APOLOGETICS FIELD-BASED ACTIVITY: CULTS TEMPLATE
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Type your name here: Ramiro Barragan
Instructions for this submission
The purpose of the activity is to provide you with an opportunity to construct a short
argument for orthodox Christianity against a cult while anticipating possible objections to
that argument and then sharing that argument “in the field.” In the sections provided below,
you will insert your constructed argument and possible objections; you will enter the date, time,
setting, and short description of the person with whom you share the argument; and a short
reflection on the sharing experience.
1. Construct a short argument for orthodox Christianity against a cult while
anticipating possible objections.
a. Type below the list, the name of the cult that you will be addressing (limit
yourself to one of argument):
Jehovah’s Witnesses
If your self-selected argument dealt with one of these cults then you might want to choose a
lesser known Christian cult. For an alternative cult, contact your professor for approval of that
alternative.
a. Lay out your argument as you plan to use it in the conversation you will be
having.
Jehovah Witnesses believe that good works are required to be saved but the Bible says
that no one is saved by works. God does not accept our works nor anyone’s works. God only
accepted Christs sacrifice on the cross so believing this is necessary, to do good works to be
saved is contrary to what the Bible says (Eph 2:8-9). Good works is good practice for the
Christian life, but a person is not saved by works, a person that is saved will do good works
because God’s Spirit lives in them. To the Jehovah witnesses a person is saved by their works
and by faith.
Too add, another difference between Christianity and the Jehovah Witnesses is that Jesus
is either God and has always existed or He was a created being and thus, not fully God. What JW
believe and what Christians believe are crucial differences because if you do not have the right
Jesus, you have the wrong Savior, or no Savior at all. Jesus said it is crucial to know who He is
and to know Who the Father is, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) If you do not know Jesus, then you do
not the Father. Eternal life is to know Jesus and the Father.
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b. Anticipate two to three possible objections to your argument and how you would
address those objections in a short conversation.
Objection 1: It is in fact necessary very necessary to do good works to one be considered
into heaven. You cannot live and lead a sinful life and expect to get into heaven.
Response 1: I can understand how one can believe that you must earn your way to heaven,
but Scripture tells us differently. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
Objection 2: Jesus was not God in the flesh, but instead a divine assistant to God or one of
the highest created beings.
Response 2: Several times in Scripture God shares with us that Jesus is the son of God, not
anyone else or disguised as anyone else. (John 1:1,14, 8:58, 10:30).
2. Sharing your argument for orthodox Christianity against a cult.
a. Identify the time and place in which you had the conversation.
Time: 3 PM
Place: Home via facetime call.
b. Identify the setting (coffeeshop, online, text, etc. It must, however, be a conversation
and not a monologue):
Setting: Home Via facetime.
c. Identify your conversation partner (no names please): unbeliever, believer; uncertain;
knowledge level, attitude of partner (antagonistic, interested, doubtful, devil’s
advocate).
Christian Educator: Devil’s advocate.
3. Reflection (two-four paragraphs; a paragraph will have at least three complete
sentences) in which you describe how the conversation went, the reaction of your
conversation partner both during and after the presentation of the argument, what
you might have done differently, and how you feel after presentation about the
strength of the argument.
The conversation was friendly and there was much talk about the cult elements to JW
churches and what the Bible really teaches. There was talk about the sinless nature and of Jesus
and that is where I started to lay out my argument. After I was finished, he started to talk how
Jesus was not God he was not comparable to God at all, you cannot say that you believe in the
one true God that bring up something like the Trinity, it does not make sense to preach about
God then leave out the other two, you either worship one or you worship all three together.
I then ask if He believed Jesus ever lied. He responded saying he does not believe so but that
does not prove that He was God, I then turned to John 2:18-21, after reading this, I ask you if
Jesus is not God and not a liar why did He say this referring to His body being raised in three
days. He was indeed God and was not lying about His resurrection, Yes, we do indeed believe in
the Trinity, but we worship only one God, and we believe he send Hid son who came to die and
there was only one who was worthy enough to come and die for us, there were many divine
assistants to God but there was only one worthy to cleanse us of our sins.
The conversation went back and forth about salvation being the lost and regained and bring
up verse that we are not saved through works and that where the argument and exchange ended,
about salvation, he was very willing go over everything and it was hard at time to stay on topic
but overall believe it was healthy exchange of beliefs between the two belief systems.
