Apologetics- An Asset to Christianity

It probably won’t come as a surprise to the vast majority of you, but I’m a student, and so far I have a good 5-8 years of student life under my belt. As I moved through the years (here in England we go from Secondary School to Sixth Form to University), I worked hard academically, and as with anyone else I moved in various social circles. Most of you, I hope, can say the same thing. However, in modern education there is something rather profound that has the potential to change so much in a pupil’s life. What is it? Quite simply, it is a religious belief, and in particular, a Christian religious belief.

In a western school, no matter what its ethos states be it secular or indeed Christian, we can’t deny the harsh reality that a) the majority of its students aren’t going to possess any specific belief system, and b) those who do are seen as ‘different’, and as is the way in youth culture, difference equals a threat, and a threat is often targeted/ridiculed/alienated. However, let me qualify here. I’m not saying that a Christian individual will actually be excluded or bullied, although I know first hand that that can happen albeit in a minority of cases, but rather that their belief in and of itself is alienated, made different, or manipulated into something that is to be ridiculed.

What am I telling you all this for, and what possible relevance does it have to the topic in hand? Quite simply because it is in their teenage years that a Christian is more likely to face his or her biggest doubts when it comes to their faith, and as such something needs to be done to combat this. I argue that we have an answer that, in spite of my focus on a young Christian population, can also appeal to Christendom at large. I propose that ‘Apologetics’ is needed in a Christian’s spiritual upbringing, in conjunction with a good knowledge of how to evangelise- they aren’t separate things! If indeed this is carried out successfully, then the humiliation and ridicule I spoke of above need not be an issue to the Christian; he or she will be able to at least fight back with powerful evangelism, and any doubts that are associated with this treatment would not arise for the simple reason that they are shot down at first sight. And, of course, being able to use Apologetics in and of itself is a useful skill to acquire! But, as always, I’m jumping ahead of myself. Let’s go through a few sub-categories first, before we can consider the need for Apologetics within modern Christianity.

1) What is Apologetics? - It’s a good question, and seemingly an obvious one to start with! ‘Apologetics’ is defined as- “a branch of theology devoted to the defence of the divine origin and authority of Christianity”. Wordy? I agree. Let’s bring it back down to its root levels, its biblical levels. 1 Peter 3:14-17 holds the key to understanding Apologetics as an academic discipline, and its relevance to the observant Christian-

“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened " But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (NIV).

Now look specifically at 1 Peter 3:15, where it says- “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”. In particular, focus in on the word “answer”. This is of course an English NIV translation, but here’s a list of how other translations have decided to word it- “an account” (NASB), “explanation” (paraphrased, NLT), “logical defence” (AMP). The original Greek word is ‘apologia’. It simply means a “verbal defence, speech in defence…a reasoned statement or argument”. So then, what is ‘Apologetics’? Well, we can see that the Biblical line is clear, at least- it is a defence of the faith, not only that, but it isn’t just a simplistic defence; it is a “reasoned” and “logical” defence.

There we have it- a very long-winded response to a rather simple question! Trust me to go Biblical.

2) The History of Apologetics – this is one of those issues that are so wide-ranging and so complex that it would be difficult to fit into this one newsletter. However, we can still work our way through some basics. The first really noticeable display of Apologetics was indeed St.Peter in the Book of Acts, not surprising really given that he was the one who wrote the verse given above. The first attacks on the Christian faith were from three main fields of opposition- the Jews, the Romans and the Pagans. The first group were by far the most common in very early Christianity, and as I am sure you are aware the Christian faith was at first a purely Jewish one, with no Gentile (non-Jewish) members joining for about 20 years after Jesus. Remember in Acts 2:14, just after Pentecost, when Peter stood up and addressed the crowd? He was defending the faith against Jewish opposition, be it theological or otherwise, and it worked. Acts 2:41 states that about “three thousand souls” were added to the number of followers that day.

Amazing stuff, but the field of Apologetics in no way died off there and then. You can see it again in Acts, where Paul addresses the third source of opposition- the pagans, in Areopagus, on Mars’ Hill (Acts 17). The way Paul addressed the crowd is very significant, but again I appear to be getting ahead of myself. But needless to say, Paul’s approach to apologetics certainly was in keeping with his words to the Corinthians, “To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law” (1 Corinthians 9:21). All will be explained below!

