Rethinking Apologetics for the 21st Century (Part 1/2)

Faith or Fiction

How does the world view faith?

“Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” - Mark Twain

Faith is “the license religious people give themselves to keep believing when reasons fail.” - Sam Harris

“Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.” - Richard Dawkins

Do you view your faith as separate from fact and reason?

God created us in His image as rational creatures. Our cognitive faculties were distorted by the fall, but they were not destroyed, and even unbelievers can use these faculties to discover truths about earthly things—as opposed to heavenly things, about which they are completely blind. We do not fully comprehend God, but this is because we are finite and God is infinite. Faith and reason, rightly understood, cannot be and are not in any real conflict.

What is Apologetics?

What is apologetics?

In modern English the words apology and apologize indicate regret because some statement or action was offensive and wrong. This is not the case for “apologetics” in theology, for that discipline is intended to manifest “a point of view is right.” It is intended for those who differ in order to win them over, or for those who agree in order to confirm them in the truth for which the apologist testifies.

Examples of Apologetic Applications:

Philosophical arguments for the existence of God

Apologetics: the rational defense of Christian faith. Includes answering objections, demonstrating the rational coherence of Christian theology, providing evidence for the faith, addressing doubts and concerns, and exploring presuppositions.

Arguments that the existence of God is compatible with suffering and evil

Historical arguments for miracles, prophecies, etc.

Types of Questions Addressed in Christian Apologetics

Does God exist?

How can an all-powerful, good God allow such suffering and evil in the world?

Did Jesus really perform miracles, including being raised from the dead?

Types of Apologetics

What are the different types of apologetics?

1. Classical Apologetics

Begins by employing natural theology to establish theism as the correct worldview. After God’s existence has thus been shown, the classical method moves to a presentation of the historical evidences for the deity of Christ, the trustworthiness of the Scripture, et cetera, to show that Christianity is the best version of theism.

After God’s existence has thus been shown, the classical method moves to a presentation of the historical evidences for the deity of Christ, the trustworthiness of the Scripture, et cetera, to show that Christianity is the best version of theism.

This school is called the ”classical” method because it is assumed that this is the method used by the most prominent apologists of earlier centuries.

Classical Apologetics

2. Evidential Apologetics

Uses both historical and philosophical arguments but focuses primarily on historical and other evidence for the truth of Christianity. Will argue at the same time both for theism in general and Christianity in particular.

Miracles do not presuppose God’s existence (as most contemporary classical apologists assert) but can serve as one sort of evidence for God.

3. Cumulative Case Apologetics

Rather than approaching the task as a formal logical argument, sees the case for Christianity as more like the brief a lawyer makes in a law court – an informal argument drawing together evidence that together makes a compelling case with which no other hypothesis can compete.

4. Presuppositional Apologetics

The case is more like the brief that a lawyer makes in a court of law or that a literary critic makes for a particular interpretation of a book.

It is an informed argument that pieces together several lines or types of data into a sort of hypothesis or theory that comprehensively explains that data and does so better than any alternative hypothesis.

4. Presuppositional Apologetics

Emphasizes the intellectual effects of sin to the degree that believers and unbelievers will not share enough common ground for the preceding three methods to accomplish their goal. The apologist must presuppose the truth of Christianity as the proper starting point for apologetics. All experience is interpreted and all truth known through the Christian revelation in the Scriptures.

Here the Christian revelation in the Scriptures is the framework through which all experience is interpreted and all truth is known.

Here the Christian revelation in the Scriptures is the framework through which all experience is interpreted and all truth is known. Various evidences and arguments can be advanced for the truth of Christianity, but these at least implicitly presuppose premises that can be true only if Christianity is true.

Various evidences and arguments can be advanced for the truth of Christianity, but these at least implicitly presuppose premises that can be true only if Christianity is true.

5. Reformed Epistemology Method

Argues that people believe many things without evidence and that this is perfectly reasonable. Although positive arguments in defence of Christianity are not necessarily wrong, belief in God does not need the support of evidence or argument to be rational. The focus, therefore, tends to be more on negative apologetics, defending against challenges to theistic belief.

Purpose of Apologetics

What is the purpose of apologetics?

To provide an answer to the critics of the Christian faith, to those who seek to undermine the rational basis for Christianity or who critique it from the standpoint of another philosophy or religion.

To tear down the intellectual idols of our culture.

To encourage the saints, to strengthen the faith of the church.

Who or what might you be called to defend your faith against?

Other Religions

“All religions really believe in the same God. What makes you think you have the ‘only way’ to God?”

Mormons: “How can you believe in the trinity?”

Muslims: “We believe in the same God.”

“Science”

Evolution vs. Creation

Denial of miracles, resurrection

The World

“Your views are narrow-minded and bigoted.”

“The Bible is just a book written by men.”

“Christians have caused wars, slavery, and death throughout history.”

