The Basics
If you're a Bible-believing Christian, and if people know it, you've probably practiced apologetics at some time or another even if you haven't realized it. If you walk up to a man in the street and begin to share the gospel with him, chances are he is going to want to know how you know the information you are sharing with him is true. Or, today the typical response might be, "it's nice of you to believe that, but I've got my own truth," or something of the sort. In either case, you are presenting an apologetic by answering his question or responding to his objection.
"Apologetics" comes from the Greek word apologia, which means a reasoned defense. The word is found in 1 Peter 3:15, which states: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia, or "defense") to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." Apologetics is commonly defined as an intellectual defense of the faith against various attacks made by contrary belief systems and worldviews. It seeks to provide rational grounds for believing in the truth claims of the Bible, to demonstrate that Christianity is not just a bunch of stories or some "other" belief system equivalent to all the other "isms" out there. The Bible claims that it is the truth - it explains the nature of reality; the way things really are - and apologetics is the discipline of justifying and defending that claim of truth so that others may come to understand and believe it.
However, while it is certainly true that apologetics is the defense of the faith, this popular definition may be lacking in some ways. The problem with this definition is that it can give the impression that apologetics was only invented in order to protect Christians and their beliefs against all of the contrary and hostile views in the broader world. This is incorrect. This is a dangerous misconception because it can cause new apologists to fail to grasp the whole point behind engaging in apologetics. Some non-Christians also falsely assume from this definition that Christians only engage in apologetics because they are insecure and simply want others to agree with them.
Wrong. Apologetics is a form of evangelism. The purpose is not to simply debate and disagree with people (1 Tim. 6:4-5). The purpose is to provide a gentle, persuasive argument for the gospel so that non-Christians may come to realize (for their own good) that there is much more to this than a mere matter of personal preference in beliefs. A failure to operate off of this mindset when engaging in the discipline of apologetics can result in the opposite of the intended affect.
Persuasive Evangelism
In order to avoid causing this misconception, we can define "apologetics" as the art and science of persuasively evangelizing the gospel by providing an intellectual defense and justification for the truth claims made in the Christian faith. You probably do not recognize anything new provided in this definition if you consider yourself to be a seasoned apologist. But the reason I would define it in this way is to clarify that apologetics has a very important offensive aspect to it as well. It is not enough to simply defend the faith only when the need arises, such as when a Christian's beliefs are challenged or questioned by an atheist or someone of another faith. Rather, the Christian is to take the offensive as well and seek to demonstrate the foolishness of unbelieving thought and worldviews in conflict with the Christian faith, if for no other reason than to at least get people thinking. Apologetics is the defense of the faith, but it is to be practiced with an offensive goal in mind (i.e. "offensive" movement against the views themselves; seeking to persuade; not "offensive" in the sense of hurting one's feelings).
This offensive defense of the faith, or persuasive evangelism, was the heart of the Apostle Paul's ministry, who authored about a third of the New Testament. He states in Philippians 1:17, "I am appointed for the defense of the gospel." The classic example of an apologetical encounter in the Bible is Acts 17, where Paul takes the initiative to approach the Jews in Thessalonica and Berea, and the Greek philosophers in Athens, with the intended goal of sharing the gospel. The Bible says Paul "reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating" (v. 2-3) the truth of the gospel message. In Athens he "reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there" (v. 17).
In verse 16 it states that Paul was provoked to do this when he "saw that the city was given over to idols." His encounter with unbelievers was not simply for the purpose of getting involved in useless philosophical quarrels like the Stoics and Epicureans did. Paul was concerned with demonstrating why their philosophies failed, not simply because he may have liked arguing or proving people wrong, but because in doing so he was able to pave the way for a more convincing presentation of the gospel message. Once Paul dismantled the worldviews of these unbelievers, they had to face the fact that their beliefs didn't coincide with reality. Paul was setting the stage for the presentation of the gospel message to an audience who was now sincerely looking for the truth. He gave evidence from nature to argue for the existence of God, and evidence from history to argue that Jesus is the Son of God. He was evangelizing the gospel in a persuasive manner by first demonstrating that contrary philosophies fail, and then by justifying the Christian philosophy and message through an appeal to evidence and reason.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul states, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Apologists defend the truth by refuting arguments that exalt themselves above God's Word. Notice the language used in this passage. Paul commonly uses military terms to create the metaphor of warfare when describing the discipline of apologetics. The defense of the faith is a vigorous one. While the motifs behind the discipline are those of love and concern, this is a very serious matter, and the issue should not be sugar-coated to the extent that the importance of the matter becomes skewed, as many seeker-friendly churches have done today. In a sense, apologetics is the discipline of engaging in spiritual battle for the souls of men. Our apologetic is to be one of "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15), and it should constantly reflect the love of Christ. But the love of Christ entails that one expose and demolish the arguments and contrary worldviews that enslave and deceive men, so that, just like the Athenian philosophers, they may come to realize that their beliefs fail to explain the way things really are, and therefore they can be persuaded to sincerely consider the truth claims of Christianity.
