What Is Apologetics And Why Is It Important?

By -

I have run across more than one person who has had a misunderstanding about the nature of apologetics. Whether it is the Christian who thinks that "apologetics" involves apologizing for the Christian faith or the person who doesn't think that apologetics is relevant, there are many misconceptions about this branch of theology. What is it? Why should we care? What is the point? These are the questions that I hope to answer in this post.

In 1 Peter 3:15-17, we read, "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." In this passage, Peter commands his readers to always be prepared to make a defense of their faith, but to do so in a respectful way. This command still applies to us today.

Apologetics is a branch of theology that deals with the defense of a faith. Christian apologetics, therefore, is the branch of Christian theology that deals with the defense of the Christian faith from attacks from skeptics and those of other faiths. The Greek word from which we derive our word "apologetics" carries the connotation of a legal defense. Imagine that you are on trial for being a Christian. The judge looks at you and asks you to explain why you are a Christian. When you respond, you are acting as an apologist. Apologetics involves reasoning with people and making an argument for the truth of Christianity.

The English word "apologetics" comes from the Greek word "apologia" (ἀπολογία). This word is used 8 times in the New Testament. In Acts 22:1, the apostle Paul made his defense of the Christian faith before an angry mob that wanted to kill him. In Acts 25:16, Festus informed King Agrippa that, as a Roman citizen, Paul had a right to make his defense against any charges brought against him. In 1 Corinthians 9:3, Paul begins his defense against those who doubted him. In 2 Corinthians 7:11, Paul speaks of the Corinthians' desire to clear themselves. In Philippians 1:7, Paul recognizes the church at Philippi as partners in his defense of the Gospel. A few verses later, in Philippians 1:16, Paul reminds the Philippians that he was put appointed for the defense of the Gospel. In 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul writes about those who deserted him when he gave his defense. Finally, in 1 Peter 3:15, Peter commands his readers to always be prepared to give a defense (or reason) for the hope that they have in Christ.

The Christian church has a long history of engaging in apologetics. The apostle Paul made it his regular practice to go and argue for the truth of the Christian faith in the synagogues and in the marketplaces (see Acts 17:16-33). Justin Martyr, Augustine, and other early church fathers defended the Christian faith by the arguments that they put forward. Other Christian leaders throughout history, such as Thomas Aquinas, have also engaged in the practice of apologetics. In a broad sense, every Christian is an apologist of some kind, because every Christian is a theologian who relates to non-Christians. Unfortunately, the study of apologetics is often neglected in the church today, despite its importance. In the preface to his book, "Reasonable Faith," William Lane Craig writes, "It's no longer enough to teach our children Bible stories; they need doctrine and apologetics." I believe this statement to be true, especially with the modern attacks on the Christian faith.

Many have distinguished between what are often referred to as "offensive apologetics" and "defensive apologetics." Offensive apologetics is the practice of making a positive case for the Christian faith. It involves providing an unbeliever with positive reasons to believe that Christianity is true. Defensive apologetics, on the other hand, is the practice of refuting arguments posed against the Christian faith. Someone engaging in offensive apologetics might offer the Kalam Cosmological Argument as positive evidence for the existence of God. Someone engaging in defensive apologetics would respond to a skeptic asking, "Who made God?" and point out the faults in this line of reasoning.

There are several ways in which people have misunderstood apologetics, and I would like to address some of these very briefly. Apologetics has absolutely nothing to do with apologizing for the Christian faith. It has to do with defending the Christian faith. Apologetics is not an excuse to ignore the spiritual dimension of the people you are trying to evangelize. The goal is to win the person, not the argument. There are times when winning the argument may result in losing the person. Remember, the person is far more important. Apologetics is also not a way to force non-Christians to become Christians. You cannot force anyone to come to faith in Christ. Even the best argument cannot address many issues of the heart. If the problem is a heart problem, it is important to address that problem rather than a possibly non-existent intellectual problem. Apologetics is not a discipline to be used to beat people over the head with facts. Finally, apologetics is not just a discipline to be studied in order to sound smart.

All of this is good information, but why should someone study apologetics? The most important reason is that apologetics is useful in evangelizing. There are some individuals in our culture who have intellectual issues with Christianity. Apologetics can help clear up these intellectual issues and thus help the unbeliever be more open to the message of the Gospel. Believe it or not, there are some people who want to come to Christ, but have unanswered questions. It is a good idea for apologists to seek out these people. Christianity also helps to shape the culture. If our culture dismisses Christianity before it ever looks at the evidence for it, Christianity will not be dismissed before it is ever tried. Apologetics can also help to strengthen the faith of believers. Finally, apologetics can help confront non-believers with the truth of the Gospel.

