Research That Demonstrates the Need For Apologetics
I continue to hear from Christian leaders that there is no need for apologetics. People are looking for community and experience and are not impacted by intellectual arguments. Apologetics belonged a modernistic vision of the church but people today do not benefit from it.
Is it true that there is no longer a need for apologetics?
The Pew Research Centre recently did some research on why the ‘Nones’ have left religion behind. You can find the results here.
I found the results from this research to be very interesting. Here is one portion of their report.
About half of current religious “nones” who were raised in a religion (49%) indicate that a lack of belief led them to move away from religion. This includes many respondents who mention “science” as the reason they do not believe in religious teachings, including one who said “I’m a scientist now, and I don’t believe in miracles.” Others reference “common sense,” “logic” or a “lack of evidence” – or simply say they do not believe in God.
There were other reasons why people abandoned religion but intellectual reasons played a significant role. Let those words sink in. This seems to provide clear evidence that there is a need for apologetics in the church today. I encourage you to share this with your pastor and other church leaders. It is one thing to read the results, the church needs to take the next step of deciding what to do in response.
