Concept Paper (The Reason For This Blog)

For those interested in knowing how this blog came to be (and where it's headed)--

I know this is out of order, but I'm posting my concept paper (A proposal I had to write planning basically how this was going to go).  I just want to make sure before I continue on with this whole blog thing, that people understand what this thing is about and where its going. (Just a heads up, don't be confused: when I wrote this, I didn't know whether I was actually gonna go through with the blog).

Alrighty...


Emily Stoll
3^rd Hr

Sprint Class 2012: Christian Apologetics and World Missions

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." — David Livingstone, missionary to Africa. The topic I had initially chosen to study for this class was Christian Apologetics. As I dove deeper into what that really meant I met a road block. What good is penicillin if it stays in a cupboard? A light, if it’s kept hidden? It really isn’t worth anything. I don’t want this semester to be a waste, and so, I have brought practicality into the situation. Pairing Apologetics with the Theology of World Missions gives me a realistic way to use what I learn. As Livingston mentions, I can have all the sympathy in the world, but unless I do something, it means nothing.

The first part of my plan is based upon two online sets of college lectures. Their names are self explanatory: Christian Apologetics by Ronald Nash, and Theology of World Missions by Dr. Peter Kuzmic. There are a total of 49 lectures, each 30 minutes long (give or take). If I were to listen and take notes on one a day, that would leave 15 minutes each of those days for reading my two books (or writing a blog- explained later), and the remainder of the days would serve as project work days. The two books I have picked out are as follows: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, and Crossing Cultures by Patty Lane. Both have similarities to the lectures, but also dive deeper into the subject material to reinforce what I learn.

My Project has several parts: A practical presentation, (possibly a blog) and a short movie. I plan to pick a country to study in depth, and then apply my apologetics knowledge to that country. This includes some sort of specific mission idea, how to overcome cultural obstacles, and how I plan to share my knowledge through that outlet. Whether it’s a business, a building, a club, etc: The main idea of the plan is this: That it effectively gets the message into that culture. For now, I plan on using either Prezi or PowerPoint to share. The second part of my project is a short ‘film’ or movie (About 5-10 minutes long) showcasing the country of my choice. At the end, I plan on offering several practical ways for people to get involved. This movie would not overlap with the ‘mission planning’ part of the PowerPoint Presentation, but would overlap with some general cultural information. The second part is really a chance to give a ‘call-to-action’ of sorts; to get others involved. The first part of the project would just be presented to my Church Small Group, and the second has endless possibilities. A tentative third part of my project would include a blog, just sort of explaining my journey this semester. It would not be a very big portion of the project, and would possibly take up the 15minutes at the end of each period (I would then read the books on my own time at home).

As a whole, this project is about taking my faith and learning how to not only better my defense of its principles, but also how to share that wealth of knowledge globally- across cultural boundaries. Through two college lectures, two books on the subject, and a three part (or two part) project, I hope to better myself in the area of evangelism.