Sara Lee Harris Worldview Apologetics Competition
Announcing Winners & Presenting Cash Prizes on
Announcing winners: Tuesday, April 13th, 2021
Cash Prizes totaling $1,000 for Senior & Junior Division’s 1ST, 2ND, & 3RD Place Winners
To enter the Sara Lee Harris Worldview Apologetics Speech Contest, the student’s family must be a member of THEA through their
local THEA chapter: MHEA, WTHEA, MTHEA, SMHEA, CSTHEA, MID-EAST THEA, or NETHEA. Any THEA member family's students, ages 8-18, may enter, the student does not have to be involved in Christian home school Speech & Debate. If you are not yet a member of THEA,
join through your local chapter here. Go to your chapter's web site, contact them to join THEA.
Deadline to Submit Your Written Speech:
Your speeches must be submitted to THEA to president@tnhea.org and carbon copied to lana.thornton@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, March 26, 2021
TYPE: "Sara Lee Harris Speech Contest" in the SUBJECT LINE, so we don't overlook your speech! If your email does not have "Sara Lee Harris Speech Contest" in the SUBJECT LINE, it will not be entered into this Contest. The two copies of your speech can be sent as an attachment to your e-mail or typed into the body of your e-mail. One copy must have all the student's identification information along with the question they are answering in their speech. The 2nd copy can be in or attached to the same email, but must have NO personal identification on it. This copy will go to the Judges. Thank you!
Judging Criteria
The criteria judges will use in evaluating both the Junior and Senior Division Sara Lee Harris Apologetics Speeches include an analysis of the content of the Speech and how effectively the question chosen is answered.
The judges will evaluate the Apologetics speeches by whether the defense is logical and well-reasoned. This is not primarily a devotional speech, but a well-reasoned, logical defense of a Biblical position.
Questions Judges will consider about your speech content include:
local THEA chapter: MHEA, WTHEA, MTHEA, SMHEA, CSTHEA, MID-EAST THEA, or NETHEA. Any THEA member family's students, ages 8-18, may enter, the student does not have to be involved in Christian home school Speech & Debate. If you are not yet a member of THEA,
join through your local chapter here. Go to your chapter's web site, contact them to join THEA.
Deadline to Submit Your Written Speech:
Your speeches must be submitted to THEA to president@tnhea.org and carbon copied to lana.thornton@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, March 26, 2021
TYPE: "Sara Lee Harris Speech Contest" in the SUBJECT LINE, so we don't overlook your speech! If your email does not have "Sara Lee Harris Speech Contest" in the SUBJECT LINE, it will not be entered into this Contest. The two copies of your speech can be sent as an attachment to your e-mail or typed into the body of your e-mail. One copy must have all the student's identification information along with the question they are answering in their speech. The 2nd copy can be in or attached to the same email, but must have NO personal identification on it. This copy will go to the Judges. Thank you!
Judging Criteria
The criteria judges will use in evaluating both the Junior and Senior Division Sara Lee Harris Apologetics Speeches include an analysis of the content of the Speech and how effectively the question chosen is answered.
The judges will evaluate the Apologetics speeches by whether the defense is logical and well-reasoned. This is not primarily a devotional speech, but a well-reasoned, logical defense of a Biblical position.
Questions Judges will consider about your speech content include:
- Did the student provide a researched defense of Biblical truth appropriate to their age group?
- Did the student present a captivating introduction?
- Did the student integrate the topic with a clear thesis statement?
- Did the student answer the topic / question selected for their speech?
- Is there a cohesive body of thought?
- Did the student support assertions with outside evidence?
- Did the student properly cite sources?
- Most importantly, did the student provide a biblical basis for their position?
- Did the student relate a clear thesis statement?
- Did the student demonstrate a thorough, working knowledge of their topic, of Scripture and other sources?
- Did the student appropriately use analysis and reasoning, presenting a logical, well-reasoned flow of ideas?
JUNIOR DIVISION: A Worldview Apologetics Oratory Competition
Ages 8-12 The Junior Division Contest is a Worldview Apologetics Speech Competition. To compete in this Contest, Junior Division students will prepare a 3-minute maximum speech on one of the topics below.
JV Apologetics questions/topics for 2019 Choose one question to answer in your Speech or one statement to respond to: 1. How is the Bible different from other religious writings? 2. Why do you love Jesus? 3. Why is it important to believe in a literal 6 day ("morning & evening" Gen.1:5) creation? 4. Is the Resurrection of Jesus essential to the Christian faith? 5. Can God be both merciful and just? 6. Is the Old Testament historically reliable? 7. Why is it important that Jesus Christ be both fully God and fully man? |
SENIOR DIVISION: A Platform Apologetics Speech Competition
Ages 13-19 To compete in this Contest, Senior Division students will prepare an 8-minute maximum Platform Apologetics Speech. As the choice of questions for this Speech come from the list of Stoa Apologetics Questions, we want to be certain you realize that the Sara Lee Harris Platform Apologetics Speech is an 8-minute speech (memorized) NOT 10-minutes.
Senior Division Apologetics questions for SLH Speech 2019: Choose one question to answer in your Speech: 1.What does it mean that God is triune? Why is this important? 2.Compare and contrast justification with sanctification. 3.What does it mean to call Jesus Christ the “Lamb of God”? Why is this important? 4.What does the term “fall of man” mean and why is it important? 5.What is the Gospel and why is it the core of the Christian faith? 6.How is it possible for an individual to have a personal relationship with an almighty God? 7.Respond to the statement by St. Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” 8. Analyze the quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky: “If there is no God, then all things are permissible.” |