What is Apologetics?
Apologetics, simply put, is defending the Christian faith. You might be wondering, “What does he mean by ‘defending’?” What I do not mean is being defensive. That should never be a characteristic of Christian witness. After all, the goal is to be a light for Jesus while demonstrating that Christianity is verifiably true. This demonstration, however zealous, should not be one that is in opposition to the love that Christ showed to those with whom he came to save.
Defending also does not mean coercing someone to believe based on fear, threat of violence, or some other manipulative means. This is one reason, for example, that objections to Christianity based on the horrible atrocity of the crusades in the middle ages doesn’t hold water. The crusades were not consistent with biblical Christianity. Now, this has to be dealt with in light of people’s emotional responses to this issue. Often times, people tend to be emotional about this issue because many terrible things occur during the crusades. The biggest problem, and the glaring objection people bring, is that they were using the Bible and threat of violence in the same breath to try and convert by the sword.
Apologetics is providing an explanation for why Christianity is true. It is not merely providing an explanation just to win and argument. It has an end goal, and that end goal is the end goal of every Christian out there—leading people to Jesus so the Holy Spirit can turn their hearts towards the Gospel.
Apologetics is also a tool for strengthening the faith of Christians. It has strengthened my faith tremendously since I first started studying it about 10 years ago. It helps believers know what it is about their faith that makes it true, especially in this age of ideological pluralism and relativistic intolerance (ironic as that sounds). It also helps Christians to be better equipped to answer questions that might arise in objection sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
So, whether you are a seeker, a new Christian, or a seasoned Christian, apologetics can be useful to you if you let it. Thank you for taking the time to read this article.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”