IF you were to design an Apologetics Guide, what would you put in it?

My own inclination is for something that goes deep enough for the student specializing in apologetics to use as a starting point for a paper or for a lay leader teaching apologetics to start building a lesson -- but with a few key sections that is sufficient for the average lay person. Fortunately, guides are built with the ability to add/subtract sections.

Greg Dement said:

Just to get the ball rolling here are some primary topics/steps to start with and under which the many, many possible subtopics could be placed.

What I was envisioning was an ontology of apologetic topics and common positions on them. By ontology, think something similar to the organization of the theological topics with definitions but not a reference work like the LST. Resources, specifically apologetic/polemic works, of all persuasions would be tagged with these topics.

An apologetics guide could include:

• Bible passages taken from a preaching theme that most closely parallels the apologetic topic.
• An apologetics section on the apologetic topics with results in two sections - pro and con
• A resources section based on topical assess to Ancient Literature/Catholic Topical Index for the historical perspective
• A Biblical theology section based on the theological topic that most closely parallels the apologetic topic
• A Systematic theology section based on the theological topic that most closely parallels the apologetic topic
• Ideally but the available Logos resources are limited, a philosophical section based on the common philosophical positions/works on the subject.
• The ability for the user via community tags to add resources of their choice to the Guide 

Thanks all. It is useful to know how others would approach the subject.

Hmm... no one seems to have mentioned the people who first come to my mind:

Karl Keating and his Catholic Answers

Diocese of Richmond Virginia Catholic Biblical Apologetics with it's list of topics:

• Salvation
• Are you saved?
• Faith and works
• Personal relationship with Christ
• Canon of the Bible
• Biblical interpretation (hermeneutics)
• Tradition (paradosis)
• Ecumenical Councils
• Pope (Bishop of Rome)
• Papal infallibility
• Sacraments
• Infant Baptism
• Baptism of the Holy Spirit
• Transubstantiation, Real Presence
• Mass as sacrifice
• Annulment
• Priestly celibacy
• Sin
• Indulgences
• Purgatory
• Limbo
• Saints
• Role of Mary, Virgin Mother of God
• Immaculate Conception
• Virgin Birth
• Rosary
• Jesus' second coming (parousia)
• Last Judgment, Heaven, Hell

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But I did find an interesting list of 100 Christian apologists

Get to know 100 Christian apologists. Most are current. Some are dead. A couple are very old. Some are not popular. They range from world-class philosophers and thinkers to internet and radio apologists. But all have made an impact with their works and ministries. They are in alphabetical order. (This is not a top 100, and theologians and church fathers have been left out.)

