Apologetics is applied in at leas t three ways. It's most important work is that of defending the faith against false charges; "Apologetics" means "defense." Another application is that of challenging other beliefs. Still a third application is making a case for Christianity in response to the (spoken or unspoken) question "Why do you (should I) believe it?" as Paul did in Athens (Acts 17:16-31).

Although apologetics can be applied different ways, it typically presupposes a question or challenge. Even if one is preparing to make a case for the faith, one should anticipate the issues which are important to one's listeners and address them. It does little good to spend a lot of time on non-issues.

There is a wealth of material to draw from in defending the faith. Since everything that is true points back to God, the resources of apologetics are vast. They include factual evidences, logical reasoning, and experiential concerns.

A note before we continue. The ambition of apologetics is not to slay the critic with a barrage of facts and arguments. We aren't to be like the gunslinger of the Wild West who rode into town, filled his enemies with lead, and rode off into the sunset. Our ambition is to show the truth of the faith in all its beauty with the goal of bringing others to believe it as well.

One of the crucial characteristics of Christianity is that it is intertwined in human history. Not only was God's word delivered to real, historical people, but also it was historical events which provided our reconciliation with God.

This is important for two reasons. First, God's activities took place on a level that people could witness and comprehend. Second, these events (especially the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus) provide objective "anchors" for our faith. No matter what we might think about certain teachings of Scripture, we still have to face the fact that Jesus lived, that he fulfilled prophecies delivered centuries before, that he claimed his coming death was necessary for the outworking of God's plan, and that he rose from the dead three days after he died. These facts won't go away just because an individual doesn't believe them.

In spite of the fact that people say everything is relative, and that people frequently hold contradictory beliefs, we are all driven to expect consistency to a great degree in the world around us as well as in what people say and believe. If a person should decide one day that the law of gravity no longer is in effect, will he be proved correct when he steps out a window? The answer is obvious. Although there sometimes are disruptions in nature, the laws of nature still hold. Believing differently will not change them.

Likewise, we expect that, in ordinary conversation, what a person says one minute won't be contradicted the next. Or when reading the instructions for installing new software on a computer or studying a chapter in a biology text we expect that what is said in one paragraph won't be contradicted in the next. To discard logical reasoning is to fall into meaninglessness.

To think correctly is to discover new truths and to uncover inconsistencies in our beliefs which can be corrected. Apologetics, while not attempting to reduce Christianity to simply a logical system of beliefs, nonetheless employs sound reasoning to show the internal consistency of Christianity and to reveal inconsistencies in other religions and philosophies. While it can't force belief, it can make the issues clear.

In this seminar on apologetic basics we must of necessity leave much out. Therefore, we will only briefly touch on experiential concerns (see section I.B.2. below). However, a few words about this area seems appropriate.

It's obvious that the average person today is more concerned with the concerns of his or her present life than with abstract logical concepts. To be willing to show the meaning of Christianity for life's experiences isn't necessarily to encourage people to judge it solely on its answer to the question 'What's in it for me?" The fact is that it is persons that God is interested in, and Christianity does have significant meaning for life. It explains who we are and why we do what we do, and it provides the answers for our deepest needs and longings. To show that Christianity which by many is thought to be totally irrelevant to life in (post)modern times has the greatest relevance for life is a fitting task of apologetics.

The project we have in mind, especially when making a case for the faith, can be called "proving" Christianity to be true. What does it mean to "prove" something? Philosopher Ronald Nash has argued that to prove something can mean simply to present a sound argument, or it can mean to present a sound argument which actually persuades someone to accept the conclusion of the argument.{1}

In other words, one hasn't successfully "proved" God's existence, for example, if the person isn't persuaded, even if the argument is sound. Proofs are often what philosopher George Mavrodes calls "person-relative."{2} What will prove something to one person won't necessarily prove it to another. Thus, the response of the listener is part of determining whether we have offered sufficient reasons or evidences.

The requirement that the other person accept the conclusion might seem too strict, however. It isn't the apologist's responsibility to bring people to faith. However, if our goal is to see others acknowledge God and come to faith in Christ, simply forming a logically sound argument is an insufficient goal. If our goal is persuasion, our evidences and arguments should be chosen with the person's response in mind.

This seminar is appropriately subtitled "Some basics in apologetics" for it is not intended to prepare you to answer all the pressing questions of our day.

Christian apologetics has application for both believers and unbelievers. For unbelievers its aim is to quiet rejection on intellectual grounds and it removes stumbling blocks. For believers it increases our knowledge and understanding of the faith, it quiets doubt, and it encourages us in the face of opposition.

The purpose of this seminar is therefore twofold: 1) to provide you a basic "arsenal" of facts to prepare you to answer some questions and challenges to Christianity, and 2) to ground you more securely in your faith, so that in those times that you ask yourself, "Why am I a Christian? Why should I stay with this religion in light of the difficulties it can bring me?" you can respond with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God" Jn.6:68).

There are many truths in Christianity, but three essential ones are the reality of the one, triune God; the divine authority of Scripture; and the identity of Jesus, the living Word of God Who is the center of our faith. Without a solid grasp of these three issues, our faith stands on shaky grounds. We'll take these up in turn.

	©1998 Probe Ministries
	Return toProbe Home