“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” –C.S. Lewis
Christian Apologetics:
- Apologetics=apologia (ap-ol-og-ee’-ah) in the original Greek means to give a verbal defense, like one would do in a court of law.
- It is used eight times in the New Testament: Acts 22:1; 25:16; 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Corinthians 10:5 and 6; Philippians 1:7; 2 Timothy 4:16; and 1 Peter 3:15.
- Jesus, his disciples and the early Christian martyrs gave us many examples of how to use apologetics: They proved from Old Testament Scripture who Jesus was; they confirmed it by providing evidence through miracles in Jesus’ Name; and they won arguments against the philosophies of the day with truth and reason.
- Christian Apologetics today makes evidential cases for truth (vs. relativism and secular ideology), a Creator (vs. random evolutionary models), the historicity, reliability and inspiration of the Bible (vs. human invention), Jesus and the Resurrection (vs. myth).
Why we need Christian Apologetics in our culture today:
Once upon a time the United States could call itself a Christian Nation. However, if you’ve had much experience in public education, particularly higher education and politics in general, you are probably in tune to the fact that we are in a post-Christian era and many experts would say that western society has moved toward an anti-Christian culture in general.
We see this supported by recent statistics from research groups like Barna, the Pew Research Center, and Biola University that keep a pulse on religious issues, attitudes, and trends shaping our culture today. J. Warner Wallace in his book, Forensic Faith specifically focuses on the urgency in the Church to address how these trends are affecting our most important asset, the next generation.
One of the most disturbing trends is that more people are checking the religious category of “none” on surveys jumping it to the third largest category worldwide, moving Hinduism to number four (Christianity and Islam hold the top two spots). Even more alarming is the rise in the number of young people identifying with this category. Studies are now showing that upward of 70% of young people between the ages of 18-30 are leaving the faith with less than one-third returning as they age. This statistic alone should be cause for Christians to get equipped because the battle is growing and we are losing the most important asset: The hearts and minds of the next generation.
In today’s world Christians face a battle not just at home, school, or the workplace but internationally. Everyone is now involved in some form of social media on the “worldwide web.” Statistics show the top two categories of online literature are either in some form of pornography or religion. What side of the battle will you be on?
“From the shortest texts and tweets to the humblest website, to the angriest blog, to the most visited social networks, the daily communications of the wired world attest that everyone is now in the business of relentless self-promotion–presenting themselves, explaining themselves, defending themselves, selling themselves or sharing their inner thoughts and emotions as never before in human history. That is why it can be said that we are in the grand secular age of apologetics” –Os Guinness
Listen Doug Powell’s short presentation on Christian Apologetics:
Christian Apologetics – How do you answer tough questions asked by the culture?
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
–1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
The Bible teaches that Christians should be able to give answers and defend their faith to all those who ask, and to do it with gentleness and respect. This is the heart of Christian Apologetics. How do we do in following this directive?“
Imagine that you are in a conversation with a group of people and one or more of the following questions arise. You have only one minute to respond (because that’s the usual attention span of most people in a group conversation). Do not write out your answers just reflect on how you might do in formulating quick and concise answers to these common questions often asked by skeptics:
- Why are you a Christian (and not of some other faith)?
- Why is Jesus the only way to Heaven—isn’t that view intolerant of other beliefs?
- If God exists why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?
- Why do we need to study the Bible if it is an outdated book written in the opinion of ancient men, and translated so many times we can’t know for certain what it originally said?
(Note: There are excellent, evidential and scholarly answers to all of these questions!)
Once you’ve taken a little time to ponder the questions reflect on your ability to formulate answers. Be honest with yourself:
- Which question/questions were most difficult for you, and why?
- Have you been in a situation where questions like these come up? What was your experience (I stayed quiet, I tried to explain but…, I boldly proclaimed answers, etc.)?
It is our hope and prayer that this class (and website) will help you formulate good answers to these kinds of questions. We will cover these topics and more, and going deeper into the recommended resources and videos we provide will help with your depth of understanding. It does take practice and some commitment to study, but we are all called to give an answer for the hope that we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15) so it will be worth it!
Going Deeper:
Check out these books by top Christian Apologists:
“I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek“
“On Guard,” by William Lane Craig
So The Next Generation Will Know” by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace
Bible Study: The book of Romans
(Each week we will do a study in the book of Romans to practice our Bible study skills)
Getting the big picture
Before doing a study on a particular book of the Bible, it is important to read it through in one sitting to get the big picture. Don’t get hung up on particular passages.
This week: Read through the book of Romans in one sitting, just like you would do with a good novel. It contains 16 chapters and can be done in about an hour or so. Jot down any questions that you might have and revisit them as we re-read and study through each chapter week by week.
Join us next week as we look at the many reasons we should defend our faith!
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.
Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15