1. Kerby Anderson – VP of International Society of Christian Apologetics.
2. John Ankerberg – Founder of Ankerberg Theological Research Institute; Great podcast.
3. Greg Bahnsen – the late great presuppositional apologist. Debated Gordon Stein.
4. Andy Bannister – London School of Theology / Oxford Centre for Christian apologetics.
5. Francis Beckwith – noted philosopher and apologist, especially in the area of ethics.
6. Ken Boa – relational evangelism, discipleship, apologetics.
7. Darrell Bock – Research Professor of NT Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.
8. Joe Boot – apologist, educator, author and pastor.
9. Robert Bowman – noted apologetics and theology teacher (Biola)
10. Justin Brierley – host of Unbelievable? on Premier Christian Radio, UK.
11. Kyle Butt – staff at Apologetics Press and editor of Discovery magazine. Debated Barker.
12. Ted Cabal – general editor of The Apologetics Study Bible.
13. Charlie Campbell – itinerant apologist and head of AlwaysBeReady.com.
14. Edward John Carnell – was a prominent and influential Christian theologian and apologist.
15. G.K. Chesterton – famous author, philosopher, theologian, apologist.
16. David K. Clark – apologist with notable books; teaches at Bethel Seminary
17. Gordon Clark – Christian philosopher, apologist, and theologian. Contemporary of Van Til.
18. Kelly James Clark – notable philosopher of religion, author; Calvin College.
19. Gene Cook – host of UnchainedRadio; reformed pastor and apologist. Owns a pit bull.
20. Paul Copan – Philosophy and ethics; noted apologist and author.
21. Winfried Corduan – Christian philosopher of religion; noted author.
22. Steven B. Cowan – Associate director of Apologetics Resource Center; Areopagus Journal
23. William Lane Craig – philosopher, theologian, apologist; Debater par excellence.
24. William Dembski – philosopher of science and mathematician; ID theorist.
25. William Edgar – Professor of Apologetics Westminster Theological Seminary; jazz pianist.
26. Lenny Esposito – founder of ComeReason apologetics ministry.
27. C. Stephen Evans – philosophy of religion; apologetics; great author. Baylor.
28. Paul D. Feinberg – the late philosopher of religion and apologist; author.
29. Harold Felder – founder of GivingAnAnswer apologetics ministry.
30. Phil Fernandes – Christian philosopher, apologist, debater. Tremendous audio resources.
31. John Frame – Reformed Theological Seminary; reformed apologist; Van Til expert.
32. Norman Geisler – prolific author of over 70 books; Classical apologist.
33. R. Douglas Geivett – Professor of Philosophy Talbot Department of Philosophy / Biola
34. Simon Greenleaf – legal scholar famous for his book Testimony of the Evangelists.
35. Douglas Groothuis – Christian philosopher, author, teacher.
36. Shandon L. Guthrie – philosophy, apologetics, atheism, comparative religions, ethics.
37. Gary Habermas – the world’s foremost expert on the resurrection of Jesus.
38. Hank Hanegraaff – today’s Bible Answer Man.
39. Craig Hazen – director of Biola’s Christian Apologetics program.
40. J.P. Holding – founded Tektonics apologetics website; author.
41. Anthony Horvath – Athanatos Christian Ministries and online Apologetics Academy.
42. Phillip E. Johnson – one of the key leaders of the Intelligent Design movement.
43. Walter Kaiser – scholar, writer, educator, and distinguished Professor of Old Testament.
44. Timothy Keller – urban pastor and apologist noted for his clear communication.
45. Greg Koukl – apologist and president of Stand to Reason; excellent radio program.
46. Peter Kreeft – professor of philosophy at Boston College, noted apologist.
47. John Lennox – philosopher of science, mathematician, Oxford debater of Dawkins.
48. C.S. Lewis – famous author, lecturer, apologist; Narnia books, Mere Christianity.
49. Gordon Lewis – philosopher and theologian; author of Testing Christianity’s Truth Claims.
50. Mike Licona – historian and apologist; authority on the resurrection of Jesus.
51. Bruce Little – philosopher noted for work on the problem of evil and theodicy.
52. Paul Little – late apologist and author noted for his simple style and easy communication.
53. David Marshall – world cultures, outspoken against new atheism.
54. Walter Martin – most famous for his Kingdom of the Cults book; the original Answer Man.
55. Stuart McAllister – Scottish itinerant cultural apologist with RZIM.
56. Josh McDowell – famous for Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
57. Sean McDowell – worldview youth minister / itinerant apologist.
58. Alex McFarland – itinerant apologist targeting young people, teens.
59. Timothy McGrew – philosophy, historical apologetics, resurrection, probability.
60. Alister McGrath – Oxford professor of theology, author and opponent of new atheism.
61. Chad Meister – philosopher of religion, ethics, logic; apologist, author; Bethel College.
62. Angus Menuge – Concordia University professor of philosophy.
63. Stephen Meyer -philosopher of science, intelligent design theorist, author.
64. Albert Mohler – president of SBTS, worldview cultural commentator, author, radio host.
65. John Warwick Montgomery – perhaps the most famous evidentialist apologist.
66. J.P. Moreland – Christian philosopher, noted author, apologist.
67. Jonathan Morrow – blogger, author and Christian worldview apologist.
68. Ronald Nash – Professor Philosophy and Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary
69. Randall Niles – itinerant and multimedia apologist.
70. David Noebel – founder of Summit Ministries and worldview apologist.
71. Scott Oliphint – Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology WTS
72. Amy Orr-Ewing – Director of Training of the Zacharias Trust.
73. Craig Parton – trial lawyer and noted Lutheran apologist.
74. Alvin Plantinga – world-class philosopher; reformed epistemology, philosophy of religion.
75. Doug Powell – excellent multimedia apologist at SelflessDefense.
76. Michael Ramsden – European Director of Zacharias Trust, speaker for RZIM.
77. Fazale Rana – PhD biochemist with Reasons to Believe.
78. Ron Rhodes – author and apologist founder of Reasoning from the Scriptures.
79. John W. Robbins – reformed apologist, founder of Trinity Foundation.
80. Mark D. Roberts – pastor, author, speaker, blogger. Emphasis in NT / Gospels.
81. David Robertson – Scottish pastor famous/notorious for his Dawkins Letters.
82. Hugh Ross – astrophysicist apologist and old Earth creationist; founder Reasons to Believe.
83. Kenneth Samples – reformed philosopher, theologian, apologist with Reasons to Believe.
84. Francis Schaeffer – famous late cultural apologist, author, philosopher; founder of L’Abri.
85. Mary Jo Sharp – author, apologist, debater; founder of Confident Christianity.
86. James Sire – influential worldview author, apologist, and speaker.
87. Matt Slick – founder of CARM.org, one of the best apologetics encyclopedias on the web.
88. R.C. Sproul – notable theologian, author, and classical apologist.
89. Don Stewart – prolific author, apologist, and host of the Bible Explorer.
90. Lee Strobel – journalist famous for his Case for Christ series of books; popular apologist.
91. Richard Swinburne – world-class Oxford philosopher of religion; author.
92. Frank Turek – itinerant apologist and founder of CrossExamined; debated Hitchens.
93. Cornelius Van Til – the most famous presuppositional reformed apologist.
94. Jim Wallace – cold case detective, pastor, and apologist; excellent podcast.
95. James White – theologian, author, prolific debater, and reformed apologist.
96. Dallas Willard – Christian philosopher; notable works in philosophy, discipleship,
97. Peter S. Williams – Christian philosopher; notable works countering Dawkins
98. Douglas Wilson – presuppositional apologist; number of atheist debates (Hitchens, Barker)
99. N.T. Wright – Bishop of Durham; notable work on the resurrection.
100. Ravi Zacharias -perhaps today’s most notable international cultural apologist.