Ready. Set. Go! – The Soul Project

How to Use This Lesson

This lesson is designed to be completed directly from the teaching video. The instructor will guide you through content of the workbook displayed on screen. Simply expand the video to follow along, pause whenever you’d like to reflect or take notes, and continue at your own pace.

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Introduction

In Lesson 2, we focused on the heart and attitude of apologetics. Love for our neighbor—and respect for every person as someone made in the image of God—is a prerequisite for becoming an effective Christian witness. God is interested not only in what we say, but how we say it.

In this lesson, we are going to begin following what The Soul Project calls a “Roadmap to Prepared.” We’ll start with some simple habits that anyone on the journey toward becoming a competent defender of the faith should develop. Then we’ll look at practical tips and tactics for engaging people in everyday conversations about faith that will help keep you from feeling like you need to have all the answers or turn every conversation into a debate.

Barna Institute polling shows that 65% of Christians say they “don’t feel ready for most opportunities to witness.” One of the top priorities of The Soul Project is to remove the intimidation surrounding apologetics and provide Christians with a roadmap for becoming prepared that is practical, engaging, and effective.

In the second half of this lesson, we’ll introduce several tools TSP has developed to help even the most novice apologist become better equipped. Finally, we’ll introduce the “Roadmap to Becoming Prepared,” a simple, week-by-week plan designed to equip you to understand and respond to 12 of the most common questions and objections skeptics raise about Christianity—in just a little over a year.

Habits Of An Everyday Apologist

If our culture is to be transformed, it will happen from the bottom up—from ordinary believers practicing apologetics over the backyard fence or around the barbecue grill.

Nancy Pearcy—Former Agnostic; Best Selling Author

We are so glad you have committed to the task of becoming prepared. While the command in 1 Peter 3:15 to “always be ready” was given to Christians in every generation, it almost seems especially suited for the age in which we live. Nancy Pearcey’s picture of apologetics happening over the backyard fence is hardly an exaggeration. Today, we only need to step outside our front door to encounter people with a wide variety of beliefs and worldviews—many of which directly challenge the truth claims of Christianity.

Being equipped to defend the basic truths of the Christian faith has never been optional, but in our increasingly diverse and skeptical culture, being able to give good reasons for why we believe what we believe has rarely been more essential. The good news is that becoming prepared doesn’t happen all at once. It begins by developing a few simple habits that, practiced over time, will steadily make us more knowledgeable, confident, and effective.

Here are a few essential habits to adopt right out of the gate.

1. Develop A Learner’s Mindset

One of the most important characteristics of a good lay apologist is simply a willingness to keep learning. Sure, there is a lot to learn, but you can learn it in bite-sized pieces. You don’t have to master philosophy, science, history, archaeology, or comparative religion before you can begin. Start by asking what are two or three foundational questions and objections you’re most likely to encounter in everyday life, and learn how to answer those well. Then keep building from there, one question at a time.

Practical Example

Suppose a coworker says, “I don’t believe the Bible is reliable. It’s been changed too many times.”

You don’t need to immediately become an expert in ancient manuscripts. Make that one question your next learning project. Spend a week reading a good introductory resource, watch a couple of trustworthy presentations, and learn two or three basic facts you can explain in your own words. Then practice giving a simple two-minute response.

Every question you learn to answer becomes another tool in your apologetics toolbox. Over time, those bite-sized pieces begin to add up, and you’ll be surprised at just how prepared you’ve become.

2. Develop Practical Ways To Build Your Knowledge Foundation

The fact that the world—and the United States in particular—has become increasingly secular and spiritually diverse is not a phenomenon that took God by surprise. In His gracious providence, God has raised up ministries, scholars, teachers, authors, and apologists to help Christians become equipped to meet the moment we are living in. Hundreds of incredibly gifted people and ministries have dedicated their time, talent, and treasure to the specific purpose of helping everyday Christians learn how to give a thoughtful, reasoned defense for what they believe.

The resources are there. Our job is to take advantage of them.

I don’t have to be inspired with clever responses or creative insights when people smarter than I have already done the heavy lifting.

Greg Koukl—Stand To Reason

Here are some practical steps:

Take advantange of free apologetics courses
Add apologetics books to reading schedule
Replace some recreational screen time with apologetics youtube videos
Listen to apologetics podcasts, sermons, or debates while driving, exercising, or doing other activities.
Attend apologetics conferences, workshops, or training events whenever possible.

