Value in apologetics?
Probably everyone (or mostly everyone) who’s been interested in apologetics for any amount of time has heard the following: people won’t believe in Jesus because of arguments, they are useless! Well, I’ve certainly heard the comment, anyway. What is interesting about it, is that it’s limited in scope. It ignores the fact that there are many ways to do evangelism, and there are many “steps” in evangelism. I’ve been reading William Lane Craig’s On Guard, and he makes a few observations that I think it would be profitable to share (or at least share the main one).
Craig points out (correctly) that there is a “culture war” going on in the West, and that this is relevant to the gospel because the gospel is “never heard in isolation” (p. 17). Apologetics has the ability to make people more receptive to the gospel. Consider the following extract:
A person who has … (Read more)
Gentle, Reverent Answers
Driving home from work yesterday, our local Christian radio station was broadcasting a sermon by Dr. Adrian Rogers on 1 Peter 3:15, a text I’m quite familiar with: “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”. I’ll have to be completely honest about that last part, the part that says “with gentleness and reverence,” I had never really paid much attention to it until Rogers brought it up. For example, when I do quote 1 Peter 3:15 (which is quite often), I do so in the context of some discussion on whether or not Christians should engage in apologetics. What I end up quoting looks something like this: “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you … (Read more)
Recent Comments