Consider Christianity, Volume 1 Study Guide. Elgin, L Hushbeck Jr.

       Cover Layout by Baxter’s Elite Productions

       www.baxterselite.com Copyright © 2006, Elgin L. Hushbeck, Jr. EPub Edition: Print ISBN: 1-893729-32-X

      How to Use This Book

      This study guide is designed to accompany Consider Christianity, Volume 1: Evidence for the Bible. It can be used either by an instructor as a workbook for a class in apologetics, by a study group, or by an individual who wants to make a serious study of the contents of this book. You can continue your study with Consider Christianity, Volume 2: Evidence for the Christian Faith (ISBN: 1-893729-30-3) and its accompanying study guide (ISBN: 1-893729-33-8). These instructions will focus on a small group, but can be adapted for a class or individual study with little difficulty.

      Before the Group Meeting:

      Each member of the group should read the chapter and complete the Questions from the Book section. They also may want to make notes on the second section, Questions for Discussion.

      Questions from the Book:

      These should be quickly reviewed, to refresh everyone’s memory, allow for those who did not have a chance to do them, and to address any questions that may have arisen.

      Questions for Discussion:

      These are, as the heading implies, to be discussed as a group. A key issue here will be time management. There is no need to take these in order, or to give equal time to each question. But it is important to leave time for the Real World Problems. Each discussion question can occupy quite a bit of time. If you do not have time to deal with all of the questions, the group leader can select certain questions for the group or ask the group if there are any question that are of particular interest. Depending on the group it may be more valuable to discuss one question in depth, than all three. The key is to divide the available time wisely, choosing areas of focus based on the needs or interests of your group.

      Real World Problems:

      There are several approaches for doing the Real World Problems. It is important to note that these are only suggestions. It is highly recommended that before doing these, the group leader should ask if any one in the group has an actual example of their own, perhaps from a family member or a co-worker, or something they recently saw on TV that touches on the material in the chapter under discussion. If using examples from the group, the group leader will need to judge if the example is on the topic discussed in the chapter.

      When doing the real world problems from the study guide, the more traditional approach would be to have one or more persons do some research on the question in advance and then discuss these problems in light of their research. If you are using examples from the group, you will need to get these the week before so there is time to do the research.

      Another approach is to do them “blind” as a means of honing your skills for “thinking on your feet.” After all, when talking with critics we often will not have the ability to prepare in advance. Your group can then discuss what the best way is to respond to such comments/criticism. The real world problems have been developed with this latter approach in mind and most do not require any detailed or specific knowledge to counter beyond that which is covered in the book.

      In general there are three steps for the real world problems:

      1 Look for any clear errors or distortions in the statement.

      2 Look for any underlying assumptions that are questionable.

      3 Try to counter with positive evidence that conflicts with criticism or attack.

      In some cases you may want to develop a series of questions that one could ask the critic to clarify the problems or the situation, and thus develop a plan as to how to proceed. Also it is perfectly ok to say “I don’t know, let me look into it.” No one has all the answers all the time.

      As an example, the first Real World Problem in Chapter I is done at the end of this section. (Note: This can be used with the group as an example of how to do the others.)

      Finally, whenever dealing with those who have questions or criticisms, it is important to realize we have a choice, not only if we will respond, but also how we respond. Our responses can be aimed at either shutting down discussion, or opening it up. They can be aimed at drawing the person with criticism closer to Christ, or pushing them away. Those with questions or criticism are not opponents to be defeated, but people for whom Christ died. The aim of the Consider Christianity series is to engage in discussions so as to draw people closer to Christ and this aim should be kept in mind when dealing with Questions for Discussion and Real World Problems.

      Example Real World Problem:

       Chapter 1, Problem 1:

      Note the slanting with the use of the phrase “Even if we pretended” as if this conclusions can only be reached by pretending. There is a touch of ridicule in this statement. Also note the error in the statement “it is a well kept secret among Bible scholars that no two MSS of Matthew — or any other biblical book — are exactly alike.” This is simply false, as was discussed in chapter one.

      Note the assumption being made here that Christians are uninformed and ignorant. (“Most true believers know nothing at all about this problem”) and that Biblical Scholars are involved in a huge conspiracy to keep this secret.

      Thus this charge completely ignores the work of Textual Criticism in the evaluation of these differences. It also ignores that not all Biblical scholars agree. There are both liberal and conservative scholars and it would be impossible for them to reach such an agreement to keep this secret. One might also ask if it is such a well kept secret, how does he know about the secret.