia. He went to seminary before completing his doctorate at the University of St. Andrews. He now serves as chair of the HBU Department of Apologetics.
“The word ‘apologetics’ comes from the Greek word ‘apologia,’ meaning defense,” Tallon said. “It’s offering a reason for the great hope we have as Christians.”
HBU is entering its fifth year of offering the Online Master of Arts in Apologetics. The course of study offers the choice of a cultural or a philosophical apologetics track. Students learn the biblical basis for theological ideas, study key writings and explore philosophical implications and related cultural concepts.
“Students can gain an understanding of what Christians always and everywhere have believed in order to share and defend the faith,” Tallon said.
Dr. Jeffrey Green, dean of the Graduate School and interim dean of Christian Thought, said there really is no typical student in the program. Apologetics learners, like the program’s faculty, come from many Christian faith traditions. Students’ paths include church ministry, mission work, teaching, writing, doctoral work or simply open-ended study. They learn from their places of residence throughout the U.S. and even the world.
“I’ve been happy with the diversity we’ve had,” Green said. “Students come at different stages of life. The program’s designed to be entered into no matter their background. We have an open door.”
One of the biggest draws of the program is the ability to learn from world-class professors and instructors. Faculty members are respected authors, researchers and field experts in their own right. For example, Oxford-based Dr. Michael Ward brings his knowledge of great Christian thinker C.S. Lewis, Dr. Holly Ordway uses her extensive authorship and literary criticism expertise to help students translate their ideas to writing, Mary Jo Sharp brings her skills as a speaker and debater and Dr. Michael Licona shares his research about evidence for the resurrection of Christ. Other preeminent apologetics educators bring their specialties to the programmatic table.
“I think the quality of our faculty is excellent,” Green said. “I think students will find few people who are better experts in their respective areas.”
HBU President Dr. Robert Sloan said it’s the faculty members who truly make the curriculum come alive.
“The faculty here are the difference-makers,” he said. “Apologetics has often been a male domain, but here at HBU, we have the finest men and women apologists in the world.”
A Passion for the Subject
On the heels of releasing her latest book, “Apologetics and the Christian Imagination: An Integrated Approach to Defending the Faith,” Ordway said that germane connections to people in modern culture are more pertinent than ever.
“I’m passionate about apologetics because I know firsthand how important it is. As a convert from atheism as an adult, I have experienced life on both sides of the Kingdom,” she said. “The biggest problem in apologetics today is not that we don’t have good arguments — it’s that people either don’t care about our arguments or they don’t understand them because we have lost shared cultural meaning for our Christian words.”
Tallon agrees that basic biblical literacy or even commonly accepted ideals are not culturally shared as they once were.
“Not that long ago in the West, Christians would not be called upon to defend and explain their beliefs,” he said. “There has been a decline of cultural Christianity in America and the surrounding world. We are seeing a rise in skepticism and even in hostility to Christian values. It’s just not the case anymore that Christianity is given deference to answer the questions of what it means to be human, what the nature of the world is and what morality consists of. There are no more free rides for Christian beliefs. We need to be prepared to encounter and face these questions.”
Even cynicism is important, however, because it leads to tested and meaningful answers. And while the deterioration of widespread regard for scriptural truths is disappointing, there are fresh ways to share timeless truths, Tallon notes.
For Ordway, engaging her mind’s eye through motifs found in literature and the arts has been important in her conversion and faith experience. The HBU Apologetics program incorporates the work of ancient through modern philosophers, theologians, writers, thinkers, artisans and musicians.
“As human beings, we have intellect, imagination, emotions and will,” she said. “Thus, a truly effective apologetics program will reflect that.”
Author Leigh McLeroy graduated from the program in May 2017. Throughout her career, McLeroy has written five books, contributed to many more and taught the Bible for 25 years. She enrolled in the Apologetics cultural track to become even more effective.
“I have always teased the edges of the Gospel in most of my published writing,” she said. “Over time, I’ve come to see that times change and people change. The Gospel is timeless, but the way you present it has to change. You can’t presuppose anymore that people have any vague inclination about things like original sin.”
McLeroy describes her approach to sharing truth with people as “taking the side door.” Rather than an in-your-face tactic, appealing to things that are common needs, such as security and identity, can be an apologist’s best tool, she said.
“My guiding principal has been Emily Dickinson’s words,” she said.
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind — (1)
“I’ve learned through the program that there are other ways to approach the Gospel than only quoting Scripture, even though there is a place for that direct approach,” McLeroy said. “It’s hard to see things full-on at times, and easier to see them at a slant. For example, Jesus told stories that are powerful. For someone like me who writes and likes to tell stories, it’s moving. I feel like the program has given me a broader set of tools to work with in order to merge Scripture and the Gospel with real life.”
References in this section:
- Dickinson, Emily. “The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition, Poem, 1263.” The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 1998.
Effective Online Delivery
The online format of the program has proved to be just as effective as in-person classes. Through digital forums, students still enjoy the give-and-take of ideas from peers, and individual instruction from faculty members.
