Careful With Your Claims
Most people involved in apologetics or evangelism want to make their case as strong as possible. There are two ways to do that: quantity and quality. Many people prefer quantity. There is a desire to pile up argument upon argument upon argument, overwhelming the person with the sheer weight of what is presented.
Unfortunately, to do this some of the arguments are often a bit of a stretch. We quote people without reading the context, we share hearsay, we do not check our facts and so on. Sometimes this has shown up in how people have shared their own testimony. Sincerely wanting to have their testimony touch people, points are exaggerated, truth is stretched until it is no longer the real testimony.
The problem is that the truth always comes out. Better to have a few arguments that you know that you have done your homework on, or share a less exciting testimony that is based on hard truth. When people find out you have exaggerated on somethings, it cast doubts on other things you say, even if it is the truth. Careful restraint is a virtue when it comes to apologetics and evangelism.
“Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.” (Proverbs 12:17 ESV)
