The ApologetiXperiment

The material in this post is a short segment form the seminar material we covered last night at the first ApologetiXperiment seminar in Immanuel. The aim of last night's session was to simply underline the role and purpose of Christian apologetics; the vital role it has to play in commending Christian truth and engaging the culture in which we live. We also looked at five of the major apologetic methods/approaches. Over the course of the next few days I'll post up the rest of the material we covered together last night...

Introduction: What is Apologetics?

Apologetics is the discipline that deals with a rational defence of the Christian faith. The term “apologetics” comes from the Greek word apologia, which means to give a reason or a defence. “Apologetics is that branch of Christian theology which seeks to provide a rational justification for the truth claims of the Christian faith…In addition to serving, like the rest of theology in general, as an expression of loving God with all our minds, apologetics specifically serves to show to unbelievers the truth of the Christian faith, to confirm that faith to believers, and to reveal and explore the connections between Christian doctrine and other truths” (William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith). Although there are Christians who object to the work of apologetics, it is in fact a vital work for all sorts of reasons.

Why Apologetics?

Firstly, Scripture provides us with many reasons for engaging in apologetics -

Matthew 22.36-37: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

1 Peter 3.15: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 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…”

2 Corinthians 10.5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Philippians 1.7: “…for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me” He adds in verse 16, “…I am put here for the defence of the gospel.”

Jude 3: “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Jude makes a significant statement about our attitude in verse 21 & 22, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt…”

Titus 1.9 outlines a requirement for an elder in the church: “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

2 Timothy 2.24-25: “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.”

Acts 17.16-34: here the apostle Paul models effective apologetics. It is missional, engaging and God-centred.

Secondly, the world needs apologetics. “People rightly refuse to believe without evidence. Since God created humans as rational beings, he expects them to live rationally, to look before they leap. This does not mean there is no room for faith. But God wants us to take a step of faith in the light of evidence, rather than a leap in the dark” (Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics). Although we cannot reason people into the Kingdom, apologetics can do the groundwork of demonstrating the rationality of the Christian faith. This helps to dispel prejudice and disarm unexamined assumptions that prevent people form seriously examining the claims of Christianity.

Apologetics helps us to “deconstruct defeater beliefs”, to borrow the words of Tim Keller (The Reason for God). Defeater beliefs are the unexamined & largely borrowed objections people have to the gospel. For example, Richard Dawkins’ books have led some to the blind (and erroneous) view that science disproves religion. Apologetics gives us the tools we need to deconstruct such a view, thereby demonstrating the rationality of the Christian worldview in contrast to the worldview of atheism. This helps to clear the way for an open-minded hearing of the gospel message. Ultimately of course, it is the Holy Spirit who draws people into a saving relationship with Christ, but a rational justification for Christian faith can assist in the process.

As we can see from Acts 17 (also 19.8, 29.23-24), it was the apostles’ standard procedure to argue for the truth of the Christian worldview with both Jews and pagans. In appealing to Jewish audiences, the apostles appealed to fulfilled prophecy, Jesus’ miracles and resurrection as evidence that he was the Messiah. When they confronted Gentile audiences who did not know or accept the Jewish Scriptures, they appealed to God’s handiwork in nature as evidence for the existence of the creator (Acts 14.17). Then appeal was made to the eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus to show specifically that God had revealed himself in Jesus Christ (Acts 17.30-31, 1.Corinthians 15.3-8).

We face precisely the same challenge as Christians living in the 21st century. As Christians, we are called to present the Gospel to a world without hope. Often this involves appealing to the order and purpose in the created world and pointing people to the Person of Jesus Christ, as Paul did. Apologetics can help us do this persuasively and effectively.