{"id":441,"date":"2013-07-23T15:39:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T20:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.wordpress.com\/?p=441"},"modified":"2013-07-23T15:39:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-23T20:39:00","slug":"apologetics-never-having-to-say-im-sorry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/?p=441","title":{"rendered":"Apologetics – Never Having to Say I’m Sorry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”\u00a0 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One of the greatest ills in Christendom of the recent era has been an abandonment of apologetics.\u00a0 What was once a foundational skill – even if you didn’t call it by that name – seems to be relegated to professional theologians and philosophers.\u00a0 For many of the laity the discipline of apologetics seems to be taken as indicative of having a lack of faith.<\/p>\n

Nothing can be further from the truth.\u00a0 In fact, to not<\/b> engage in apologetics is patently unbiblical.\u00a0 The 1 Peter 3:15 passage above is the most well known, but Paul not only encouraged apologetics, as with the Bereans<\/p>\n

[10]\u00a0 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. [11]\u00a0Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.\u00a0 Acts 17:10-11 (NASB)<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul also led by example; making skilled use of apologetics in both his presentation on Mars Hill (Acts 17:22-34) as well as his defense before Festus (Acts 24-28).\u00a0 Likewise he admonishes Timothy to be one guard against foolish and pointless doctrine.\u00a0 In general, Paul makes it clear that our faith is reasonable and that we should be able to defend it.<\/p>\n

Sadly I hear far too often that “The Bible says it.\u00a0 God wrote it.\u00a0 That settles it.”\u00a0 Such an attitude takes our faith from reasoned to blind; something that God never intended.\u00a0 That much is clear from Scripture.\u00a0 Peter certainly practiced what he preached in his early sermons in the Temple as recorded in Acts.\u00a0 He didn’t teach a blind faith.\u00a0 He gave the reasons for his faith.\u00a0 Peter taught, in those early sermons, a faith based in historical events and evidence that those hearing him could easily verify.<\/p>\n

This is as true for today as it was 2000 years ago<\/i>.<\/p>\n

“The Bible says it,” you may say?\u00a0 So tell me why can you trust it?\u00a0 “It’s the word of God,” is one of the most common answers I hear.\u00a0 When asked how they know that, they are quick to answer, “The Bible said so.”\u00a0 Do you see the obvious weakness?\u00a0 Do you really want to base your faith on such a soap bubble?\u00a0 Is this not much the same argument that the Muslim would give in defending the Q’uran?<\/p>\n

“But I feel its truth in my heart,” the conversation may continue.\u00a0 I’m sorry, but that sounds uncomfortably like the Burning in the Bosom<\/i> that is argued by the Mormon.\u00a0 Why is the feeling in your<\/b> heart any more reliable than theirs<\/b>?<\/p>\n

This addresses one of the most basic points of faith; how the Christian knows the Bible is accurate and reliable.\u00a0 Yet the Christians I meet that can offer even a basic defense of the Bible – and it is easily<\/span> defended<\/i> – are few and far between.\u00a0 If the Bible is lost as the reliable revelation of God, then what hope is there to defend the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?\u00a0 Is not our primary source of these events the Bible?\u00a0 What is the need for Jesus’ coming anyway, without the mirror that the Bible provides?\u00a0 Why can’t man simply be his own “salvation,” if he even needs saving?<\/p>\n

That’s only the Bible.\u00a0 The very tip of the iceberg, as it were.\u00a0 There are still the basic questions of our existence.\u00a0 From where did we even come?\u00a0 For that matter, from whence came God?\u00a0 Is there even such a thing as God?\u00a0 Or a need for a God? \u00a0If so, why the God of the Christian and Jews?\u00a0 Why not<\/i> the “god” of the Muslim or the many “gods” of the Hindu?\u00a0 Who are you<\/i><\/b> to dare say your “god” is true and the others are false?<\/p>\n

Questions like these are the most basic of questions that the Christian encounters when engaging the world.\u00a0 If you start you answer to these kinds of questions with “Well, the Bible says…” with an atheist, you are wasting their time, wasting your time and ignoring scripture.\u00a0 Disengaging from the world is certainly not an answer.\u00a0 From the Great Commission through Acts and the Epistles, we are commanded<\/i> to engage.\u00a0 How else are you going to make disciples?\u00a0 It is true that we cannot replace the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation process, but it is also true that God has chosen to spread His truth through human agency.\u00a0 Remember that Paul started his sermon on Mars Hill with the Greeks’ strong religious sentiment and their statue to the Unknown God.<\/p>\n

