Posts by: Staff Writer

This lesson has 5 segments. We begin this video lesson at the BEGINNING:

• APOLOGETICS – is defending your beliefs
• POLEMICS – is finding problems with other people’s beliefs

Christian apologetics and polemics differ depending on the beliefs of those you are speaking to, for example Muslims or atheists. So, it is good to learn defenses specific for them.

Finding fault with religions requires some study to understand what they believe and how it differs from your beliefs. Then, find reasonable ways to question or challenge them.

Now, with people from many backgrounds living in the West, we need to share the gospel in ways that makes sense to them and remove their stumbling blocks. Our videos and study guides show you how. (www.christianfrommuslim.com)

We teach this order of relationship: Build Bridges, Share Truth and then Challenge Falsehood.

Whatever the case, be sure to pray before you speak, and remember that God loves everyone – despite the foolish or evil things that they believe.

In the next segment, Dr. C and Luke discuss why we should learn and TEACH APOLOGETICS and POLEMICS.

There are two strong reasons that Christians need to learn, and churches must teach these topics.

First, many in the West now have strong faith in other religions. We must be prepared to answer their challenges and challenge them in return.

Second, a lack of apologetic training in the past has led to many Christians leaving the church. They had no answers for challenges. Some are now coming back. They need to know that the reasons for their faith are real!

Next, Dr. C explains HOW to USE our Apologetics and Polemics resources:

Because of the Muslim mindset, a Christian speaking to them will be challenged early on, so it is essential for them to learn some basic apologetics. They also need to remove the stumbling blocks that keep the gospel from making sense to Muslims. (See also The Path of the Prophets gospel method video, lesson, and multilanguage booklets)

Later in a relationship, after hearing the gospel and when the time is appropriate, a Muslim will need to be challenged about the incorrect aspects of their faith. This is polemics. Unless Muslims are strongly convinced that Islam is NOT the way of God, they won’t have the strength to leave its totalitarian lifestyle.

We recommend that you watch our SWAP and PAT videos because they tell you HOW to USE what you have learned. And we have shorter videos which focus on individual apologetic and polemic topics with what we think are unusual approaches or insights.

The NEXT segment is about A Christian ATTITUDE for Apologetics with Luke and Dr. C.

They describe the common feeling that they and others share when they are verbally attacked by unbelievers and scoffers. Both experience the natural human reflex of wanting to strike back.

How do they handle this? They give these PRACTICAL TIPS:

1. Don’t get angry or distracted by their responses. Sometimes that is exactly what they want. Keep CALM, focused on the point, not the emotion.
2. Remember that God LOVES the person. Your response to them should REFLECT that. The discussion is not about winning but about revealing God to them.
3. Listen well to them. WAIT before responding – don’t give a kneejerk reaction. Think about what you are going to say.
4. If you are in a written debate and get a hostile comment, SKIM it the first time to diffuse some of your indignation. Then come back later when you are calm to read it more thoroughly and rework it.
5. Perhaps leave your written response OVERNIGHT and reread it in the morning to be sure it is not too harsh.

During the discussion, Luke makes a startling statement, “Sometimes our job is to take a beating.”
(Luke speaks figuratively, but it can become real!)

That shows the kind of humble, loving attitude we should have while using our powerful weapons of apologetics, polemics and the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God.

In the final segment, Luke shares with Dr. C how he, an INTROVERT, can function as an apologist.
Many Christians are like him. In fact, apologetics and polemics attract people who are “on the spectrum.” But to truly follow Christ, we need to share what we have learned.

Luke does not like “small talk.” But he admits that talking about superficial things does help us connect with others, so he is trying to improve on it.

Luke likes “big talk,” about important issues. Once connected, he can have deep and long conversations – online or in person.

Besides online, a thing that helps him is serving in an apologetics booth for an event. At a booth he is able to avoid small talk and focus on important topics.

Consider these ideas if you are also unsociable.

Professional debaters have a platform, and time to develop an argument that may take an hour or more to present. Unless you are a pro, you will never have this. You will be lucky to get a few sentences in before you are interrupted.

So, what we teach you in this video are strategies, tactics, and techniques to help you make each word that you say count like 50. And we have 30 years of experience to know how and why SWAP does work. You have to see it to believe it!

Dr. Cynthia is a physician with several decades of experience sharing the gospel with Muslims, answering their questions, and challenging their erroneous beliefs.

This video is a basic introduction to Women in Islam, based on Dr. Cynthia’s decades of experience in working with Muslim women and studying Islamic texts.

It covers:

• The Story of Women in Christianity and Islam.
• Principles and Practices regarding Women in Islam.
• Examples of both, in ancient and current Islam.
• The Great Women in Islam.
• Issues to challenge on Women in Islam.

