Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
If you are studying Christian apologetics, want to build a stronger faith and/or relationship with God, a nonbeliever with questions, then you will want to check out The Unbreakable Faith course from Pilgrim’s Rock, LLC. Although it is intended for children age 15+ (and can be accredited towards a high school credit on their transcripts), moms and dads can also take this course, or any adult really. I, myself, have been working through this Christian apologetics course in order to further my faith in Christ and also to teach these principles to my children.
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What is Christian Apologetics?
As you well know by now, not everyone is a Christian. Not everyone believes that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Man, died on the cross for our sins. Not everyone believes 100% of the Bible. And not everyone believes that even a God exists.
Christian apologetics humbly and respectfully shares the truth about God and His Existence to both believers and nonbelievers with biblical truth.
In my own words and opinions, although God does not warrant a defense, He has called upon Christians and believers to be armed with biblical truth and knowledge to spread the gospel and tell the world about Him, about Jesus Christ, and how God is Love and good.
This is where Christian apologetics comes in: It explores God’s perfections and exposes false arguments of nonbelievers. It uses Scripture as biblical truth against sophisticated unbelieving arguments, which is exactly the approach that Pilgrim’s Rock: The Unbreakable Faith Course uses in their online course and two books.
Here is what Pilgrim’s Rock has to say about Apologetics and the Gospel:
How To Use Pilgrim’s Rock
The materials of The Unbreakable Faith Course are:
- Book: The Box by Craig Biehl
- Book: God The Reason by Craig Biehl
- Online Course: The Unbreakable Faith course
Although you can receive downloadable ebooks to read on your reading tablet, I opted to receive hardback books.
Within the course is a course syllabus so you know to you or your high schooler will be getting out of the course and the timeline (schedule) in which you’ll do it.
Throughout the journey of The Unbreakable Faith Course are reading assignments for each of the two mentioned books. The course journey is broken up into 6 parts, and each part has videos to watch in addition to your reading assignments. The course checks off what you’ve completed and yet to complete, and you won’t be able to move on to the next part until that part is finished, which helps you keep track of where you are in the course. This ensures you have a steady pace when completing the online course through its videos and reading assignments. At the end of each Part is a Quiz. You must master this quiz in order to move on to the subsequent part.
The course helps grow your faith in God by taking a closer look at who God is, and you will learn more of His omnipotence and infinite excellence when you go through the course. It also takes you on a deeper understanding of worldview truths and biblical worldview.
For example, in Part 1 you learn that God has no beginning and no needs. Firth, to begin the course, you will go through 3 introduction videos. After the intro videos, you will then go into Part 1 which prompts you to view 6 more videos. Once you complete Part 1, you will be directed to a quiz.
How I Used Pilgrim’s Rock
Prior to beginning this course I desired to get into a good morning routine to open my Bible and do some readings before all the children woke up for the day. Fortunately, this review pushed me to do what was already on my heart to do – learning about God’s infinite excellence!
So, a few times every morning, I either logged online to access my course and watch videos, or I pulled out The Box to do my morning study. It never failed – I would read a minimum of 2 chapters when I did this because the text is so engaging to me and the chapters in The Box aren’t very long!
What was I reading about when I opened the pages in The Box? I was reading a conversation between Mr. A and Mr. C. Mr. A is the nonbeliever (atheist/agnostic), and Mr. C is – yep, you guessed – the Christian.
The conversations walked me through how to humbly approach a nonbeliever with their questions or arguments against the existence of God. I witnessed not only what to say but also why I would reply with these answers or explanations. Even as a believer the dialogue between Mr. A and Mr. C helped me close any faith-related gaps of my own that I had from my own misunderstandings or misinterpretations, bringing me to a clearer understanding of who God really is. Even so, I believe all Christians of any measure will enjoy these conversations.
Don’t get it wrong; The Box was not telling me I had to say these things and only these things. But since any explanation or defense against false arguments of a nonbeliever isn’t as organized inside my own head, I quite enjoyed this sort of guide of what I could say in the event of a conversation with a nonbeliever.
Not only what I should say in this sort of circumstance, presented by an organized method as shown in The Box, but also how I to best respond to these futile arguments of a nonbeliever. I liked that it directed me to examples, like a box with unknown contents inside of it, to use when listening and responding to questions of the faith from nonbelievers. The text serves as an arsenal for me to describe the infinite excellence of God’s perfections. Here’s what I mean when I say, “…like a box with unknown contents inside of it”:
One of my favorite parts of the book is this example:
Mr. C asks Mr. A what is inside this box. Of course Mr. A doesn’t know the contents inside the box, so he cannot answer what he does not know. This is the type of thinking that atheists also use towards the existance of God.
