Apologetics: the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity; from the Greek word "apologia," which means a "verbal defense."
Christianity has faced an onslaught of criticism and slander since its inception some 2,000 years ago. Despite centuries of persecution, upheaval, and corruption, historic Christianity survives. No plans of man can thwart the advancement of God’s kingdom. Day by day, he is renewing minds and changing hearts of the seemingly “unsavable” through the person of his son, Jesus Christ.
Blessed I am to be a member of the body of Christ! Every day I’m amazed that he saw fit to gather me up and rescue me from the shackles of my own degradation.
Feeling God’s grace in your life is one thing; trying to explain that grace to unbelievers is another. Sharing our testimonies with the world probably is the easiest part of being a Christian. Testimonies are often filled with emotive, relatable language. Some stories are dramatic. Others are less so. I suppose my testimony is dramatic, although I see my coming to Christ as a slow evolution. After I stopped drinking and fornicating, I patted myself on the back and told people how moral I was. I was unsaved at the time, and did not understand the depth of my sin sickness.
But I digress. As I was saying, sharing out testimonies with the world probably is the easiest part of being a Christian. The challenging part, aside from the obvious challenge of living in a fallen world, is defending Christianity. A branch of theology known as Apologetics involves explaining and defending the faith. From proving the accuracy and reliability of New Testament manuscripts, to providing rational arguments for Christianity’s truth claims, to answering objections, to revealing fallacies behind other worldviews, Christian apologetics is something every believer should study and practice.
In his latest column, Christian author and blogger David Limbaugh reviews a book by well-known Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend.
David writes (emphases added):
“I love apologetics because it helped me overcome certain intellectual hurdles that I believed, rightly or wrongly, were obstructing my faith. As I delved into the subject, I was immensely gratified to learn that most of my doubts and questions had been asked and answered by biblical scholars who embraced, rather than dismissed, such challenges.
…
“Many mistakenly believe that Christian belief, because it involves faith, is unsupported by reason and evidence and that becoming a Christian requires checking your intellect at the door and accepting Christian truth claims unquestioningly. But anyone who has truly studied Christian theology and apologetics – I hadn’t during my skeptical days – understands that Christianity rests on a powerful body of evidence and that reason and intellect are its allies, not its enemies.
“Before you cavalierly assume that there are unanswerable contradictions or unfathomable paradoxes, before you reject Christian theology out of hand because you witness Christian hypocrisy, before you dismiss the Bible as merely a wonderful piece of literature with some instructive moral stories, do yourself the favor of reading it for yourself. And read what other believing, conservative scholars and theologians have written on the subject.”
Read more about apologetics at the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.
Every Christian should study and practice some form of apologetics. Having a “great awakening” and being born again are wonderful. But are you “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” as the apostle Peter says?
Since this blog’s inception, I’ve tried to do just that. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. But the learning process, the struggle, has been invaluable. I believe God gave me an affinity for strong, unequivocal points of view. The wishy-washy, mealy-mouth, soft-stepping approach rubs me the wrong way. But the goal is to glorify God, no matter which approach you take.
When was the last time you defended the faith to an unbeliever or even a doubting Christian?
Do you lack knowledge and confidence in defending the faith?
For those who have the knowledge and confidence, what advice would you give to lesser equipped brothers and sisters?
Resources:
- Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
- Alpha and Omega Ministries
- Grace To You: Apologetics
- Desiring God (scroll down for Apologetics category)