Moving on from the Biblical accounts, the use of Apologetics can be seen throughout Christian history. The early Church Fathers were renown for using the discipline, with major players including Ignatius, Augustine, and Justin Martyr to name but a few. They usually defended Christianity from Pagans and the Gnostics, a relatively early Christian group who tended to emphasise Christ’s humanity to the detriment of His deity. From there on, Apologists increased in number, and by the middle ages we are able to pick out such great apologists as Anselm, John of Damascus and Thomas Aquinas. Continuing through the centuries, we can find Apologists such as Martin Luther and Calvin. When we get to the 20th Century we can name Apologists who are actually incredibly well known in the secular world along with the Christian one, e.g. C.S. Lewis.

And finally, we arrive in the 21st Century. Now that the Internet has made information more readily available and soapboxes are not just rentable, they’re just being given away for free; it should come as no real surprise that Apologetics has experienced an upsurge in interest. Today, we have Internet Apologists such as J.P. Holding, Glenn Miller, Ralph Dettwiler, and of course myself, although I am in no way comparable to those other scholarly individuals in terms of academic aptitude. Not yet, anyway :-P… There are also other, more accessible apologists available, albeit ones who do not take on a cyber-guise! These include J.P. Moreland, Ben Witherington III, N.T. Wright, Lee Strobel, Craig Blomberg, and Dr. Michael Brown etc.

There you have, in a very simplistic form, a short history of Apologetics. It’s as old as Christianity itself!

3) A Study of 1 Peter 3:14-17, and how it should be able to help us in conducting Apologetics properly-

As mentioned earlier, this particular verse in Peter’s Epistle is incredibly important. It is useful for every Christian to study this command to defend the faith, and in doing so enable themselves to carry out God’s work the way He wants it to be done. Apologetics is all about debating you know. Oh no- Christianity has a habit of making things confusing, you should know that by now!

Verses 14+15- But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened” But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

These are the most important verses in this whole passage. It both acknowledges that we as Christians suffer from our beliefs (a theme I put forth earlier), but later goes on to combat this persecution with two practical commands. First, we should “set apart Christ as Lord” in our hearts and second that we should “give an answer [or as we have seen, defence] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”. However, if we were thinking we could be absolutely scathingly brutal in such a defence we are corrected- “but do this with gentleness and respect”.

These two verses also highlight something that I have experienced in the past year or so. It is very easy for the Apologist to go as some put it, ‘heady’, i.e. your faith comes to be governed by what your head says rather than what your heart says. Don’t get me wrong, a Christian faith is not meant to be intellectually lacking, rather the basis and foundation of any Christians belief should be grounded in the fact that Christ has saved their souls and has entered their hearts. And this, naturally, is going to be focused almost entirely in our ‘hearts’. 1 Peter 3:14-15 clearly supports this- it first gives a command to separate (or agiazw) Christ in our hearts, i.e. acknowledge Christ as saviour, and only then proceeds to give the command to defend one’s faith. In summary- ‘be a Christian before a theologian’- facts won’t save you, books can’t cleanse your soul, only Christ can do such things! Get your priorities straight, and then defend Christianity with Jesus as your cornerstone.

Verses 16+17- …keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Less to say about this bit, I’m afraid. Quite simply, it echoes what it said at the end of Verse 15- when debating, represent Christ by behaving in the best possible way you can. Let the beacon of God shine forth even in the most hostile situations.

So, what can we say in summary? What do these verses offer the Christian Apologist in terms of good conduct?
‘Be a Christian before a theologian’- don’t think before you believe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t believe without thinking!
Defend your faith whenever anyone asks you to explain your beliefs, and if you are persecuted for sticking to your guns, consider yourself “blessed”.
And finally, always represent Christ by behaving properly, with respect and love for those who ask of you.

4) Apologetics within a Christian Life-

We have now discussed the meaning, history and the advised good conduct of Apologetics, but let’s move on to discuss what it means to Christianity, and what it means to a Christian.

Within Christendom, there is a huge emphasis on the necessity of Evangelism, quite rightly too for such an emphasis is thoroughly Biblical. However, what of Apologetics? Is it right to shun it into an Evangelistic shadow? Is Evangelism more important, or visa versa? Is witnessing simply leading a Christ filled life? To put it simply, such questions are a bit misguided. In truth, Evangelism necessarily entails Apologetics. The word ‘evangelism’ itself is a very broad term used to describe an outreach to those not in the faith. This is, like I say, very much a Biblical concept, but can the same be said of Apologetics? Well, we have seen that it clearly is, but where does it stand in relation to Evangelism? Do you want a simple answer? It is to be included in it!

