We have ranked the top online bachelor’s degrees in Christian Apologetics in the United States. Our ranking methodology consists of using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, and the influence that these schools have had in professional publications in the field of Christian Apologetics.
There are many great Christian Apologetics bachelor’s programs in the nation (which include on-campus instruction), but this article focuses on the top online bachelor’s programs in particular.
Christian Apologetics is a discipline which covers a wide variety of topics, but at its core is concerned with accurately portraying and defending the Christian faith, largely as a defense against attacks from various sources.
The word “apologetic” means to give an answer or defense, and comes from the Greek word “apologia”.
See 1st Peter 3:!5.
Top Online Bachelor’s in Christian Apologetics
1. Biola University
Biola University offers the online Bachelor of Science in Bible, Theology, and Apologetics degree through the Talbot School of Theology.
Biola was originally called the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA).
Biola has professional academics and philosophers in their faculty such as William Lane Craig and Sean McDowell.
As the name of the degree indicates, this program teaches apologetics in these four domains:
- Biola’s core curriculum
- Old and New Testament studies
- Theology courses
- Apologetics
Credits: 120
Length: this online program can be completed in 24 months (2 years), depending on the course schedule, and whether you have taken existing courses from another institution that can be transferred in to Biola.
Courses:
- Foundations of Christian Thought
- Jesus’ Life and Minsitry
- Old Testament History and Literature
- Gospel, Kingdom, and Culture
- Topics in Old Testament Ethics
Courses are asynchronous, allowing students to receive and complete the instruction materials at their own pace.
This program prepares graduates to enter the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics.
2. Liberty University
Liberty University is a private, non-profit university, and one of the largest universities in the world in terms of the size of its student body.
Liberty University offers the online Bachelor of Science in Religion with a specialization in Apologetics.
Courses are 8 weeks long, and one benefit for transfer students is that Liberty accepts up to 75% of the degree total to be credits that are transferred into Liberty’s program.
Liberty has Gary Habermas on staff, which is a large draw, especially for students who are particularly interested in the historical and apologetical understanding of Jesus’ resurrection.
Courses include:
- C.S. Lewis and Apologetic Imagination
- Apologetics in a Secular Age
- Global Religious Movements
- Apologetics and the Gospel
This program is an online theology degree, teaching the major beliefs of Christianity, with the purpose of equipping graduates to accurately explain and defend Christianity.
3. Colorado Christian University
Colorado Christian University (CCU) offers the online Bachelor of Arts in Applied Apologetics degree through their Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics.
Students are taught how to defend the faith to people with a range of different beliefs and backgrounds.
The program has four emphases from which students will choose one, which are:
- Cultural Engagement
- Practical Apologetics
- Innovative Evangelism
- Global Apologetics
Credits: 120
Courses are five weeks long, and online students take one course at a time.
Students are taught the evidence to support their beliefs and how to present this to people through appropriate engagement.
CCU accepts qualifying transfer credits.
Potential careers with an online bachelor’s in Christian Apologetics degree
Graduates with a Christian Apologetics bachelor’s degree have potential career options from a variety of fields, including:
- Writer
- Lecturer
- Teacher at private Christian schools
- Youth Ministry
- Missionary
- Non-profits
- Ministries
There are also potential career options in the social media realm, such as working as a YouTube and/or Instagram apologist.
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