Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture
The word apology carries the meaning of giving a defense. Therefore, Christian apologetics is the study of how to give an answer when someone has questions about what and why we believe.
But all of us, through impatience or pride, sometimes fall short of the command to love the one with whom we disagree. If love of God and love of neighbor is not our motivation for engaging in the discussion, then we are better off remaining silent.
If we claim to be spending time in fellowship and service of Jesus, like those he healed in the Gospels, we should be eternally affected and it should show to those around us.
Perhaps the effect that Jesus has had upon us is the greatest apologetic.
If some could witness the miracles of Jesus and remain unconvinced and unconverted, we would be foolish to think that everyone will respond to our presentation and defense of the Gospel. The will overrides the intellect when dealing with matters of faith and world view. If the lack of response is an indication of failure, it is a failure that Jesus also experienced.
On July 9 of this year, I wrote a post entitled, A follow-up to some comments. One of the comments I received on that post was from someone calling himself (or herself) Hungry Atheist. I thought that I would selectively quote the comment and provide response to the points that were raised in that comment.
I have heard that there are those in the church who do not feel that apologetics should be part of the discipleship process for believers . . . A statement in the book of Nehemiah got me thinking about defending our faith and the need for such defense.
That pesky sense of oughtness seems to keep creeping in, even in those who say it doesn’t exist. This is the dilemma of the materialist. It is this sense of right and wrong that has caused many to explore the claims of Jesus Christ.
Atheist authors present God as vengeful and capricious. Jesus presented a very different picture of his father. We must choose the correct perspective to view God correctly.
The Christian Apologetics Alliance has produced a petition for those who are committed to defending faith in Jesus Christ. Follow the link to sign it.