5 Things I Have learned About Christian Apologetics
I have been involved in Christian apologetics pretty much since I returned to faith in my early 20s. It was a natural step as I came from being an atheist and was still looking for answers.
While I would not consider myself a “professional” apologist, I think I have learned something about Christian apologetics.
- There are good reasons for being a Christian. I don’t mean I can “prove” the existence of God or the resurrection of Jesus. But there is evidence for the basic claims of Christianity and it is much more than a leap into the dark.
- There are always temptations for apologists to attack other Christians, including those with orthodox beliefs. While I think there is plenty of room to have theological conversations, it can often be a bad witness in how Christians can show contempt for those with different interpretations. Apologists, perhaps because of the love for the argument, are especially prone to this.
- Apologetics can be valuable as personal discipleship and devotion. While people may get involved in apologetics to help other people, it can also be quite helpful in the individuals personal walk with God.
- There is a need for Christian apologetics to adapt to our changing world. It is easy for apologetics to get stuck on what we assume people are struggling with. The classic apologetics text, 1 Peter 3:15, tells us to be ready with an answer to those who ask. But what are people actually asking? We need to listen before we offer an answer that we assume people need.
- Apologetics is not and should not be limited to a specific conservative evangelicalism. C.S. Lewis is perhaps the best known apologist and he was not an evangelical. I am not dismissing evangelical contributions to apologetics, as they have been at the forefront in this enterprise. However, every Christian should have their own apologetic for what they believe and why they believe it. I believe apologetics will only be enriched by the contributions of Christians of other traditions.
What about you? What have you learned about Christian apologetics?
I have learned the importance of asking questions and listening to understand the beliefs and story of another person before trying to move them one step closer to Christ. Francis Schaeffer said about the importance of questions and listening, “If I have only an hour with someone, I will spend the first 55 minutes asking questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and mind, and then in the last 5 minutes I will share something of the truth.” Through this approach, when we are ready to speak, we will say exactly what that person needs to hear. Rebecca Manley Pippert observed, “God asks questions and tells stories, but Christians give answers and preach sermons.” The temptation is to press our points early, without listening to and understanding the other person’s beliefs and story.
Jesus asked almost 300 different questions in the Gospels, often to diagnose people’s needs and spiritual conditions, and it is well worth emulating. John 4, where Jesus has a conversation with the woman at the well, shows how Jesus uses an initial question to open up a dialogue and make spiritual points. In Mark 10, Jesus responds to the rich young ruler’s question with a question, and then challenges him in a loving way. In Acts 8, Philip follows the leading of the Holy Spirit to look for opportunity with the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah, and asks him a great opening question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The ensuing discussion leads to the eunuch’s conversion.
Listening enables us to understand fully what the person knows, and avoid assumptions (Prov. 18:13). Learn how to ask questions to determine what your pre-believing friend’s beliefs are, their worldview, and draw out the deep waters of their heart (Prov. 20:5). It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion. Then, we can help them slowly develop a theistic/biblical worldview. This may happen by correcting a wrong notion about Jesus or the Bible, introducing new information such as Messianic prophecies, pointing out an issue in their worldview, or simply listening and offering your testimony about how God has helped you through a similar situation they are experiencing.
For example, if a person says they do not believe in the Bible, rather than launch into an explanation about its reliability, we need to know why that is the case: is it because it was written by man, contains contradictions or mistakes, is ancient and irrelevant, etc., so we can specifically respond to the core issue and resolve it. In this way, we will be able to discern and respond to their real issues.