Being grounded in apologetics has an additional benefit when engaging the unbeliever.\u00a0 Well, at least it does if you take the study seriously.\u00a0 It has been my observation that those who understand the reasons for their faith tend to be more Christ-like and charitable when engaging others in conversation.\u00a0 Not only does it make you more confident, but that you are engaging in sincere <\/i>dialog shows respect for the person to which you are witnessing.\u00a0 As that conversation progresses, you are not only providing reasons to believe but are overcoming objections.\u00a0 In other words, you are giving the Spirit the most fertile ground possible to work upon.\u00a0 This is that “gentleness and respect” about which Peter admonishes us.<\/p>\n

If completing the mission that God gives to all believers is not enough reason, there is also a strong personal reason to engage in apologetics.\u00a0 A blind faith is one that is easily broken.\u00a0 By establishing the reasons for your faith and understanding the evidence, you have taken a huge step forward in buttressing your belief against the inevitable challenges that both the world and Satan will send your way.<\/p>\n

Even if you are fortunate enough to live in a location where you do not have to face serious challenges, if you have children their<\/i><\/b> faith will have challenges and those challenges will be good ones.\u00a0 Perhaps you can homeschool them and “shield” them from the world for awhile, but at some point they will have to face the doubts that the world has about Christianity.\u00a0 If your children have been “protected” from the world in this regard, then you have done them a great disservice.\u00a0 I would go even further and say that you have helped the Enemy.\u00a0 The reasons of the world to doubt God and the Bible are many.\u00a0 They will be challenged in the humanities.\u00a0 The will be challenged in the sciences.\u00a0 They will be challenged in literature and history.<\/p>\n

The reasons to question the faith are good.\u00a0 They are many.\u00a0 They are well presented.\u00a0 Not only will you find reasons for doubt in obvious areas like evolution with regards to the life and physical sciences, but within philosophy kids will encounter Hume and Kant.\u00a0 Literature classes will invariably include humanistic readings, say Atwood.\u00a0 History will certainly take a naturalistic direction.\u00a0 There are very good reasons why 80% of Christian youth abandon their faith when they get to college.<\/p>\n

Even if you attend a Christian University, you will not escape.\u00a0 Often world influences have crept in there, as well, but there are other dangers in this environment.\u00a0 Kids brought up to think of something like a Young Earth perspective or a King James Only perspective as a necessary condition of orthodoxy have had serious crises of faith when those perspectives are shattered.\u00a0 Other secondary issues to the faith – form of baptism, spiritual gifts, eschatology, etc. – can have similar effects.<\/p>\n

Apologetics can help here not only by clarifying the reasons for a particular belief, but also by helping to separate the truly necessary elements of sound doctrine from secondary issues.\u00a0 They are more prepared to engage and to hopefully understand that true believers can differ on these secondary issues without being heretics.\u00a0 More important, they will not be in the situation of asking themselves about what other pieces of doctrine have they been taught lies.<\/p>\n

So let us assume for the moment that I’ve convinced you.\u00a0 Apologetics is<\/b> important.\u00a0 “But Raul,” you say, “I’m not a preacher or professor.\u00a0 I can’t learn this stuff!”<\/p>\n

Wrong.\u00a0 Sure, Paul was a highly educated intellectual, but Peter was a working class fisherman and he provided some of the most powerful defenses of the faith in the New Testament.\u00a0 Admittedly, far too few of our churches place much importance in apologetics; whether in Bible study, discipleship training or from the pulpit.\u00a0 The good news is that it is easy to get a good start in apologetic training.<\/p>\n

Probably the most well known starting point is Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Christ<\/i> and the follow-up The Case for Faith<\/i>.\u00a0 These books are well written and aimed squarely at the layman.\u00a0 He basis the book on addressing a series of questions and interviews experts in the subject.\u00a0 It’s easy to read and easy to understand.\u00a0 If you find an interest in a particular subject, there are plenty of references for more in-depth reading if desired.<\/p>\n

