I have a question. Preferably for pastors or leaders in Church. What genuine objections would you have to apologetics in the church? Maybe pastors who feel that God or the faith needs no defense. Or that it has no place in church or even an individuals life? That the Bible is enough.(i also feel the Bible is enough.)
I am a Pastor who teaches my people apologetics.
Someone once objected that God did not need me or anyone to defend the Christian Faith. My response…”You are right…God does not need me to defend Christianity….However Apologetics is the means that God has ordained to defend Christianity. Who am I to argue” ?
The apostle Paul engaged in Apologetics, argued and contended for the faith with unbelievers in Acts 17!
To me I see it happening most off the time and I wonder why should it specially be singled out as if it is not part of scripture teachings?
Only the intellectually destitute would make such a statement. Most of these people who say this are so out of it you could in the same exchange say, “well you there’s no proof the bible is even the word of God anyways” and they’ll jump right into apologetics. When they argue for the historicity of the bible and you show them it is apologetics, if they won’t deal with reason, vote with your feet.
Hebrew 12: 2
Try to teach or evangelize without apologetics… you could really only say “Believe!” Unless one is a strict fideistic…reason and belief are divine gifts as antecedents to faith. Can anyone really have faith without any beliefs…and can belief occur without reason?
As a pastor I touch on apologetics sometimes – because knowing that what we believe makes sense is important. But apologetics is not the same as worship or service, and those are the primary tasks God calls us to, not theology exams. It’s a bit like my car: understanding how the engine works is not why I bought it: where I drive it and what I do when I arrive matters far more. We might also ask how many souls have been won because of apologetics: have other means of evangelism been less effective?
You see what is happening in the world. So many fake news and disinformation. Violence, murder, hatred, immorality and many wickness are increasing at rapid rate. There are many people seeking answers. If we don’t reach them, they will be consumed by this world. So it is our duty to spread the good news and plant seeds. It is selfish to keep the good news to ourselves. Ezekiel 3: 17-21 speak of this.
My issue isn’t with apologetics but the “clanging cymbal” that too often results. People struggle with transacting in discussions that even relate to debate. I’ve heard brilliant minds discuss this and say they find a thoughtful, well-transacted conversation to be more effective.
I don’t get it. Why would some one want to block correct apologetics being taught to people in the church?
1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”
Well, the Bible itself says the Spirit must call before we come to salvation and it says generally people won’t hear unless we preach. So, the Bible seems to say there needs to be a witness testifying and the Spirit calling us to salvation. So, is the Bible enough in that context? The lost read it on their own and are confounded because they don’t have the Spirit. Moreso, apologetics does the work of softening our hearts to be made ready for the Gospel.
Not all unbelievers will except Christ because of a Christians personal experience or by faith alone. We have to be able to explain God outside of the Bible also. How can you win somebody from another faith if you’re not properly equipped and can’t defend your own, or aren’t willing or too concerned?
No objection as long as it doesn’t become idolized. We talk about apologetics a lot
Picture a 15 year old girl having lunch in the cafeteria at school on Monday. She heard a sermon about the woman at the well 24 hours earlier.
Her friends ask why she believes the Bible?
Was she equipped to answer that the day before?
No.
Why?
No apologetics.
The new nice girl at the table is Muslim.
Has she ever been told why Islam is pagan and false and that they do not worship the God of the Bible?
No.
Why?
She hears 52 salvation messages a year.
No apologetics.
After lunch she has her science class.
Can she defend intelligent design and the concept and evidence of a Creator God?
No.
Why?
No apologetics.
Next she goes to her history class where the teacher puts down America and promotes socialism.
Can she show where and why the Bible opposes socialism?
No.
Can she show that our liberty is endowed, not by the State but, by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights. That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?
No.
Why.
No apologetics.
Next is her math class.
Can she show the supernatural origin of the Bible as proven by the mathematical Laws of Probability as applied to verifiable fulfilled prophecies found in the Bible and in no other holy book or secular book?
No.
Why?
No apologetics.
Next weeks sermon?
The Good Samaritan.
Our pulpits have abandoned the children and left them to fight for themselves unarmed in the brutal arena of ideas in a society not indifferent to the Gospel but hostile to the Gospel.
Even in this dialogue a pastor said apologetics is OK but not the primary purpose of ministry like worship and service.
Therein lies the problem. He doesn’t think they are all related. He doesn’t think apologetics is worship. Is service.
Let us pray for revival in Jesus.
Apologetics is necessary as per scripture. Check out Tim Stratton’s testimony on why he became an apologist theologian. Could you give an adequate crushing to Dawkins objections to Christianity if a member of your congregation approached you to let you know they think he’s got some points and they are therefore considering leaving the faith altogether?
No Clergyman can do without apologetics, even Jesus Christ also makes used of apologetics to defence His teaching. No wonder He was master of all, more than Pharisees and teachers of law. He defeated them with His apologetics methodology.
Apologies is what the Bible is all about
The Bible can defend itself. It has proven itself over time. It is an antivirus in itself. This makes it really God’s Word.
And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 26:15 KJV. If you take the ‘Go’ out of Gospel what do you have left?
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