Dr. Cynthia’s summary comments include:

• The Practices of Islam are based on the Principles of authentic Islamic documents.
• True Islam truly represses Women. Westernized Islam is less harsh and authentic.
• The great women of Islam were great DESPITE Islam, not BECUSE of Islam.
• Your CURSE is your BLESSING, and your Blessing is your Curse. This is because their suffering has opened Muslim women’s minds to think that God must be better than Islam says.
• The more a religion represses women, the less it is of God.
• Their CONSCIENCE is better than their RELIGION for most Muslims.

For more detailed written content, see Lesson on Islam and Women, with Wafa Sultan.

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The PATH of the PROPHETS is the most effective way we have found for sharing the gospel with Muslims. It uses the Bible characters common in Islam and Christianity and terms that are familiar with to explain how Jesus’ death on the cross fits with ideas and traditions that they already know. The approach is, “This is what you know; let us show you more!”

We recommend that you first watch “PALM Training – Path of the Prophets Part 1, Gospel Method,” or one of our other videos on the Path of the Prophets, such as the Lesson or 12-minute English video.

Christians who read the booklet or watch the video will find that everything makes sense to them. What they miss however, are what we call HIDDEN BUTTONS. These are thoughts and emotions pushed in Muslim thinking that make the message even powerful. In this video we explain to you what is in the mindset of Muslims that Christians are unaware of when the method makes a point.

Dr. Cynthia is a physician with several decades of experience sharing the gospel with Muslims, answering their questions, and challenging their erroneous beliefs.

› BUILD BRIDGES › SHARE TRUTH › CHALLENGE FALSEHOOD is our modus operandi.

In this video we teach Christians how to reach across religious and cultural differences to connect with Muslims.

There are two kinds of Bridges: Type 1 and Type 2.

TYPE 1 BRIDGES help you connect with the Muslim as a person. Some of the bridges we present are useful with anyone. Others are especially for those from a Muslim background. In this section we present a large assortment of bridges, suggestions of when and how to use them, and examples of how we have done it.

TYPE 2 BRIDGES help you connect from your relationship with the Muslim into Bible truth, especially the gospel in The PATH of the PROPHETS.

Note 1: This video includes parts 2 and 3 of Building Bridges. Since there is a very large amount of information presented, you might want to take a break and watch those two parts separately.

Note 2: Part 1, Strong Bridge Foundations, is not included in this video. It explains how to assure that the bridges you build are strong. For security reasons that conference presentation will be refilmed and posted separately later. Suffice it to say here that to build strong bridges you should pray, fill your heart with love, be careful, practice spiritual warfare, and be ready for trouble.

› BUILD BRIDGES › SHARE TRUTH › CHALLENGE FALSEHOOD is the way our ministry approaches every relationship, especially with Muslims.

PALM conference videos fit into one or more of these three of categories. This video falls into the “Share Truth.” The Saltshaker shares Bible truth through everyday situations. It fits with the Deuteronomy 6 instruction to teach the Bible as a natural part life.

SHORT and SITUATIONAL are the keys.

Usually in relationships you will not have large chunks of time to tell a full Bible story or recite a passage. Those who are trained this way have found trouble adapting it to real-life situations. But if you know the scriptures and keep an attitude of awareness and flexibility you will be able to pass on nuggets of truth. The idea is to be like a saltshaker, sprinkling a little salt onto food to make it more appetizing. It’s OK to share only part of a story or verse where it fits.

Your goal in doing this is to use something real as a bridge for truth: an activity, a place, or an event may remind you of something that Jesus said, a parable, proverb, or keen insight from the Bible. Then say it briefly – only one or two sentences in most situations. You don’t want it to get preachy or boring. Remember, salt is tasty in small quantities, but too much is disgusting.

You can use this tactic with everyone in your life. With your children or students, you might have a little more time. With Muslims and atheists, you will need to keep it short.

And remember Proverbs 16:21, “Pleasant words promote instruction.”

Whether they express them or not, there are four big stumbling blocks that Muslims have been programmed with to make them resist the gospel. We call them “The BIG 4.” They are:

1. God would not become a man
2. The Trinity does not make sense
3. Jesus didn’t die on the cross
4. The Bible has been corrupted, but not the Quran

In this video we cover what Muslims think about these four and how we can answer their objections.

Some of this material we have covered in our other videos, but here you find the 4 defended together in one video. We cover classic apologetic arguments that you would learn in Bible school – or church Sunday School if they have apologetics classes. We also include other explanations that we have found to be particularly good with Muslims, such as object lessons.

It used to be that these four were almost the only objections that Christians would get. Over the last 20 years however, Muslim apologists have put forth hundreds of other objections. We do not directly cover those in our Level 1 Training. Regardless, every Christian sharing with Muslims needs to be able to answer these four with confidence.