Declare First, Defend Second:
Why Apologetics Takes
7
Apologists Every Christian Should Know Conclusion
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 12
“How many dinosaurs did Noah put on the ark?”“If God made the world, then who made God?”“Don’t all religions basically teach the same thing, just in different ways?” Some years ago, these and other questions were asked of me—or, targeted at me—by three skeptics over dinner. It wasn’t a planned, coordinated attack on their part; it just sort of happened. One by one, they tried to show me that I believe in a fairy tale, that my faith is unreasonable, and that I’m narrow-minded and intolerant. So I dove right into the deep end of apologetics and began defending the truth the best I could. Logic, science, history—I used them all to show that Christianity rests on facts and I’m not a fool for believing it. I even did a fairly decent (though not perfect) job of keeping my composure in the face of their snarky slurs, sloppy thinking, and constant interruptions. But when all was said and done, they remained unconvinced and I was left utterly frustrated. What had gone wrong? At first I figured it was all their fault. None of them were particularly interested in having a conversation; each merely wanted to take potshots at what I believe. And I still think that’s probably true. I’ve talked to enough unbelievers to know when they’ve stopped listening and just want to lob one-liners or bring up “difficult” questions to make themselves look intellectually (or morally) superior. Solid answers often won’t get them to reconsider their unbelief because they are playing a game of one-upmanship, quickly moving from one predictable objection to the next in hopes of landing a knockout punch. Indeed, it was a bit like trying to have a fruitful exchange in the YouTube comments section—a nearly impossible task! Quite a bit later, however, I realized that my whole approach had been wrong. I was putting the cart before the horse and expecting apologetics to do something it was never intended to do.
The Limits of Apologetics Apologetics is important to me. There was a time when I had serious doubts about the Bible, about the truth of Easter, and about the claims of Jesus. Thankfully, I met a wise and patient apologist, Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, who answered my questions with reason and evidence. He demonstrated that Christianity centers on facts, on history, on Truth incarnate, such that it can be explored and investigated by believers and unbelievers alike. This was a lifesaver for me. All I had heard from Christians were personal testimonies, appeals to emotion, and the silly notion that faith should be blind. But here was an approach that appealed to my mind and not just my heart. In short, apologetics kept me from thinking Scripture should begin with “Once upon a time...” I then tried to learn as much as possible about apologetics so that I could shoot down the most popular objections to