If you're a Bible-believing Christian, and if people know it, you've probably practiced apologetics at some time or another even if you haven't realized it. If you walk up to a man in the street and begin to share the gospel with him, chances are he is going to want to know how you know the information you are sharing with him is true. Or, today the typical response might be, "it's nice of you to believe that, but I've got my own truth," or something of the sort. In either case, you are presenting an apologetic by answering his question or responding to his objection.
"Apologetics" comes from the Greek word apologia, which means a reasoned defense. The word is found in 1 Peter 3:15, which states: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia, or "defense") to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." Apologetics is commonly defined as an intellectual defense of the faith against various attacks made by contrary belief systems and worldviews. It seeks to provide rational grounds for believing in the truth claims of the Bible, to demonstrate that Christianity is not just a bunch of stories or some "other" belief system equivalent to all the other "isms" out there. The Bible claims that it is the truth - it explains the nature of reality; the way things really are - and apologetics is the discipline of justifying and defending that claim of truth so that others may come to understand and believe it.
However, while it is certainly true that apologetics is the defense of the faith, this popular definition may be lacking in some ways. The problem with this definition is that it can give the impression that apologetics was only invented in order to protect Christians and their beliefs against all of the contrary and hostile views in the broader world. This is incorrect. This is a dangerous misconception because it can cause new apologists to fail to grasp the whole point behind engaging in apologetics. Some non-Christians also falsely assume from this definition that Christians only engage in apologetics because they are insecure and simply want others to agree with them.
Wrong. Apologetics is a form of evangelism. The purpose is not to simply debate and disagree with people (1 Tim. 6:4-5). The purpose is to provide a gentle, persuasive argument for the gospel so that non-Christians may come to realize (for their own good) that there is much more to this than a mere matter of personal preference in beliefs. A failure to operate off of this mindset when engaging in the discipline of apologetics can result in the opposite of the intended affect.
Persuasive Evangelism
In order to avoid causing this misconception, we can define "apologetics" as the art and science of persuasively evangelizing the gospel by providing an intellectual defense and justification for the truth claims made in the Christian faith. You probably do not recognize anything new provided in this definition if you consider yourself to be a seasoned apologist. But the reason I would define it in this way is to clarify that apologetics has a very important offensive aspect to it as well. It is not enough to simply defend the faith only when the need arises, such as when a Christian's beliefs are challenged or questioned by an atheist or someone of another faith. Rather, the Christian is to take the offensive as well and seek to demonstrate the foolishness of unbelieving thought and worldviews in conflict with the Christian faith, if for no other reason than to at least get people thinking. Apologetics is the defense of the faith, but it is to be practiced with an offensive goal in mind (i.e. "offensive" movement against the views themselves; seeking to persuade; not "offensive" in the sense of hurting one's feelings).
This offensive defense of the faith, or persuasive evangelism, was the heart of the Apostle Paul's ministry, who authored about a third of the New Testament. He states in Philippians 1:17, "I am appointed for the defense of the gospel." The classic example of an apologetical encounter in the Bible is Acts 17, where Paul takes the initiative to approach the Jews in Thessalonica and Berea, and the Greek philosophers in Athens, with the intended goal of sharing the gospel. The Bible says Paul "reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating" (v. 2-3) the truth of the gospel message. In Athens he "reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there" (v. 17).
In verse 16 it states that Paul was provoked to do this when he "saw that the city was given over to idols." His encounter with unbelievers was not simply for the purpose of getting involved in useless philosophical quarrels like the Stoics and Epicureans did. Paul was concerned with demonstrating why their philosophies failed, not simply because he may have liked arguing or proving people wrong, but because in doing so he was able to pave the way for a more convincing presentation of the gospel message. Once Paul dismantled the worldviews of these unbelievers, they had to face the fact that their beliefs didn't coincide with reality. Paul was setting the stage for the presentation of the gospel message to an audience who was now sincerely looking for the truth. He gave evidence from nature to argue for the existence of God, and evidence from history to argue that Jesus is the Son of God. He was evangelizing the gospel in a persuasive manner by first demonstrating that contrary philosophies fail, and then by justifying the Christian philosophy and message through an appeal to evidence and reason.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul states, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Apologists defend the truth by refuting arguments that exalt themselves above God's Word. Notice the language used in this passage. Paul commonly uses military terms to create the metaphor of warfare when describing the discipline of apologetics. The defense of the faith is a vigorous one. While the motifs behind the discipline are those of love and concern, this is a very serious matter, and the issue should not be sugar-coated to the extent that the importance of the matter becomes skewed, as many seeker-friendly churches have done today. In a sense, apologetics is the discipline of engaging in spiritual battle for the souls of men. Our apologetic is to be one of "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15), and it should constantly reflect the love of Christ. But the love of Christ entails that one expose and demolish the arguments and contrary worldviews that enslave and deceive men, so that, just like the Athenian philosophers, they may come to realize that their beliefs fail to explain the way things really are, and therefore they can be persuaded to sincerely consider the truth claims of Christianity.
