Apologetics 101
Introduction to Apologetics
What is Apologetics?
Apologetics is the study of how to make the case for your Christian beliefs, like a lawyer makes an argument or a reasoned defense. It is not making excuses for "having faith" in something that you know to be untrue! The term comes from the Greek "apologia" ( ἀπολογία ) which means to make a defense. For example, it is used here by Peter, the apostle of Jesus:
But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. 16 Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you. 1 Peter 3:15-16
It was also used by Paul several times (Acts 26:2; Phil 1:7-16; Acts 22) referring to defending the gospel and making arguments for his beliefs.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to be his witnesses within our spheres of influence, from our families, our local communities, our nation, and ultimately the whole world. You don't need a college degree or to be a professional speaker. But to be effective, you need to be able to give people reasons to trust in Jesus. Some people just need someone to tell them the Good News, while others may have real objections that are keeping them from following God with their whole hearts. Others may need their faith strengthened to withstand the onslaught of a culture that tears away at their moral foundations. We don't need to be everything to everyone, but we should be ready to share what we have when the opportunity arises.
The Goal of Apologetics
The goal of apologetics is to know what you believe and why, and to be able to defend it when asked. The goal is not just to gain knowledge, or to be able to "destroy" those who believe differently than you do. The ultimate goal should be to build up the body of believers in Jesus Christ, including yourself, and thus be able to impact the world with the truth of the Gospel.
A Christian has a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people in a respectful manner, remembering that we are God's ambassadors. Sometimes people have said, "You can't argue someone into the Kingdom of God". I find that viewpoint troubling because the disciples, and Jesus himself, did make apologetic arguments for believing. The truth is that only God can open their hearts, but sometimes they need to first hear reasons that they can relate to overcome their anger, fears, misunderstandings, or objections to the truth of Christianity. Being "argumentative" is generally counterproductive to that end. We really are trying to win the war and ultimately clear the path for them to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, not just win an argument in such a way that they no longer are willing to listen or dialog again.
Why study apologetics?
Here are three reasons to become proficient in apologetics:
SHARE your Faith
Make the case for Christianity to people when the opportunity arises.
When we are challenged about why others should believe in God, the Resurrection, Creation, or objective Truth, we should be willing and able to engage.
Though valuable, we don’t need more professionals. We do need thousands of “one-dollar” apologists to go out and share what we can and give reasons for why we believe. Put a stone in their shoes and leave them with something to consider that challenges what they believe.
INOCULATE your Faith
In a mission field, workers are exposed to lots of dangers and diseases. To protect them, we inoculate against diseases and train them to handle the dangers they may face.
We live in God's mission field every day. We need to be exposed to some of the real-world challenges that we will face when sharing our faith, and to be prepared to stand up to them.
We need to know what cures exist (reasonable answers), and that we are not the first ones to deal with particular claims or challenges to Christianity. We need to know where to go to get the resources we need when we don't have the answers handy.
BULLET-PROOF your faith
During training, some police detective's actually shoot at their vests (taken off first, of course) to get confidence that it will hold up under fire. We can do the same by looking at the best challenges to Christianity and seeing that there are solid answers to their challenges that have stood for hundreds of years.
Historically, many of the world's most influential scholars and deepest thinkers have believed in God. There are compelling, rational answers for those who are willing to listen and who wish to seek the Truth.
You will grow by reading opposing views and by interacting with non-believers. But don't make the mistake of doing this exclusively or when you are unprepared, since that can lead to a shipwrecked faith. You need the support of other like-minded believers to guide, mentor, and encourage you when you are wounded.
Resources
This takes time and effort, just like learning to use any tool or training your muscles for a race. There are many resources available in books, video clips, lectures, and discipleship from others who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Some Christian apologetic organizations and individuals that have greatly impacted my journey, and which I highly recommend, are:
Reasons to Believe www.reasons.org
Founded by Christian astrophysicist Hugh Ross, RTB is committed to faithfully reconciling faith in God with scientific discoveries of God's World. Their diverse scholar team supports and encourages dialog between believers with different perspectives on science-faith issues, while also reaching out to the scientific community and non-believers with evidences showing the compatibility of God's Word with observed facts of nature.
Stand to Reason www.str.org
Founded by apologist Greg Koukl, STR has a firm commitment to rational and thoughtful engagement with skeptics and those willing to dialogue. They are well known for taking a tactical "Colombo" approach to apologetics, using questions to draw people out. Greg has often said that it is better to just get in the game and aim for putting a stone in their worldview shoes, than trying to get them to immediately convert on the spot. STR is also known for a strong stance against the logical fallacies of moral relativism.
Cold-Case Christianity https://coldcasechristianity.com/
Former cold-case homicide detective, J. Warner Wallace, takes a unique approach to evidences for the Christian faith, analyzing the facts and data as he would a crime scene.
He also came from a Mormon family, and is well-versed in how to talk to the LDS.
I would highly recommend both Cold-Case Christianity and God's Crime Scene. These books make the case for the claims of the gospels and resurrection accounts, and God's creation, respectively.
I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist https://crossexamined.org/
Frank Turek engages the culture, often on college campuses, with wit and directness. He uses apologetics to argue for the rationality of the Christian worldview and why Christians should not be afraid to engage in the public realm, including politics and culture wars.
This is far from an exhaustive list. There are classic authors such as C.S. Lewis, Walter Martin, William Lane Craig, and Josh McDowell who pioneered apologetics for many. There are many good Christian podcasts, blogs, books, and campus speakers as well. I would suggest finding someone you can relate to and that you can learn from. And it is really okay to not agree with every position, approach, or argument that they use. My wish for you is that you find ways to better understand what you actually believe, with objectively true reasons for your trust in Jesus that go beyond "blind faith". Then you can share from your heart.
My goal for this series of posts is to cover a variety of apologetics topics that will give introductions to some of these topics, provide food for thought, and motivate further learning and growth on your part.
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