Logic & Debate: High School Apologetics

Description

This Logic & Debate high school apologetics course is ideal for teens ready to learn how to maturely discuss and debate current hot topics from a Christian apologetics perspective.

Logic & Debate: High School Apologetics

Day & Time: Thursdays 15:30 – 17:00 GMT (Two 40-minute sessions with a short break in the middle.)

Location: Zoom Meeting

Tutor: Agnes Mitchell

Required Materials:

• The Unaborted Socratic,
• I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Athiest (Amazon link)- used copies are available on other platforms for less.
• As well as several optional titles to choose from. List available at the beginning of the course.

Logic & Debate: Highschool Apologetics

Semester 1: Logic and Apologetics 

In this semester, we will focus on learning critical thinking and logic skills and applying them to build up a biblical worldview.  Laying a foundation of arguments for the existence of God and also for how to think through current cultural issues.  

We will be learning about logical fallacies, syllogisms, and the Socratic method and will employ these tools in a number of ways.  Applying them to some common objections to Christianity and breaking down false arguments found in social media, adverts, politics, etc.  We will not shy away from looking at the arguments of famous atheists like Richard Dawkins.

We will not only be learning how to debunk arguments but also how to construct persuasive arguments with sound thinking, good rhetoric and also grace and kindness.  

Logic and Apologetics is designed to lead into the debate module in the second semester, where we will be employing the skills we have learned.  

Semester 2: Debate 

This semester will build on and deepen the skills that were learned in Apologetics and Logic during semester 1.  We will work on using our logic skills and apologetic arguments as we write speeches and persuasive writing and engage in friendly debate on a number of issues, from pop culture to ethics to politics.  We will study rhetorical devices and good communication skills and focus on building confidence, helping them be well prepared, and also encouraging them that their voice is important in the world today.   There will be lots of opportunities to get to know some of the great debaters of our time, who argue for truth and godly values in the public square.  

A range of different debate types will be explored, from very silly fun impromptu debate to more formal types of debate.  Students will be challenged to think through the arguments held by people they may disagree with, they may even have to argue from this perspective.  This Logic & Debate course will:

• broaden their horizon 
• make them more sympathetic to people who hold opposing viewpoints, 
• help them understand where people are coming from who they will encounter as they enter the adult world.  

Debate is also a great chance to learn collaborative skills, and form strong friendships, as the students will be put in teams for some of the debates and will have to work together to prepare.  This will give them a chance to hone each other’s thinking and learn to work as a team. 

Other skills students will work on in Logic & Debate: High School Apologetics: 

• Reading challenging texts like The Unaborted Socrates, a play where the characters use the Socratic method to come to logical conclusions about abortion 
• Memorizing key arguments for the Christian faith, so that they are ready with an answer in every situation 
• Writing persuasively 
• How to have difficult conversations with grace, and not take things personally when someone disagrees.  

Read More

At Arise Home Education we want to provide students opportunities to contemplate, discuss, and practice their critical thinking skills using topics relevant to their generation.  Read more about the best books on apologetics for teens and some fun ideas on how to implement them in your homeschool.

About the Tutor

Agnes has a degree in theology from Trinity Seminary, has been an educator for 17 years, and has an obsessive interest in worldview and the consequences of ideas playing out in our culture. Nearly every dinner time in her home is spent debating controversial issues, as she and her husband have always wanted their kids not to be afraid of culture or withdraw from culture but to interact with it, challenge it, and be able to think clearly about the different forces at play in the world around them. Read more about Agnes.