“The professors do a good job of engaging students,” Green said. “And students can take classes wherever they are and whatever their schedule. They can take classes part-time as well.”
Based in Maine and a father to two young children, the online delivery was just what student Mike DeVito, a retired NFL defensive lineman, was looking for.
“The Bible says to worship in spirit and in truth, and to love God with all of our hearts and minds,” he said. “It was important for me to learn more.”
DeVito has been pleased by the quality of the program and the accessibility of the faculty.
“The caliber of the apologists in this program is just unbelievable, and the direct feedback on everything I do has been better than anything I’ve ever had in the classroom,” he said.
Small class sizes help ensure no one is left out, Ordway said.
“This is a genuinely interactive classroom environment,” she said. “This is not ‘plug and play’ or independent study. Students get real interaction every week with their professors and classmates. The online program means that they can integrate graduate study into their ministry, work and family schedule.”
Unlike traditional classrooms where students might not raise their hands, involvement in discussions is compulsory in online courses, Tallon said.
“I love teaching online, in part because it allows me to draw out all of my students, not just the extroverted ones, or the ones who are more confident about speaking up in class,” Ordway said. “Our expectation is that all students participate.”
Licona said online students are especially dedicated, committed to learning as much as to completing coursework.
“Those in the MA in Apologetics program tend to be mature students with a good amount of self-discipline,” he said. “I have found them to be a joy to work with.”
Ward said the online delivery creates an ideal format for the exchange of thoughts.
“I am greatly impressed by the dedication and seriousness that students bring to the program, often juggling many other commitments as they do so,” he said. “It is very rewarding — both intellectually and spiritually — to teach my classes, and I always find I learn a good deal from my students as well.”
Relatable Material
To make Christian learning programs even more convenient to learners, HBU is developing 12-hour, master’s-level certificate programs in Apologetics, Greek and Classical Languages, New Testament, and Missions and Evangelism.
The certificates will allow learners to complete graduate coursework in-person or online in order to earn a specialized study certificate. The course hours may be applied toward a master’s degree as well.
Dr. Jeffrey Green, dean of the Graduate School and interim dean of Christian Thought, said, “Graduate certificates are a great way to sharpen one’s skills for ministry. We look forward to offering them.”
Students graduate with a richer understanding of their own faith, along with a greater grasp of other religions and worldviews.
“We live in a highly connected world where we’re always in contact with people who believe other things,” Tallon said. “We aim to understand where someone else is coming from so we can speak truth into that person’s life.”
Zak Schmoll took the apologetics coursework from his home in Vermont, and is now working on his PhD. Like McLeroy, Schmoll wanted more tools with which he could present his faith.
“Studying apologetics helped me discover ways to communicate answers to difficult questions such as the problem of evil,” he said. “If we want to be effective Christian witnesses, we have to be able to talk about the topics that actual people want to talk about. We have to relate to their perspective and present a Christian alternative to the worldview they might be embracing.”
A combination of study, discussions and writing allows students to delve into the compelling questions and answers of the past and of the present era. The work that students produce grows in depth and complexity as they face queries about topics like suffering, absolutes and the afterlife. Each facet of study focus is ultimately tied to its importance in the human experience, Ward said.
“People often dismiss Christianity because they have somehow gotten the impression that it is unconnected with real life, and concerned only with very abstract ideas and complicated theological doctrines,” Ward said. “There is a role for abstraction and for doctrinal formulation, but imaginative apologetics tries to redress the balance.”
Although the program is academically elevated, its concepts are practical.
“People won’t usually be terribly interested in the truth-claims of Christianity unless they see first that it is meaningful, and it is the imagination’s task to make things meaningful,” Ward said. “I’m interested in how the faith can be shown to be good and beautiful, answering to real concerns and feelings, and the dense texture of people’s experience— relating to personality and desire and the drama of pain and joy that we all go through.”
Sharp said she has seen students use their grasp of the curriculum to birth new ministries, as well as further develop current ministries.
“I’ve seen new sermon series, published articles, song-writing, blogs and even an art series,” she said.
The ability to utilize the material for evangelism matters most to DeVito.
“One of the things I love about the HBU classes is that, no matter how far down the intellectual path we get, there’s always an assignment that gets us back to the practical context,” he said. “It’s all tied back into, ‘How can we use this to further the Gospel?’ The program is just fantastic for that and I’ve learned so much.”
The necessity for compelling apologetics has been around since people first sought evidence that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. People everywhere grapple to reconcile science and faith, Green said. Furthermore, questions about issues like the origin of life and the distinction of the genders have become more prominent in recent years. A program like HBU’s helps to provide a framework for Christian beliefs that is applicable to many areas.
“When I look toward the future, I always see the need for answering the questions that people have, and coming up with winsome and persuasive answers,” Green said. “We need those answers both in the church and in culture. We don’t know what questions will come up in 50 years. I hope that we train new generations of apologetics scholars.”
To learn more about HBU’s Graduate School and what they offer in Apologetics, visit the MA in Apologetics page here!