In summary, if one doesn’t know the contents of a closed box, why then does an atheist or an agnostic assume God does not exist? Do they know everything in the universe and beyond it? Because in saying God does not exist is the same as one saying that they also know everything in the universe and beyond.
When using this metaphor to a nonbeliever, it helps them see through the futility of their false arguement that God does not exist.
When a nonbeliever can say he does not know the contents of the closed box, his thinking is rational and understanding. But when he then says God does not exist, his thinking is irrational Because how can he know that God does not exist, unless they know everything in the universe and beyong? It’s like saying he knows what the contents in the closed box.
Because of the time frame of this product review, I was only able to get through the first few chapters of God The Reason after finishing The Box. However, God The Reason emphasizes God’s infinite excellence, which happens to be the subtitle of the book. The text itself describes in-depth the nature of God and His attributes.
Reading the first few chapters of God The Reason brought me closer to understanding God: God as He was, God as He is, and God as He forever will be. It takes the points that were explained in The Box between the conversations between Mr. A and Mr. C and then further elaborates each point in God The Reason.
For example, in The Box it states how claiming God does not exist also means that the authority of law also does not come from a higher being or God, but instead comes from man’s limited perception of the law. Therefore, if one denies God then one also believes that he is the ultimate authority and the laws made are from someone’s opinion of what the law is, thus forcing everyone else to abide by their opinion of the law.
In the book God The Reason, the author elaborates on this point on page 69 in Chapter 4: God is Boundless Perfection. A quote from the text that directly corrolates with nonbelievers’ human opinion is ultimate goes like this:
“People who struggle with trusting God and believing Scripture because they cannot understand how God can make the earth stand still, or be inside and outside of time at the same time, or know the past, present, and future perfectly while people still freely choose their actions, et al, have yet to rightly understand their human limitations in light of God’s infinite greatness. They have yet to properly understand the infinite gap between God and His Creation. People who struggle with believing in Christ because they cannot solve a mystery have yet to view God and themselves correctly. The fault lies not with the infinite greatness of God that surpasses understanding, but with our refusal to acknowledge it.“
Pilgrim’s Rock: My Opinion On The Unbreakable Faith – A Christian Apologetics Course
I will honestly and readily admit here and now that Christian books are hard for me to read from beginning to end, from cover to cover. I know I’m not alone in this too. Because either every Christian book sounds the same or they say the same things and end with the same punchline.
Therefore, if I may be transparent here, I wasn’t entirely too thrilled to do a review on a Christian presuppositional apologetics product. But God’s Ways are mighty higher than our ways, definitely my ways in all ways, and He knew exactly what was on my heart lately because He put this course into my lap.
Literally. I sat with my laptop and books in my lap for weeks reading about God and all of His attributes.
On a side note, I’ve had one of those conversations with a nonbeliever, where he asked the questions that always started with, “But if God does exist then why…” Have you ever had one of these conversations too, where you didn’t feel too confident to be the believer to answer these questions to a nonbeliever?
Blessedly, at the time I know I spoke the words God wanted me to speak, albeit not in too great a detail. And to be quite honest I think I actually did semi-okay in that conversation. But in hindsight, and knowing what I know now from this course, I definitely could have answered those questions with way more finesse and conviction and with more elaborated answers.
The Unbreakable Faith Course helped me organize my thoughts regarding the existence of God, the natural laws that God made but doesn’t have to abide by Himself, and the interesting “what if” questions presented by nonbelievers everywhere. Well, should I say presented by both nonbelievers as well as to myself and other like-minded Christians with lingering questions? Transparency again here, I have moments where the clarity of my faith is not clarity at all, and I wonder about His Greatness with my own “why questions”.
Maybe it is the Lord urging me to research the Bible to gain clarity and a closer relationship with Him, or maybe it’s the devil himself trying to deter me from what I know to be true inside my Heart by throwing doubts my way. Or maybe it’s both? I mean, they (God and the devil) do have a history of working together (see the book of Job in the Bible). We all know about Job, right?
It was through both books, The Box and God The Reason, coinciding with The Unbreakable Faith Course that I was able to finally, forever, put to rest any doubts and lingering questions. The author, Craig Biehl, explains who God is in such clear and understandable biblical explanations within his writing and course videos. And in ways that I never really thought of. He takes the arguments of nonbelievers and answers these arguments with such profound biblical wisdom and knowledge that I was able to interpret and understand.
