Core Course Objectives

• Examine how the reasoned defense of Christianity has evolved from New Testament times to the present day.

• Analyze the methodologies used by influential apologists such as Justin Martyr, Augustine, and Cornelius Van Til.

• Study how the Church has historically adapted its defense to address specific challenges, including: paganism, Gnosticism, rationalism, and postmodern thought.

• Equip yourself to address the doubts and denials of people living in today's postmodern mindset.

Key Topics of Study

• The Patristic Period: Understanding the early defense against Roman paganism and internal heresies.

• The Middle Ages & Reformation: Exploring the synthesis of faith and reason and the shift toward biblical authority.

• The Enlightenment Challenge: Defending the faith against the rise of rationalism, humanism and more.

• Modern & Postmodern Defense: Navigating current cultural shifts and the diverse methodologies of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Course Logistics

• Instructor: Dr. Toby Holt

• Format: Summer Live Intensive (Online Only)

• Schedule: July 6–11, 2026

  • Mon–Fri: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (MST)

  • Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (MST)

• Credit: 2 Credit Hours / 26 Clock Hours

Foundational Texts

• The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til

• The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer

• Defending Your Faith by R.C. Sproul

"The defense of the faith is not a luxury or an intellectual vanity. It is a task appointed by God that you should be able to give a reason for the hope that is in you as you bear witness before the world. Christianity is based on far more than naked human reason but by no means upon less. Though divine revelation carries us beyond the limits of rational speculation, it does not sink below the bar of rational intelligibility." — R.C. Sproul