Apologetics is an important part of theology, and apologists are an important part of the church. Apologetics works in reaching those who have intellectual issues with the Gospel. Therefore, it is vital that Christians today study apologetics to aid in reaching these people.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 FREE Christian Magazines

By -
Image
Did you know that there are good Christian magazines out there that you can get for FREE? If you like to read, but are looking for something to read in addition to books, then it may be worth your time to check out these free Christian magazines. Some of them are hard copies, and some of them are pdf versions of their magazine. Either way, they are free, and they are chock-full of good information. 1. The Voice of the Martyrs The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 by Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand. After the USSR took over Romania in 1944, Wurmbrand worked with the underground church, which eventually led to his arrest and 14 years of torture and persecution in Communist prison. Eventually, Wurmbrand was ransomed out and came to the United States. Since Wurmbrand founded the organization, it has worked tirelessly to keep Christians in the Western world informed about the persecution that our brothers and sisters around the world are going through, as well as providing
Read more

10 Best Commentary Sets For Bible College And Seminary Students

By -
Image
I recently posted about the 5 Best Commentary Sets for Sunday School Teachers . In this post, I want to continue this series by introducing you to what I believe are 10 indispensable Bible Commentary Sets for Bible College and Seminary Students. Each of these commentaries are more academic-oriented than those listed in my previous posts.  With that being said, let's look at these commentary sets. 1.  New International Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Combining superior scholarship, an evangelical view of Scripture, and concern for the life of faith today, this comprehensive, accessible commentary series is one of the most highly regarded resources of current scholarship. Prepared by world-renowned authorities, the NICOT and NICNT series reflects exacting study of the original languages and offers careful exegesis with preachers' and teachers' spiritual concerns in mind. This series consists of 46 volumes, covering every book of the Bible except Exodus, 1 Kings, 2 Ki
Read more

The Self-Defeating Nature Of Subjective Morality

By -
Image
INTRODUCTION There is a story about a young child named Johnny. Johnny liked to go play with the other kids on his block outside. He also liked to come inside on a hot day and drink apple juice. Johnny always came home around the same time, so his mother would always set out a bottle of apple juice for Johnny to drink. One day, his mother was cleaning the house while Johnny was out playing. A few minutes before she expected Johnny to come inside, she set a bottle of apple juice out for Johnny to drink. His mother, however, did not pay attention, and set the bottle of apple juice next to a bottle of pine cleaner that was in a bottle that looked very similar to the bottle of apple juice. When Johnny came inside, he saw two bottles on the counter. He assumed there was no difference between the two bottles, but simply thought that his mother had set him out two bottles of apple juice instead of just one. He did notice that the liquid was a slightly different color in each bottle, but he ju
Read more

What Is Heresy?

By -
Image
  INTRODUCTION If you have been in any Facebook theology group, you have seen the term "heresy" thrown around. In fact, it seems rare that a civil debate happens without the term popping up. However, what has become clear to me over the last few months is that, while the term is a popular one to use in this setting (after all, who wants to continue arguing for a position that some will, at that point, assume to be heretical?), many people do not understand what heresy actually is. In this post, I will answer that question. First, let's look at some bad definitions of heresy. ANYTHING THAT CONTRADICTS SCRIPTURE I was in a discussion with a man today who defined heresy as "anything that contradicts the Bible." At first glance, this may seem like a good definition, and it is likely what many non-theological minds think of when they think of heresy. However, there is a major problem with this definition, and there is a good reason why. If heresy is anything and ever
Read more

How Many Languages Did Jesus Speak?

By -
Image
  Introduction It is no secret that many, if not most, people in the first century were at least functionally illiterate. While the literacy rates may have varied based on a person's social class or location in the known world, the fact remains that there was a large population that was functionally illiterate. For this reason, some have claimed that Jesus MUST have been illiterate, since the population as a whole was largely illiterate. This is the argument used by individuals like Reza Aslan  to support their reconstruction of the life of Jesus. However, there is a problem with this. The issue is that a general statement about people at large cannot be used to describe an individual. It is logically fallacious to claim otherwise. For example, I cannot claim that, since most pastors in Texas make approximately $40,000 per year, that therefore Joel Osteen must make approximately $40,000. This is false. Another example would be that, since most books that are written are not New Yo
Read more