Over the last 3 weeks I have spent some great time with the current DTS in Maui. I’ve a had a few sessions in which we had a quick introduction to Apologetics and Truth.
This post is really just a recap of some of that content with some links to further study. If you’re a student and have questions feel free to contact me – I’d love to hear from you.
Apologetics
Apologetics is the encompassing term that we give to the practice of ‘defending the faith’. We derive the term from the Greek word apologia. This word was a Greek legal term that meant ‘to give a defense’.
Biblical Mandate
In 2 Corinthians chapt. 10 v.5 Paul states this,
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
The context of this verse is warfare, and warfare not in the flesh but in the spirit. In understanding this we come to conclude that the discipline of Apologetics is a part of Spiritual Warfare, that is combating the Lie with the Truth.
Satan is the father of lies (see John 8:44) and it is his plan to spread the Lie in as many ways as possible to aid in the destruction of Man and Creation. As Christians we lay claim to the Truth, and must defend this Truth to all who ask. Our principle from this comes from 1 Peter chpt. 3 v.15:
“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.”
Peter is quite clear about our charge. We should be ready to answer the honest questions put to us about why we believe what we believe.
People in the world today are starving for authenticity. We have countless “reality” TV shows that draw strong audiences. There is tremendous interest for what is perceived to be real, raw and honest. This works in our favour as Christians! We can live out our lives authentically, honestly and completely. Our Christian lives are fully liveable – through His grace – and we can do so without violating our truths (see the next section on truth).
The flip-side to this is that if we do not live authentically with the beliefs that we profess, we can end up promoting a counter-apologetic that will do more harm than good. I wonder at the number of people who have been ‘put off’ from Jesus by the ill-witness of His followers. This weighs particularly heavy on my own heart
More to come …
