2024 Big Muddy Bash

Update: We recently updated the Junior Apol Questions and replaced most (9) of them with senior level Apol questions.

• We chose many of the more basic and simple Apol questions.
• This way Junior students can graduate into Seniors with some Apol Cards already completed.
• The corresponding Apol category & question number is in parenthesis at the end of each question.

Who were Jesus' disciples and why are they important?
What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit and why are they important?
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is the Messiah? Why is this important? (Cat-1/Q-9)
What does it mean to be holy? Why is this important? (Cat-4/Q-2)
What is the importance of prayer? (Cat-2/Q-10)
What are the Ten Commandments and why are they important?
What is the Gospel, and why is it the core of the Christian faith? (Cat-3/Q-6)
Can a person do enough good in their life to get into heaven? (Cat-4/Q-11)
What does it mean to forgive? Why is this important? (Cat-2/Q-5)
What is the importance of the resurrection of Jesus? (Cat-2/Q-13)
What does the inspiration of Scripture mean? Why is this important? (Cat-3/Q-3)
What does it mean that God is omnipresent? Why is this important? (Cat-1/Q-3)

Guidelines for Junior Apologetics 

In Apologetics speaking, the speaker is given two minutes to prepare a speech which defends a tenet of the Christian faith.  Apologetics should motivate students to study and articulate the core issues of their faith.

 Preparation Rules:

1.       Students prepare for Apologetics through Bible study, research, and topic organization.

2.       Each competitor should create a card file with Scripture, definitions, quotations, and any other material deemed to be helpful.

3.      Students may work together on boxes prior to the tournament, but students may not share boxes during competition. 

Presentation Rules:

1.       At least one judge in each room will be given instructions and the envelope of topics to distribute to the student.

2.       In the room, the speaker will receive three single topics from the judge, choose one, and return the other two topics before leaving the room. 

3.      A two-minute preparation time begins as soon as the student receives the topic choices.

4.      The speech must be the original work of the speaker.

5.    During prep time, the speaker may use a Bible, access card files, and write additional notes on note cards.

6.      During the speech, the speaker should use only note cards.

7.      All questions/topics will be posted on the tournament site upon registration.

8.      Apologetics judges should be sympathetic to the ideals of Stoa.

9.      Speeches should not exceed five (5) minutes. However, no student will be penalized for going over the suggested time, and there is no minimum speaking time.

 Tips:

1.       Consider a personal story, statistics, or quote to introduce your speech.

2.       Be sure and answer the specific question asked.

3.      Know what your cards say, so as not to read the entire time. 

4.      This allows for making eye contact with the judge.