What I completely appreciate more than anything are his multiple expressions about God with explanations of why He is everything. I didn’t realize that many of the points he makes are points I never even thought of. For example, God is everything because He is the Creator of the universe and natural law, but He doesn’t have to abide by these natural laws Himself. God is everything because He reveals Himself to us everywhere. He has put an innate “knowing” inside all of our hearts already, therefore He has already revealed Himself to all of us. Pretty cool, right?
I was raised a Christian and at the age of 8, I invited Christ into my heart. I have grown up believing God exists without a doubt and believing in His miracles. I am ashamed to admit, though, that I have stronger seasons of my life as a Christian than other seasons. Some years I just wasn’t the “strongest” Christian; I’ve had my doubts. But I also know that it was I who forged a gap in my relationship with Christ. It was not God stepping away from me, it was me distancing myself from Him.
So I especially like the perspectives and false arguments of the nonbelievers. Some of the arguments displayed in the books are debates I warred with myself on. Despite these seasonal personal struggles, the books and the course really answers these questions for me – questions I didn’t even realize I had, that I didn’t know how to put into words. This course formed the words to these questions that I didn’t know how to ask but always wondered, and then gave me the answers to those questions very thoroughly in a language that I could follow.
“People who struggle with trusting God and believing Scripture because they cannot understand how God can make the earth stand still, or be inside and outside of time at the same time, or know the past, present, and future perfectly while people still freely choose their actions, et al, have yet to rightly understand their human limitations in light of God’s infinite greatness. They have yet to properly understand the infinite gap between God and His Creation. People who struggle with believing in Christ because they cannot solve a mystery have yet to view God and themselves correctly. The fault lies not with the infinite greatness of God that surpasses understanding, but with our refusal to acknowledge it.“
Pilgrim’s Rock, God The Reason by Craig Biehl
I’m not sure if this is a con to the course but in my opinion, to truly study this course, I believe the length of the course depends on the individual and where he or she is at in the faith journey and also how well they can understand what’s being taught. Because God The Reason goes into so much detail and explanation, I could honestly dwell on half a chapter for weeks, contemplating its wonderful meanings and information. Because the language and writing style is so rich, I must say I reread the text a few times and then I would stop reading in order to ponder what it means.
Although I absolutely adored the words that formed the books, it is my opinion that a student’s maturity level needs to be there in order to properly understand what the author is telling you, even though he does a fantastic way of explaining points thoroughly in various ways.
This course is set for the ages of 15 and older, but in order to understand it properly, the student’s maturity and comprehension skills have to be there. Because of this, I can see the course for more of an upper high schooler or perhaps even at a college level. Of course, this is based on my individual understandings of the text and context, however, I’m not quite sold on the idea of a 15-year-old high schooler finishing this text in 36 weeks and truly understanding and grasping its contents. And I only say this because I personally could have dwelled on the beautiful explanations for a much longer time period, as I spent quite a bit of time in reflection.
Overall, this is a beautifully done Christian apologetics course that I am extremely grateful I have had the honor of reviewing. And that does not come lightly coming from me! As I mentioned previously, I’m not too keen on reading Christian books. However, I am keen on well-written theology and apologetics that present all things God in a refreshing new way!
How so thankful I am that God put this course and these books in my path. The author truly explains everything perfectly and I can hear God speaking through the words on the pages the entire time.
Practical Product Details
Pilgrim’s Rock has an online course called The Unbreakable Faith Course that has zero prerequisites and two required books, The Box and God The Reason. The course is self-paced and can start at any time, but once it does start, the student has 36 weeks or less to complete, which counts as high school credit. The Unbreakable Faith is a course that explains who God is. It shares convicting answers and responses to the false arguments of nonbelievers. This course can be for nonbelievers, Christians that have some doubts or questions, or believers that just want to grow in their faith.
In order to take this course, one must have a computer and an internet connection, capable of watching the required videos within the course. The required books must be purchased separately and must be read in their entirety to finish the course. Books can be purchased via ebooks to read on the tablet or via physical books.
In order to complete the course, all the quizzes are to be taken at the end of each part (there are 6 parts) as a closed book quiz, and a final quiz will be taken at the end of the course. The student must complete the course with an overall passing grade in order to pass the course and receive high school credit. The grading chart is available in the syllabus.
Pilgrim’s Rock: The Unbreakable Faith Course {Review}
Wrapping up this Pilgrim’s Rock, LLC review, I love how straightforward and thorough the explanations are in all the required books and the videos that go with the course. The videos are extremely informative and not too long to manage and retain the information. In just one reading, I was able to get some of my most curious questions answered.
To follow Pilgrim’s Rock or see their latest news on their social media channels, check them out here:
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