It’s back to school time in Oklahoma. From preschool to college, career tech to post-graduate—students of all ages are going back to their schooling.
Education and learning are core features in the Christian life. One often-neglected area of study of discipleship is apologetics; or defending the faith.
Whether you or someone you love is a young person about to head off to college, apologetics can be a great “booster shot” for their faith. The same is true for Christians of every age or stage.
The Bible in multiple places calls for Christians to be equipped and prepared to defend the faith. “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” (1 Pet. 3:15). The earliest Christians shared their faith in Jesus in a way that was rooted in evidence (1 Cor. 15).
One of the leading apologetics experts of our time is Lee Strobel, the atheist journalist turned Christian apologist. For those who think apologetics is a topic only for seminary students or people who like to argue, Strobel offers four reasons apologetics can be transformational for all Christians.
Apologetics can:
- Remove intellectual stumbling blocks
- Equip the Church to reach people
- Turn doubt into belief
- Set the stage for evangelism
Strobel goes on to say, “Francis Schaeffer referred to apologetics as pre-evangelism. This is the idea that God uses well-reasoned answers and arguments as a springboard to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In his book Mere Apologetics, Oxford theologian Alister McGrath says, ‘Apologetics lays the ground for the invitation; evangelism extends it.’”
Strobel added, “It makes no sense to talk about the Son of God—who communicates the word of God, and performs acts of God, and brings the salvation of God—unless there is a God. Apologetics lays the groundwork for belief in God through arguments
and evidence.”
Whether it’s evidence for existence of God, for the Creation of the world, defending biblical morality or for the Resurrection of Jesus, we live in a world full of questions and direct challenges to our faith. It’s our job to be prepared to speak to those issues in a grace and truth-filled way.
If you want to delve more into apologetics, there are several great resources out there that can be a starting point. The book More than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell is a classic. C.S. Lewis’ books like Mere Christianity are indispensable. Or you can go online and check out various strong ministries like Stand to Reason. Also, Oklahoma Baptists have a strong evangelism and apologetics ministry partner in Tarvoris “Coach Tee” Uzoigwe who would be glad to help your church (tuzoigwe@oklahomabaptists.org).
In the end, we can never argue someone into Heaven. We can, however, remove barriers that may be tripping someone up, through apologetics. And in the process, we can build up our own faith in Christ, to the glory of the Father. “Apologetics 101,” as it turns out, is an educational topic that more of us should know by heart.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)
