The field of apologetics is a very misunderstood field. It is a pity, I think, that Christians have no real idea of what apologetics is. Allow an analogy to help.
If I were to ask the question, "Is football an exercise or a game", the answer one would expect would be "both". It is an exercise that takes place as a game, and the game provides a form of exercise. If you are practicing for the game, you are working out for the game. While you play the game, you get a workout. Yet if you do not practice, you will absolutely fail at football. I could insert a really bad joke about the Dallas Cowboys, but I will refrain from doing so.
In the same way, apologetics is a discipline (exercise) and a form of evangelism (a game). Let's look at each:
Apologetics as a discipline
If I were to ask the question, "Is football an exercise or a game", the answer one would expect would be "both". It is an exercise that takes place as a game, and the game provides a form of exercise. If you are practicing for the game, you are working out for the game. While you play the game, you get a workout. Yet if you do not practice, you will absolutely fail at football. I could insert a really bad joke about the Dallas Cowboys, but I will refrain from doing so.
In the same way, apologetics is a discipline (exercise) and a form of evangelism (a game). Let's look at each:
Apologetics as a discipline
1 Peter 3:15, easily the bedrock verse for the practice of apologetics, gives a twofold directive for apologetics. The verse reads,
"But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." - 1 Peter 3:15
The basis for apologetics being a discipline is derived from "But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts" and "Always be ready to give a defense". Notice, the first basis of the first is putting God in His proper place. The only way to practice Christian apologetics is when the Messiah is honored as Lord of your life. If Christ is not the Lord of the Christian's heart, then his/her apologetic efforts will be greatly lacking. They will be going out to play a game of football without even doing warm ups. That is the first step of apologetics being a discipline. The second step of apologetics being a discipline is taken from "Always be ready to give a defense". To be ready to give a defense, one must know what defense he/she will give. Here, apologetics shines as a study of knowledge. If you are going to give a defense of your faith (which is the subject of the verse), you have to be familiar with what you believe and why you believe it. Can your beliefs hold under to scrutiny? Is there evidence that undermines your beliefs? Are the objections against your beliefs powerful? For the Christian, I can confidently say that the Christian belief can withstand scrutiny and that the objections against it, though convincing to some, are not powerful enough to discredit it. That being said, the Christian must learn more about what he/she believes, and this comes through the training of the mind in the disciplines of philosophy, science, history, theology, ect. For the discipline aspect, the mind is getting the workout - studying apologetics is like learning the plays and techniques necessary for playing football. Few things are more satisfying than the deep study of one's faith - whenever I am increasing my apologetic knowledge, my confidence in God increases, and my desire to be more connected with Him goes up as well. Sometimes, the things I learn in the study of my faith carry over into my worship. Though it can seem daunting at first, practicing apologetics as a discipline is vital for the sake of one's intellect.
Apologetics as a form of evangelism.
Apologetics as a form of evangelism.
Apologetics, though it is a robust and fulfilling mental workout regime, is also a form of evangelism. Evangelism is the practice of telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On my left arm I have a series of bandanas wrapped around my wrist in 5 colors: black, red, white, green, and gold (in that order). These bandanas I have tend to strike up conversation with people, and when that happens, it allows me to give into a presentation of the Gospel. When conversing with people about Christianity (which is something that should be done according to 1 Peter 3:16, with gentleness and respect), there will be those who bring up objections to Christianity. If these objections are not answered, then it will hinder that person's desire to become a Christian. It is up to us to be well-equipped to remove these objections that hinder people from putting their faith in Christ. Yet, we must know the answers to objections (or know what to do/where to go when objections come up) beforehand - if we don't, we will not be successful in our evangelism. This is why the discipline portion of apologetics is crucial to the evangelism portion - the discipline portion is the exercise that prepares you for the game. Football players who practice hard are the ones who win. In the same way, Christians who practice apologetics as a discipline will have much better success in evangelism.
When talking about apologetics as a form of evangelism, this can be broken down into two more ideas: offense and defense. Just like football, you must have an offense and a defense in order to win. Implied in 1 Peter 3:15 is that once you have given a defense, you make an offense (without being offensive in attitude, mind you) for giving reasons why Christianity is true. Next post, I will explain the offensive and defensive portion of apologetics as a form of evangelism.
As a shameless plug, the one book I can think of that prepares you for both natures of apologetics is a book I reviewed earlier in the year by Greg Koukl called "Tactics". If you are looking for a place to start, I would start there.
When talking about apologetics as a form of evangelism, this can be broken down into two more ideas: offense and defense. Just like football, you must have an offense and a defense in order to win. Implied in 1 Peter 3:15 is that once you have given a defense, you make an offense (without being offensive in attitude, mind you) for giving reasons why Christianity is true. Next post, I will explain the offensive and defensive portion of apologetics as a form of evangelism.
As a shameless plug, the one book I can think of that prepares you for both natures of apologetics is a book I reviewed earlier in the year by Greg Koukl called "Tactics". If you are looking for a place to start, I would start there.
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