Look at 1 Peter 3:15 once again, and note how the command to give a ‘reason’ or a ‘logical defence’ is situated in an evangelistic context, i.e. talking with those not of the Faith and explaining to them the Cross of Christ, and what it means to us as Christians. The notion that Evangelism is separate to Apologetics, or indeed superior to it (and visa versa) is a myth, pure and simple. In truth, Apologetics is meant as a pre-cursor to an Evangelistic outreach, it is included in the ‘package’, and intended by the Disciples as a useful tool! This is incredibly important, for it has definite implications. No longer is Evangelism merely learning how to communicate and reach out to those not in the faith, it is also being ready (wearing the full armour of God) for any attack or objection questioners have prepared. I accept that this is not a common occurrence, but it is certainly becoming increasingly common in secular circles.

You ask any ‘average Joe’ on the street to name the 10 Commandments, very few of them can do so (infact some Christians cannot, myself not being entirely innocent
: -P), hence the need for evangelism and even one could say education. Equally, you ask the same person why they don’t accept Christ as their Saviour and they’ll come out with falsities such as “He didn’t die thus His Resurrection is False”, “The Bible is just Chinese Whispers”, or even worse, “I saw a programme [e.g. BBC 4’s ‘Did Jesus Die?’]/read a book [e.g. Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’] etc that has lead me to believe otherwise”. And I do hasten to add; hence the need for Apologetics! As you can see, the two fields are very much linked, and even complementary! Take this false dialogue for example, between a Christian Evangelist (Nick) and a non-believer (Mick)-

Nick (N): Warm day isn’t it?
Mick (M): Yes it is rather…
N: I’ve just come back from an event at the local Church, it’s on all week, family event and the like, you know…
M: Oh right, sounds nice. I need to look after a kid on Tuesday actually, and with this heat it would be good to have some shelter and something for her to do. I might take her to this thing you’re on about, you got any details handy?
N: Actually, I help out there, so I can tell you about it now if you like?
M: Oh alright then…*laughs*
N: Basically, the Church run this thing, we hold a few barbeques, a few child events, and now and again we have a few speakers give a talk every so often.
M: Speakers?
N: Yea, they talk about Church stuff, like God and Jesus, infact I’m into all that stuff myself actually. What about yourself?
M: Me? No way. I was brought up with it, you know, but I’ve sort of ‘grown out of it’, with all due respect and everything, you know. To me, though, all that Bible stuff, it’s all a load of rubbish.
N: Oh I’m sorry to hear that, to me however, Christ is the most important person in my life. I’m one of those ‘born again’ Christians, but don’t hold that against me! *Laughs* Seriously though, are you sure you don’t want to come along?
M: Nah it’s all right mate, like I say Jesus may be important to you but all I can see in the Bible is a pack of lies. That whole Resurrection stuff? No way, I don’t buy it. Sorry man, I don’t mean to be rude, but since I don’t believe for these reasons, I don’t think it would be very fair if I get your hopes up or anything.

So then, here we stop. It’s clear in this hypothetical situation that Nick started with an Evangelistic situation, but it clearly and quickly changed to one that entails Apologetics. Of course, he could keep it an Evangelistic situation without needing to use the Apologetic Method, but it would no doubt be less effective.

This situation, however fictional, nevertheless portrays something very real, and something is increasingly common, especially among young Christians. If we as Christians do not start equipping our ‘Utility Belt of Truth’ properly, then Evangelism could well begin to fall short if it does not fulfil its proper potential. Evangelism was never meant to be half-finished- it entails a lot of other things, Apologetics included, and we cannot afford to ignore these things.

Conclusion

What can we say in summary? Well, we can see that Apologetics is indeed Biblical and intended to be a logical defence of the faith when it is asked of us (in other words, don’t go steam-rolling into an Atheist chat room like a Spiritual Rambo!). We can also see that such a command has been fulfilled in the lives of many throughout Christianity’s history. Not only that, but we are to conduct it in a specific way, but also (most importantly)- it is to be used in conjunction with and in a way that complements Evangelism!

Christianity is facing its biggest trials in today’s world for a long time. If Evangelism is to succeed, we need to equip ourselves with the full armour of God, not half of it, not 75%, and if Apologetics is included in this, and if it can help the increasingly ‘persecuted’ Christian Youth of today, then I say we should bring it on, and prepare for battle…bring it on…