Major Defined

Degrees Offered:

Master

Doctorate

PHD

Graduated from this program would have earned a Master ort a doctor in Creation Science and Apologetics (CSCA)

Religious basis for Creation science

Creation science is based largely upon chapters 1-11 of the book of Genesis. These describe how God (Hebrew Elohim) calls the world into existence through the power of speech (“God said, ‘Let there be light’,” etc) in six days, calls all the animals and plants into existence, and molds the first man from clay and the first woman from a rib taken from the man’s side; a world-wide flood destroys all life except for Noah and his family and representatives of the animals, and Noah becomes the ancestor of the 70 “nations” of the world; the nations live together and speak one language until the incident of the Tower of Babel, when God disperses them and gives them their different languages. Creation science rarely goes beyond these stories, but the bible also contains a complex internal chronology which places the initial act of creation some six thousand years ago, and creation science therefore frequently attempts to explain history and science within this timeframe.

Creation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism, which attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology and biological evolution. Its most vocal proponents are fundamentalist Christians in the United States who seek to prove Biblical inerrancy and nullify the scientific evidence for evolution. The main ideas in creation science are: the belief in “creation ex nihilo“; the conviction that the Earth was created within the last ten thousand years; the belief that mankind and other life on Earth were created as distinct fixed “baraminological” kinds; and the idea that fossils found in geological strata were deposited during a cataclysmic flood which completely covered the entire Earth. As a result, creation science also challenges the geologic and astrophysical evidence for the age and origins of Earth and Universe, which creation scientists acknowledge are irreconcilable to the account in the Book of Genesis.

Apologetics

Apologetics is the study of the tenants of the defence and proofs of the Christian faith from a practical perspective. Other areas examined are the authority of the Scriptures, the existence of God, miracles, the incarnation, and the various philosophy and methodology in the Scriptures.

Apologetics (from Greek απολογία, “speaking in defence”) is the discipline of defending a position (usually religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers (c 120-220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists.

In modern times, apologists refers to authors, writers, editors or academic journals, and leaders known for defending the points in arguments, conflicts or positions that receive great popular scrutinies or are minority views.

The term apologetics etymologically derives from the Classical Greek word apologia. In the Classical Greek legal system two key technical terms were employed: the prosecution delivered the kategoria (κατηγορία), and the defendant replied with an apologia. To deliver an apologia then meant making a formal speech or giving an explanation to reply and rebut the charges, as in the case of Socrates’ defence.

In the English language, the word apology is derived from the Greek word, but its use has changed; its primary sense now refers to a plea for forgiveness for a wrong act. Implicit in this is an admission of guilt, thus turning on its head the “speaking in defence” aspect of the original concept. An uncommon secondary sense refers to a speech or writing that defends the speaker or author’s position.

Christian Apologetics

Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that presents a rational basis for the Christian faith, to defend the faith against objections and misrepresentation, and to expose error within other religions and world views. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul of Tarsus, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, and continuing today with the efforts of many authors and speakers from various Christian traditions, such as Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, Greg Bahnsen, James White, John F. MacArthur, Hank Hanegraaff, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, C.S. Lewis, Ken Ham, Kent Hovind, William Lane Craig, J. P. Moreland, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Douglas Youvan, Hugh Ross. Apologists base their defense of Christianity on historical and archaeological evidence, theological and philosophical arguments and scientific investigation.

While there are various types of arguments including ontological, cosmological and teleological, it is the opinion of many Christian apologists that the Gospel is the best defense and living a life according to the tenets of Jesus’ teachings is the best argument. To quote one Christian apologist, “the best argument is one that is made without words.”