Many of us at one point or another in our Christian walks have encountered or wrestled with doubts. Many of us have focused on the big questions of life, such as, “Does God exist? Do I have a soul, is there any objective meaning to life, and are there absolute standards of right and wrong?” In our quest for answers to these challenging and complex questions, many have been introduced to what is commonly referred to as Apologetics. Now I know you may be asking, “Apolo-what?” Others might have the idea that Apologetics has something to do with apologizing for something that is said or done. I will contend that Apologetics as a discipline plays a crucial and important role within Christianity, and it is something that every Christian is commanded to do in Scripture. It is the purpose of the following article to outline what apologetics is, how apologetics is used, some pitfalls to avoid using apologetics, and ultimately what the main goal of Apologetics should be.
So just what is Apologetics? The word Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, which simply means a defense. We find the word in 1 Peter 3:15 where we read, “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 respect.” When we make a defense to anyone who inquires about our Christian faith, we are simply giving good, well-thought-out reasons for why we believe that the Christian faith is true. We also read in Jude 1:3 that we are to “contend earnestly for the faith which has once for all been handed down to the saints.” The word “contend” in the Greek means an “intense struggle on behalf of something.” In keeping with the spirit of Jude, as believers we are to rigorously fight for the faith through being prepared to defend it by giving good reasons in the form of evidence for why we believe and be able to address skeptical objections and challenges to the faith.
At this juncture, I think it is important to point out that the Christian faith has a very long and rich intellectual history. For the past two thousand years, Christianity and its doctrines have been rigorously defended at the highest level despite what many skeptics may claim. Early in Christianity’s history, the church itself needed to precisely define what it was they believed with regard to God and the person of Jesus Christ in response to many heretical views that found their way in defiance of what had been handed down from the apostles. Individuals such as Justin Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, and Augustine worked rigorously to address the skeptical claims and alternate views that stood in stark contrast to the “teaching that had been handed down once and for all to the saints.” Suffice it to say, the important takeaway from this is that there should be a body of confidence for the Christ follower in that Christianity has been ardently defended in the midst of skepticism and attack to the very core beliefs and doctrines that it espouses. With this established, let us transition to how apologetics is used and some ways in which the individual can be effective in doing apologetics as a supplement to evangelism.
In terms of type, we really can think of apologetics in two specific ways. Those being positive apologetics and negative apologetics. When discussing the types of apologetics, it is important not to confuse this with apologetic methodology, which deals more so with certain approaches in doing apologetics. Many things come into play when discussing apologetic methodology, like epistemology, which is the study of knowledge and answering certain questions like, “How can truth be known?” Also, “Is it necessary first to establish the existence of God before Christianity can be defended?” Exploring different types of apologetic methodology might be the subject of a forthcoming piece, but for now I will limit the discussion mainly to the types listed above, starting with positive apologetics.
When we say “positive apologetics,” we are referring to the type by which arguments are given in favor of a certain tenet of Christianity, like the resurrection of Jesus or the existence of God. When we are discussing positive apologetics, it is important to understand that these arguments are not just limited to the theological. We can also engage in positive apologetics when presenting arguments and a case for the reliability of the gospels and/or the Old and New Testaments. Think about it like this. Positive apologetics really have to do with presenting arguments for the faith that are sound in thought. These are the very reasons why we as Christians believe in the core doctrines of the faith.
Conversely, when we talk about “negative apologetics,” we are referring to the type by which we correct bad theology, like an incorrect view of Jesus, or correct a misinterpretation of Scripture that has been used to progress a certain agenda. One example of this would be when a particular group uses a verse of Scripture out of context to further their ideology or do something that is specifically not condoned or denied in Scripture. The African slave trade was probably one of the biggest examples of this.[1] I think a caveat is in order here. When addressing a misunderstanding or incorrect view, it is vitally important that the Apologist do so in love and with the utmost gentleness. Many times, we are faced with the temptation to prove the other person wrong, so we tend to quickly get our case out and shut the other person down from responding. Doing this can be a detriment to our witness for Christ. This leads me to discuss what apologetics is not.
