Christian Worldview and Apologetics Primer – Part 2 (Jan. 2027)

Important note on eligibility

Please do not purchase this course unless the student has already completed the PX Christian Worldview and Apologetics Primer Part 1 (CWAP 1). Places on this course are reserved for those who have completed Part 1.

Course Overview

This one-term course is the second of two carrying the title, Christian Worldview and Apologetics (CWAP).  Both CWAP 1 and CWAP 2 are designed to be accessible to students from 12 to 18 years old. CWAP 2 is for those who have completed CWAP 1. By popular request from both students and parents, CWAP 2 builds on the foundation laid in Part 1 and takes certain themes further and explores new and important related material.

Our society is dominated by secular priorities: the notion that life can be understood, lived, and celebrated without any need for, or reference to, God. As every day passes, Western culture discovers the folly of such a worldview. Take away the contemporary addictions to consumption and entertainment and there is very little left to live for. Everywhere we find lives characterised by emptiness and focused on the trivial.

In such a climate it is essential that Christian young people are trained to analyse the world at a much deeper level, challenge the received wisdom of the day, and answer the common objections to Christianity. This course is designed to do just that. Students are encouraged to think biblically about all of life, helping them to survive the collapse of our Judeo-Christian heritage, and one day rebuild from the ruins.

Course Method

Students will be given notes, mainly in the form of PowerPoint slides used in class, but may also want to take additional notes during the lessons. Students should therefore come to this Classroom with a notebook and be ready to jot down things that they think are important.

Lessons are interactive with students being encouraged to participate and keep their cameras on unless they have a valid reason not to do so.

Assessment is minimal for this PX Classroom, but there will be some homework, either as a supplement to what we have already done in class or to prepare for the next class. There may be a video to watch, a lecture to listen to, or a short paper to read.

Students must read around 15 pages of the set book for this course: Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman (ISBN 9781433579301). Please note that this course is not based around Dr Trueman’s book, but it does strongly complement the course.

It is difficult to overstate the additional value that students will derive from making time for the required reading and homework. There is so much material to cover and not everything can be done in one class per week. It is suggested that parents take time to assist their child, if necessary, by reading the text with them and talking through the main ideas.

It is expected that the course will cover the following material, but this may be adjusted depending on how the classroom develops:

1. The Christian Mind and the Lordship of Christ over all of life
2. Philosophers who shaped the secular mind 1
3. Philosophers who shaped the secular mind 2
4. The new absolute: moral and cultural relativism
5. How should we interpret and understand history?
6. Modernism, postmodernism, and deconstruction
7. What is our Judeo-Christian heritage, and why must we preserve it?
8. Empires, slavery and racism: is the West really so wicked?
9. Answering objections: “Christianity and science are incompatible”
10. Answering objections: “The Bible cannot be trusted”
11. Answering objections: “Christian sexuality is oppressive”
12. Answering objections: “Suffering disproves God’s existence”
13. Faithful living in a suicidal culture 1
14. Faithful living in a suicidal culture 2.

A note to students from Dr Carter

“Please take this course seriously. The material we cover may well be the most important you will ever study. If you are a Christian, one thing you can be sure of is that the day will come when your faith and upbringing will be challenged and even treated with scorn. It is my prayer that this course will prepare you for that moment and equip you to not only stand firm but give an answer for the hope that is within you.”

Course Details

This course comprises 14 weekly lessons. Each lesson lasts 60 minutes.

This PX classroom is held on Mondays at 1pm (London time zone) starting from Monday, 4th January 2027. There will be no lesson on 15th February due to the half-term break. The last lesson is due to be on 13th April 2027.