What is the purpose of apologetics?

To provide an answer to the critics of the Christian faith, to those who seek to undermine the rational basis for Christianity or who critique it from the standpoint of another philosophy or religion.

To tear down the intellectual idols of our culture.

To encourage the saints, to strengthen the faith of the church.

Apologetics Yesterday vs. Apologetics Today

How does Christian apologetics look today compared to 10 years ago? 100? 1,000?

Apologetics in the New Testament

The New Testament writers anticipate and answer objections and seek to demonstrate the credibility of the claims and credentials of Christ, focusing especially on the resurrection of Jesus as the historical foundation upon which Christianity is built.

Positive Apologetics - attempts to argue for the truth of Christianity

Example: Philosophical arguments for the existence of God; Historical arguments for miracles, prophecies, etc.

Many New Testament writings are occupied with fighting against false teachings, in which the apologetic concern is to defend the gospel against perversion from within the church.

Apologetics in the Early Church

Negative Apologetics - attempts to remove barriers to faith by responding to critical attacks.

In the postapostolic era, the new challenges that confronted the burgeoning church as it spread throughout the Roman Empire required a new apologetic.

Rabbinic Judaism, fully developed Gnosticism, persecuting paganism, and Hellenistic culture and philosophy all opposed the fledgling church.

The religious apologists defended Christianity against these attacks and sought to gain converts to the faith by arguing for the superiority of the Christian position. There were also political apologists who argued that the church should be tolerated by the state.

Apologetics Through the Reformation

Example: Arguments that the existence of God is compatible with suffering and evil.

The primary concern of the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century was the doctrine of salvation.

Presuppositional Apologetics - emphasizes the way all human belief systems depend on unprovable basic assumptions, arguing that biblical faith or its lack crucially shapes our presuppositions.

Until the post-Reformation period most Europeans took Christianity for granted, and the major religious debates were primarily intra-Christian disputes about the meaning of certain key doctrines of the faith.

Example: Non-Christian views must be critiqued by pointing out the internal contradictions that arise from their inadequate presuppositions.

Apologetics Today

The rise of humanism, moral relativism, evolutionary scientism, etc. led to a requirement for a systematic apologetic to defend the Christian faith.

Apologetics Today

The rise of humanism, moral relativism, scientism, etc. has led to a requirement for a new, systematic apologetic to defend the Christian faith.

In addition to having rational responses to the criticisms of the Christian faith, we must also live in such a way that our thoughts, words, and actions are a living apologetic of our faith.

Purpose of Apologetics

Who or what might you be called to defend your faith against?

Other Religions

“All religions really believe in the same God. What makes you think you have the ‘only way’ to God?”

“Science”

Evolution vs. Creation

Denial of miracles, resurrection

The World

“Your views are narrow-minded and bigoted.”

“The Bible is just a book written by men.”

“Christians have caused wars, slavery, and death throughout history.”

What is the purpose of apologetics?

To provide an answer to the critics of the Christian faith, to those who seek to undermine the rational basis for Christianity or who critique it from the standpoint of another philosophy or religion.

To tear down the intellectual idols of our culture.

To encourage the saints, to strengthen the faith of the church.

Apologetics in Practice

Apologetics and Action

What do you think the relationship is between how you defend the Christian faith and how you live out the Christian life?

Evangelism vs. Apologetics

Evangelism is telling others the gospel. Apologetics is defending the truth of the Christian faith.

Apologetics addresses everything from the existence of God to the reliability of the Old and New Testaments. In contrast, evangelism is telling one specific message: the good news about what Jesus Christ has done in order to save sinners.

The two can be closely linked. Apologetic conversations can lead to good opportunities to share the gospel. And evangelistic conversations will often lead to apologetics when non-Christians respond with questions or criticisms that require a reasoned response.

So, while Christians shouldn’t let apologetics distract us from sharing the gospel, we should also work to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us about the hope that is in us ().

Words vs. Actions

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care” - Theodore Roosevelt

Apologetics involves a rational, intellectual argument for the foundations of the Christian faith. However, apart from the love, mercy, and grace that flow from the Christian life, these truths will be cold and meaningless.

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

We are not called to merely win arguments, we are called to win souls.

We must be able to defend the word of God through our words even as we live out the commands of God through our actions.

Evangelism is telling others the gospel. Apologetics is defending the truth of the Christian faith.

Apologetics addresses everything from the existence of God to the reliability of the Old and New Testaments. In contrast, evangelism is telling one specific message: the good news about what Jesus Christ has done in order to save sinners.

The two can be closely linked. Apologetic conversations can lead to good opportunities to share the gospel. And evangelistic conversations will often lead to apologetics when non-Christians respond with questions or criticisms that require a reasoned response.

So, while Christians shouldn’t let apologetics distract us from sharing the gospel, we should also work to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us about the hope that is in us ().