As flawed and imperfect individuals, we have this tendency to always want to be right all of the time. We will cut people off and talk over them just to get our point across and leave the other individual defeated and speechless. We might have technically won the argument, but have we really won the person over to our point of view? More so, is it possible that we have lost the respect of the person because all we were concerned about was simply winning an argument? With this in mind, it is important to realize and understand that Apologetics is simply not about winning arguments or debates. As I have mentioned, apologetics is rather about providing an answer to the reasons why Christians believe in what they do. Now this is not to say that as Christians we cannot engage in a debate over a certain theological position. We just need to be careful that we are not letting our debates and arguments be the primary driving force when we engage in apologetic discussions. We also need to examine our motives for apologetic discourse. “Are we trying to one-up someone and prove our intellectual superiority over the person, or is our motive to share Christ with the person and get to the message of the Gospel?”
Secondly, Apologetics is not meant to bully a seeker or skeptic into becoming a Christian. Sometimes when we are engaging in Apologetics, we can provide the most winsome or most solid arguments for the faith, but if someone is not ready to place their faith and trust in Christ yet, for whatever reason, we simply cannot force them into the faith. The individual, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, must first and foremost see the truth of Christianity for themselves. Only they can come to a knowledge of salvation; no one else can believe it or accept it for them. With this said, it is important to remember that when we engage in apologetics, we must be able to provide reasons for our faith, but we also must let the Holy Spirit do his ministerial work in the heart of the unbeliever.
We have covered quite a bit concerning the subject of apologetics, but what really is the main purpose of it? I would contend that the main purpose of apologetics, while serving as a useful tool in evangelism, is simply to get to the gospel and share Christ with the individual. Now this does not come without a caveat. While this must be the main goal, there will ultimately be situations where we might not get to this point in the conversation. I can imagine some of you might consider this disappointing and discouraging. After all, are we not called to be making disciples? Let me offer a word of encouragement here. It is important to remember that the job of saving souls does not belong to us and that it is the work of God alone. Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason provides some helpful insight with this. He states,
“It may surprise you to hear this, but I never set out to convert anyone. My aim is never to win someone to Christ. I have a more modest goal, on you might consider adopting as your own. All I want to do is put a stone in someone’s shoe. I want to give that person something worth thinking about, something he cannot ignore because it continues to poke at him in a good way.”[2]
Koukl goes on to say that rather than trying to seal the deal, so to speak, every time we as ambassadors of Christ should be in the business of gardening rather than harvesting. What he means by this is that we should be planting seeds and giving them things to honestly think about and consider. Sometimes it takes a while for the Holy Spirit to convict a person of their unbelief, so we need to be patient and let God, through the work of the Spirit, bring that individual to a point where they are ready to accept God’s precious gift of salvation through Christ.
We have discussed a great deal concerning the topic of Apologetics. I would like to close now with a few thoughts pertaining to dialoguing with individuals in matters of spiritual and religious conversations. When I was in Seminary, I remember my Sermon Delivery professor saying something that has stayed with me to this day. His words were, “People are not going to care about what you have to say unless they see that you care and have concern for them first.” His statement, I believe, is one of the most beneficial things in one’s approach to conversing with unbelievers. But practically, what does this look like in conversation? In reference to Greg Koukl, two questions come to mind and are critically important.
The first question is, “What do you mean by that?” This is a great question to get them talking about claims and ideas that the other individual presents and gives one the opportunity to get clarification on things that seem vague and/or problematic. Oftentimes in doing this, one might find a thread to pull on because the other individual might not have fully thought about their position to the fullest extent.
The second question is, “How did you arrive at that conclusion?” The answer to this particular question can be very telling in that it can demonstrate how much or how little they have actually thought about their position, whatever that might be. Furthermore, it can give one a glimpse into their thought process and gives the possible opportunity to see if there are any good reasons for holding the conclusion that they do. It is surprising to say the least that many will hold to certain conclusions due to personal bias or without really considering the implications of the views that they espouse.
Apologetics is needed more than ever in the church today. Committing to regular bible study is the first step in becoming adept at Apologetics. We must become good students of the bible before we can even begin to be good Apologists. In the marketplace of ideas, we need to be alert and ready to address ideas and beliefs that are damaging and be able to defend the historical doctrines of the faith.
[1] For more information on responding to Slavery in the bible please see: Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster: Making Sense of the Old Testament God (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011). I will say that this is an area that many critics of Christianity will go for and as Ambassadors for Christ and good Apologists we must be ready to give a response to this often-posed Objection. I might address this very topic in a future article.
[2] Gregory Koukl, Tactics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2019) 46.