To find trusted, lay-friendly resources to help you put these steps into practice, visit our Additional Resource Library, where we’ve gathered and organized recommended courses, books, podcasts, videos, websites, and other apologetics tools—all in one place.

Tips & Tactics Of An Everyday Apologist

Becoming an everyday apologist doesn’t mean having all the answers. Her are a few practical tips that can make you more confident, effective, and gracious when conversations about faith arise.

1. Learn To Say “I Don’t Know“

Perhaps one of the most liberating things a lay apologist can learn to say is:

“That’s a good question. I don’t know the answer, but I’d be interested in looking into it.”

There is nothing embarrassing about not knowing an answer. In fact, pretending to know something you do not can damage your credibility far more than admitting the limits of your knowledge.

Saying “I don’t know” in apologetics is a vital practice of honesty and epistemic humility (being humble about the limits of your own knowledge) that builds trust instead of faking an answer.

Grek Koukl—Stand To Reason

Why It Matters

Protects Integrity: Pretending to have all the answers can make you look defensive or dishonest.
Builds Trust: Admitting uncertainty shows your conversation partner that you care more about truth than winning an argument.
Community Consensus: Most users on ⁠Reddit TrueChristian agree that it is entirely acceptable to admit ignorance on difficult or non-essential details, as God does not expect humans to know everything.

And an unanswered question can actually become an opportunity. Write it down, research it, and come back to the person later. One conversation may become two.

Helpful Ways to Respond

The Follow-Up: Say, “I don’t know the answer to that right now, but I am willing to research it and get back to you.”
Pivot to What You Know: Say, “I am not sure about that specific detail, but here is what I do know “

2. Learn To Ask Questions

In Greg Koukl’s Tactics, asking questions is the heart of what he calls the “Columbo tactic.” His point is that Christians do not need to respond to every objection by immediately giving an argument or launching into a defense. A thoughtful question often accomplishes much more. It keeps the conversation friendly, slows things down, helps you understand what the other person actually believes, and puts the responsibility for defending a claim back on the person who made it.

One of the most valuable things about this approach is that sometimes you never have to refute the person’s argument—their own answers begin to undo it for them. People frequently repeat objections, slogans, or beliefs they have absorbed from the culture without thinking through what those statements actually mean or whether they are logically consistent. When you simply ask them to explain what they mean and why they believe it, they may discover that they cannot provide a reason, that their explanation contradicts something else they believe, or that their original claim does not actually follow from their reasons.

Why Asking Questions Works

Shifts the Burden: The person making the claim bears the responsibility to explain and prove it, not you.
Exposes Assumptions: Questions help reveal the underlying worldviews, biases, or logical flaws in an objection.
Shows Genuine Respect: Asking questions proves you care about understanding the person, not just winning a debate.
Prevents Misunderstanding: It stops you from attacking a “strawman” version of what you think they believe.

Good questions make people participants in discovering the problem with their own argument. They also allow the Christian to remain gracious and conversational rather than combative. As Koukl puts it, the goal is to go “on the offensive in an inoffensive way”

The Golden Questions

“What do you mean by that?”

Purpose: Clarifies definitions and terms.
Example: If someone says, “The Bible is full of contradictions,” ask, “What do you mean by contradictions? Which ones stand out to you?”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

Purpose: Uncovers the evidence, reasons, or personal stories behind their belief.
Example: If someone claims, “Science has disproved God,” ask, “How did you come to that conclusion? Which scientific discovery do you feel did that?”

“What if…?”

Purpose: Gently introduces another possibility or perspective without directly challenging the person’s position.
Example: If someone says, “Jesus was probably just a great moral teacher,” ask, “What if the historical evidence shows that Jesus actually claimed to be God? Would that change how you view Him?”

In his book Tactics, apologist Greg Koukl recommends two foundational questions to navigate any conversation:

Once you’ve learned to use questions to clarify what someone believes and why they believe it, you can begin using questions more strategically. Advanced questioning tactics help you move the conversation forward—inviting someone to consider another possibility, identifying the real issue behind an objection, or gently directing attention toward something they may not have considered.

The “What If” Question:
- Example: “Have you ever considered what if historical evidence actually supports the resurrection?”
The Clarifying Pivot: Ensures you actually understand their emotional or intellectual roadblock.
Examples: “When you say you don’t believe in God, what is the main reason you feel that way?” “What do you mean when you say Christianity doesn’t make sense to you?”

Good questions help you understand what a person actually believes and why they believe it. They can also uncover assumptions or inconsistencies that the person may never have considered. Most importantly, questions turn what could easily become an argument into a genuine conversation.

