Category: Columns
What good is Christian apologetics?
Apologetics simply is a reasonable defense of the Christian faith. The word is derived from the Greek noun apologia and means “a defense.” Apologia and its verb form apologeomai are used nearly 20 times in the New Testament, often in the classic legal sense, but more importantly to describe the call of God to all believers to defend the Christian faith with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16).
But how is sound doctrine applied practically? Put another way, what good is Christian apologetics?
Apologetics has at least four practical applications. We may use apologetics to:
Build. There is a positive case to be made for Christianity, and apologetics helps us get there.
The Bible, history, archaeology, and other sources help establish that a real person named Jesus burst onto the scene 2,000 years ago. He claimed deity, performed miracles, spoke the truth, modeled compassion, died on a Roman cross, was buried and rose physically on the third day. His coming to earth was the most important event in human history.
Further, apologetics helps us know who God is; who we are; why there is purpose in life; how we can be restored to a right relationship with our Creator; why we can face death without fear; and what God is doing about evil in the world.
The value of painful memories
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that scientists have zapped an electrical current to people’s brains to erase distressing memories, part of an ambitious quest to better treat ailments such as mental trauma, psychiatric disorders and drug addiction.
Author Gautam Naik explains: “In an experiment, patients were first shown a troubling story, in words and pictures. A week later they were reminded about it and given electroconvulsive therapy [ECT], formerly known as electroshock. That completely wiped out their recall of the distressing narrative” – without erasing other memories.
At least two important questions emerge for Christians. First, if painful memories can be erased, should we seek this therapy? And second, in the afterlife, does God erase our most disturbing recollections?
When the Bible speaks to Mormons
Lynn Wilder and her husband were quintessential Mormons.
Lynn had served for 8 years as a professor at Brigham Young University, the flagship school of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Michael was a high priest, temple worker, seminary teacher, and Sunday school president.
Their eldest sons had completed two-year missions assignments, and their daughter was demonstrating a strong faith in the LDS Church’s founder, Joseph Smith.
Then, as Lynn explains it, their world came crashing down. In 2006 their third son, Micah, was only three weeks from completing his two-year mission when he called to report that he was being sent home early in disgrace.
His sin: He read the New Testament and confessed to a roomful of missionaries that the Bible offered a different Jesus than the LDS Church — a Jesus of grace, not works. He professed belief in Jesus and confessed he had found a deep and genuine faith.
Reading the Bible with misplaced expectations
“The Bible is full of contradictions.”
So say many critics of God’s Word. When asked to provide examples, however, critics often reveal a gross misunderstanding of the writers’ purposes, according to Douglas S. Huffman, a contributor to In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of Scripture.
While alleged contradictions come in many forms, one of the most common is that of misplaced expectations; that is, critics approach the Bible from angles that are foreign to the author’s intent.
Huffman offers five examples:
Selection vs. denial. Authors must select what they choose to include in their accounts. Their selections are related to their purpose for writing. Just because they leave some details out does not mean they deny their existence. For example, each of the four Gospels has information not contained in any of the others. But this does not mean these records are in conflict with one another.
Even the Gospel writer John alludes to this: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).
Apologetics e-newsletter coming in January
Thank you, Missouri Baptists, for helping bring to life a statewide Christian apologetics ministry in 2013. MBC churches and associations hosted many apologetics weekends and one-day events that covered topics ranging from “How do I know the Bible is true?” to “What do false religions have in common?”
A new apologetics e-newsletter is coming in January.
Hosts included Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Jefferson City; Cross Keys Baptist Church, Florissant; Sweetwater Baptist Church, Neosho; First Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon; Southridge Baptist Church, Jefferson City; East Sedalia Baptist Church; New Salem Baptist Church, Ashland; Faith Baptist Church, Festus; First Baptist Church, Lockwood; First Baptist Church, Linn; Black River Baptist Association; and others.
Last month, I was honored to represent Missouri Baptists in a weeklong apologetics-training event for seminary students and pastors at Seminario Teologico Bautista Mexicano in Mexico City. The MBC’s Partnership Missions team, led by Rick Hedger, and the International Mission Board worked together to make this happen. What a great opportunity it was for me to help equip young church leaders to defend the Christian faith.
Events already scheduled in 2014 include participation in the Sowing in Tears (State Evangelism) Conference and the Worldview Conference, as well as numerous church-sponsored events. To schedule an apologetics event at your church or associational office, contact me at rphillips@mobaptist.org or call 573.636.0400 ext. 304.
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