I’ve found Josh McDowell’s book Evidence That Demands a Verdict<\/i> a valuable reference, as well, for both the beginner and the experienced.\u00a0 This is less of a “read it” book and more of a short subject reference.\u00a0 The book is laid out by topics, with short sections on each in outline form.\u00a0 It is easy to understand and very well referenced.\u00a0 It goes from very layman approaches to some surprisingly advanced material.\u00a0 It is a great aid in developing arguments.<\/p>\n

One personal favorite of mine, is Can Man Live Without God? <\/i>by Ravi Zacharias.\u00a0 Not only is this and easy read with sound arguments, Ravi’s approach is more pastoral.\u00a0 He discusses the subject from a personal perspective and includes his experiences raised in India in a Hindu society.\u00a0 For many, his work is more approachable than someone like McDowell.<\/p>\n

If you want something with a bit more meat, then consider How Now Shall We Live?<\/i> by Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey.\u00a0 I have several friends that might suggest some of Francis Schaeffer’s work instead.\u00a0 If it were just a worldview discussion, I would agree, but for backing faith with reason go with Colson and Pearcey.\u00a0 This book goes beyond mere apologetics and applies it from the perspective of your worldview.\u00a0 There is actually a video and workbook kit that allows you to use this material as a classroom or discipleship study.\u00a0 It captures the essentials of the (rather dense) book in a discussion oriented group format.\u00a0 I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n

No list of resources would be complete without including C. S. Lewis’ classic piece of literature, Mere Christianity<\/i>.\u00a0 He approaches his case for Christianity from the perspective of reason.\u00a0 The book is based on a series of radio interviews in which he had participated.\u00a0 This book is one of the most influential books on Christianity of the 20th Century and should be on every Christian’s required reading list.<\/p>\n

None of the books I’ve suggested are beyond the grasp of the layman.\u00a0 Most are targeting for the non-professional, though they a good reads even for the pastor, theologian or philosopher.\u00a0 If I were to suggest a reading plan, I would probably start with Strobel followed by Zacharias.\u00a0 Tackle Lewis’ book next and add the others as opportunity allows or even look at the references in the first books.<\/p>\n

I will add one last book in its own special place.\u00a0 It is called Living Loud: Defending Your Faith<\/i> by Norman Geisler and Joseph Holden.\u00a0 Geisler, along with Ravi Zacharias and William Lane Craig are who I would consider the three top Christian apologists active in the world today.\u00a0 Geisler’s book Christian Apologetics<\/i> is considered a standard collegiate text on the subject and his Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics<\/i> is considered by some a near definitive work.\u00a0 He has an impressive bibliography for both layman and scholar.<\/p>\n

Living Loud<\/i>, however, is targeted squarely and brilliantly at high school believers.\u00a0 The audience seems to be Juniors and Seniors, but both clever Sophomores and college Freshman without any apologetic background would be comfortable in this book.\u00a0 It’s well within the ability of most Bible study or discipleship teachers and if you do not<\/i> have a background in apologetics, you will learn as much as your students.\u00a0 This book makes an excellent quarterly study for any church group and would be especially<\/i><\/b> useful for homeschoolers.\u00a0 Each chapter starts with an imagined scenario that is a reality for far too many kids.\u00a0 It then progresses to the meat of the topic.\u00a0 Each chapter ends with a question\/quiz section.\u00a0 It also has an outstanding bibliography at the end for those who want to learn more.\u00a0 If your desire is to lay a foundation of equipping you children with the tools to remain strong in their faith when they get out in the “real world,” I simply cannot recommend a better book.\u00a0 If you have kids, get this book.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, this article has made a good case for the Biblical command and necessity for the study of apologetics.\u00a0 More important, I hope it has made a good case for the practical side of why apologetics should be important to you and especially your children.\u00a0 The references given should show you that the subject is not<\/i><\/b> just for pastors and scholars but that any<\/i><\/b> believer can be competent in the exercise.\u00a0 I would love to hear your thoughts or questions.\u00a0 If you are in the St. Louis area, I have taught classes based on The Case for Christ<\/i>, How Now Shall We Live<\/i> and Living Loud<\/i>.\u00a0 If you are interested in them, let me know and I’ll post when I teach one again.\u00a0 In the meantime, get out there and get prepared!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”\u00a0 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB)\u00a0 One of the greatest ills in Christendom of the recent era has been an abandonment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[16,20,44,50],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ymfK-77","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thechristiangeek.net\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}