3. Realize There Is No Such Thing As Failure

Reframing “failure” is essential for long-term endurance in apologetics. Every conversation that does not end in a conversion or a won argument is still a success if you view it as a seed planted or a learning opportunity.

Why There Is No Failure

Success is Obedience: Your job is to share the truth with gentleness and respect, not to change someone’s mind.
Data Collection: A difficult conversation reveals where your knowledge is weak and shows you what to study next.
Planted Seeds: You may be just one link in a long chain of people who will influence that person over their lifetime.
Character Building: Facing tough objections builds your patience, humility, and reliance on faith rather than your own intellect.

Transforming Tough Outcomes

If you lost your temper: You learned where you need to grow in patience and gentleness.
If you stumbled over words: You learned which topics you need to study and clarify for next time.
If they walked away angry: You learned that some objections are emotional, not intellectual, which changes how you pray for them.

There is no failure when we faithfully represent Christ and allow every conversation to make us better prepared for the next one.

Tools For The Everyday Apologist

Starting your apologetics training journey can feel intimidating, especially when you begin to realize just how much there is to learn. That’s where The Soul Project can help. You don’t have to build your apologetics toolbox from scratch. We’ve done much of the groundwork for you by developing and gathering practical resources designed to help you learn, grow, and be ready when opportunities arise.

We have developed four resources specifically to help the everyday Christian begin learning, keep growing, and have reliable answers close at hand:

ThinkCube.Info— was created as your ready-at-hand apologetics tool. It provides concise, understandable answers to 12 of the most common questions skeptics ask about Christianity. Use it to learn, refresh your memory before a conversation, quickly find help when a question comes up, or simply share the appropriate page with someone who wants to investigate the question for themselves.

Think.Know.Share.—Learn how to use TSP’s digital resources as click and share evangelism and apologetics tools on social media or with friends. We will teach you to access and use ThinkCube, ThinkCube ShareLinks, Digital Tracts, and Interfaith Witness ShareLinks, to answer skeptics questions or share the gospel in an engaging way.

The Apologetics Resource Library— takes you further. We have gathered and organized trusted, lay-friendly resources from some of the best apologetics ministries and teachers available—including free courses, books, podcasts, videos, websites, apps, student resources, and more. Instead of wondering Where do I go to learn about this?, you have a place to start.

The Roadmap to Prepared— gives you a plan for putting it all together. It is a systematic, approximately one-year learning plan that walks you through the major questions and challenges Christians should be prepared to address. Each section focuses on one apologetics subject at a time and combines ThinkCube topics, selected reading, videos, open-book reviews, and practical sharing exercises to steadily build both your knowledge and your confidence.

Think of These as Your Apologetics Toolbox

Need a quick answer? — Go to ThinkCube.Info.
Want resources to help you learn a subject more deeply? — Use the Apologetics Resource Library.
Want a systematic plan for becoming prepared? — Follow the Roadmap to Prepared.

Learning Plan For The Everyday Apologist

For many Christians, the challenge is simply knowing where to start, what to study, and what to learn next.

That’s why we created the Roadmap to Prepared. It is a systematic, approximately one-year learning plan that takes you through the major questions and challenges Christians should be prepared to address. Each section focuses on one apologetics subject at a time and combines ThinkCube topics, selected reading, videos, open-book reviews, and practical sharing exercises to help you steadily build both your knowledge and your confidence.

Before beginning the weekly Roadmap, your next step is to complete Think. Know. Share. This short QuickShot course will show you how to use ThinkCube both as a learning tool and as an in-the-moment resource for sharing and defending your faith.

Once you’ve completed Think. Know. Share., you’re ready to begin the Roadmap to Prepared—one subject, one week, and one step at a time.

Let’s Go!

Reflection Exercise

What two or three questions or objections about Christianity do you most need to become better prepared to answer?

What is one practical step you can take this week to begin becoming a better-equipped everyday apologist?

Other Key Resources

ThinkCube.Info—Digital resource that provides shareable answers to the 12 Questions Most Asked By Skeptics to share and learn with.

Apologetics Resource Library—contains links to vetted and trusted lay apologetics resources including free classes, podcasts, tutorials, videos and books.

Roadmap To Prepared—A systematic, approximately one-year learning plan that takes you step-by-step through the major apologetics questions, using selected readings, videos, reviews, and practical exercises to steadily build your knowledge and confidence.