Teaching Others To Defend Christianity: What Every Christian Should Know by Cathryn Buse (Crosslink Publishing, 2016) is one of the best new apologetics books I’ve read. Cathryn has a Master of Science in Engineering (summa cum laude) from the University of Alabama Huntsville and spent almost a decade working on military weapons systems, commercial rocket manufacturing, and NASA design programs. Cathryn loves science and Christian apologetics and that comes through strongly in her new book.
Cathryn Buse is the Founder of Defend The Faith Ministry and cares deeply about the challenges Christians face in society.
“The church can no longer neglect its responsibility to prepare the believer to navigate through all the competing ideas and philosophies the world offers. Schools, media, and society are peddling the idea that science trumps religion, that the Bible is out of date, and that all religions are equal. The church must begin educating and preparing its congregation to counter that kind of ideology.” Teaching Others To Defend Christianity, p. xi
Cathryn saw the need to write Teaching Others To Defend Christianity from both her own experience and that of other Christians she knew.
“Despite the fact I had attended a solid, Bible-teaching church since my childhood, the foundational truths that address those concerns were never taught. The church had not prepared me to answer the types of questions the critical-thinking community had. As an engineer advocating for the case of Jesus, I saw how desperately the church needed to be teaching apologetics; yet, it was not. For years my parents and others like them sent their children to church expecting the church to prepare us for the battles against the world. But instead, we had been given superficial Christian platitudes with no depth of foundation. Many of my peers stumbled in their faith when faced with the questions the world threw at them in college. While I clung to my faith as truth, I knew I needed to understand why it was truth.” Teaching Others To Defend Christianity, x
Cathryn wrote it was for that reason she began to study apologetics.
Unique Teaching Tool
Teaching Others To Defend Christianity is unique in that Cathryn specifically designed the book as a teaching tool.
“The teacher can teach directly from this material to logically walk the class from an atheistic worldview, to evidence that there is a god, to the uniqueness of the Christian God, to the validity of the New Testament, and finally to the certainty that Jesus is the Son of God.” Teaching Others To Defend Christianity, xiii
This is the process that led me and many other atheists to become Christians, so we know it is a powerful way to help atheists come to faith in Christ and help Christians have confidence in their beliefs as followers of Christ. As I read Cathryn’s book, I thought about what impact it might have had in my life as a teenager 50 years ago trying to discover the truth about life through logic and reason. I think it would have helped because no Christian I knew talked about those things, and those were the things that mattered to me.
Contents
Cathryn has segmented the book to be taught in six lessons answering three vital questions:
- Does God Exist?
- Which God Is it?
- Who Was Jesus?
The six lessons are:
- The Cosmological Argument
- The Teleological Argument
- The Anthropological Argument
- Religious Exclusivity
- Validity of the New Testament
- Validity of Jesus Christ
Reviews & Endorsements
(From back cover of Teaching Others To Defend Their Faith)
“Cathryn Buse effectively utilizes her engineering training and Biblical knowledge to provide a unique method for apologetics teaching. Instead of just giving apologetics responses, she uses a very analytical method to build upon each argument to guide the reader to the truth found in Jesus. As an engineer and scientist, I appreciate her ability to provide the intellectual view and substantiation of theological truths.” Jim Odom, former NASA engineer, Manager of the Hubble Telescope and US Space Station
“Cathryn Buse has produced a great gift for those who wish to teach apologetics. Anyone interested in teaching others how to defend their faith will welcome this comprehensive yet simply structured book. This study in our congregation created countless ‘I’ve never heard it explained so clearly’ responses. I’m grateful for the competence now instilled in many who want to defend the faith they profess.” Gary Formby, Pastor, Central United Methodist Church, Decatur, Alabama
“As a parent of a college student who is daily challenged to defend his beliefs, I appreciate Cathryn’s work. This study will strengthen a believer’s faith and lead an intellectual spiritual seeker to no other conclusion than God is real, Christ is His Son, and He is our only hope of salvation.” Dr. David Parmer, M.D.
“It’s not only important to know what you believe about the Christian faith, you better be ready to give a defense to your beliefs. Cathryn Buse’s study on the apologetics of the Christian faith equips the believer with the tools and weapons necessary to face the growing criticism of our generation. I can’t think of a more relevant study for God’s people at this present time.” Dr. Judson W. Hurt, Senior Pastor, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Columbus, MS
Teaching Others To Defend Christianity: What Every Christian Should Know, Crosslink Publishing, 2016, 194 pages
