Anatomy of an Apologetics Definition Essay
- Seniors = minutes
- Juniors = 4 minutes: No penalty for going over, so I recommend shooting for senior timed speech, if possible
- Average speaking time per minute = 100-150 words, sweet spot 125
- Points per speech = 2-3, depending on topi
2 Main Points
- Intro = 1 minute / 100-125 words
- Each Point = 2 minutes / 200 – 250 words per point
- Conclusion = 1 minute / 100 -125 words
- Total = 600-800 words, sweet spot 650-750 words
3 Main Points
- Intro = 1 minute / 100 – 125 words
- Each Point = 1.25 minutes / 133 -175 words per point
- Conclusion = 1 minute / 100 -125 words
- Total = 599 – 800 words, sweet spot 650-750 words
How to count words in:
APOL Definition Thesis Statement Building
Define Terms
- Look up term/phrase definitions (example: inspiration of scripture)
- If answering a definition question, the definition of word/phrase will be the answer portion of your thesis statement.
- If answering general question or analysis question, the answer portion is what you believe the answer is in a summary phrase or sentence. The second part explains what points your speech has that will support why you believe this.
- Your thesis statement will look something like (The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry defines inspiration of the scripture as, “When Christians say that the Bible is inspired, they are saying that it is “God-breathed.”, this matters because human men physically wrote the scriptures, but God inspired them through the Holy Spirit. )
APOL Point Building
- Determine 2-3 points
- Create point headings, make these short phrases of as few words as possible, probably 2-3
- These phrases are NOT full sentences, think of a heading that can be used in a series in a sentence.
- In the example above the points are 1. Who physically wrote the scriptures? and 2. How did God inspire them?
- Notice that they are not used completely word for word, but paraphrased so they make sense as a series in a sentence.
- Ms. Sharma has recommended some for the questions in categories 1-3. This will be done by the end of the week for all categories.
- Many of these points can and will be reused in other questions in different combinations. They become part of your APOL toolbox. We’ll expand more on how to create the body of these points in a later lesson. For the purpose of the thesis statement, we need to find our point phrases that will be used in a sequence series in a single sentence.
- Remember: if doing 3 points, they need to be shorter, see time recommendations above
- Write down or record in word processing program
- Enter question thesis into Rough APOL Thesis Builder
- Revise thesis statement in the Final APOL Thesis Builder
APOL Paragraph Building
Using each point in your thesis statement 2nd part, you will now build the body of this point.
- You will want to research scripture, evidence, bible dictionaries, bible commentaries, and quotes to support your points.
- Definitions will require biblical dictionaries to define the terms that apply to apologetics
- Points that define the characteristics of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and biblical only terms will require the use of scriptures that talk about how that term/phrase is presented in the bible.
- You will want to add your own opinion/interpretation to these references to make the speech “yours”
- If you are planning on using a personal story or anecdote in your introduction, you might consider referring to it in your points. This might be used on an individual basis for different points that mix and match, depending on whether you’re using the same intro or different ones to answer different questions
- Remember to follow the word count guidelines to make sure they are the right size.