ver.: 29 April 2008
This page is only for those who want to be convincing to other people about Christ and the Christian faith. I consider apologetics to be an important way of expressing the faith, but not something that most people would want to do. The New Testament calls on all believers to know their faith and to reach out to others about Christ, but that doesn't mean everyone is called to make a full-scale reasoned or reason-able case for it, which is what apologetics is. Some folks are teachers, some lovers, some singers -- and some are apologists.
apologetics : [Greek apologia (to make a rational defense)] the art and science of making a reasoned, rational, intellectual case for Christianity and Christian beliefs.
On the one hand, we are called on by Paul and Peter to know and understand our faith so we can offer it when the need arises, and to defend and explain it if need be. It's especially so in the face of today's multitude of religions and un-religious beliefs, self-created belief systems (and un-systems), and fanatical cults. When you can thoughtfully talk about your faith, you're more ready to live by it as situations arise in this complex world. On the other hand, it is futile to try to prove God or prove what God's will is; it's beyond our abilities. Even if it were possible, it would be rejected by human thinkers -- they'd create holes in it, even if they had to recast the rules of good thinking to do so. Christians walk by faith, not by what we can see or sense or test or define or figure out. So apologetics is helpful, but it must not swallow up theology or practice. There's much more to life than giving reasons and making cases.
There are (at least) three different faces or qualities of a good apologetic : credibility, laudability, and viability. Let's unpack these words.
Credibility (true-ness, believability) answers questions like :
These are the big Truth questions. An apologetic which deals with these questions means a lot more thinking, reading, and researching. There are lots of sources to draw from, because there have been people dealing with these questions since before there was recorded history. The Bible is still the most trusted and respected source on such matters, but it's no longer seen by most people as the authority on them. And we must deal with people as they are, not as if they thought like us. So the Bible's the most helpful book around, but it doesn't 'seal the deal' on anything with non-believers.
Capital-T Truths are so big that we all do some amount of fudging. Whenever anyone realizes their case is not being accepted or that they've run past the limits of their own knowledge, they tend to exaggerate, cover up the gaps, and claim too much. It's just as true of Christian apologists as it is for philosophers and futurists and salesmen and media stars and politicians. For that matter, it's also just as true of the people we're talking to. (But if we say that, the dialogue ends right there.) Many Christians have claimed too much for the faith or for Christ or for the Bible. We make promises which God may or may not carry out, about miracles, healings, personal happiness, fulfillment, security, romance, freedom, sanity, wealth, fellowship, revived marriages, and problem resolution. God does make promises, but of a different kind. Too often, we make guarantees when the Christian faith offers very few. This can, and has, damaged the credibility of all Christians. So when bringing the faith to someone who doesn't believe, it's best to keep a lid on what we promise.
If we are to be credible, and if we hope to restore our credibility with non-believers, we must not only stop exaggerating and promising, we also must stop lying. Lying about ourselves, by denying our failings or explaining them away instead of confessing them as sin. Lying about other religions, treating 'them' as if they have no value at all and are entirely an enemy of God. Lying about those who have no faith, or those who don't think matters of faith are important enough to bother with, as if none of 'them' have a moral compass. Lying by comparing our best with everyone else's worst. Again and again, we commit these sins of pride, in the name of the Christ who chose to give up the pride of being a god, or even of being alive. That is un-credible.
Life is a mystery, not a charted course. There are no answers to much of it, and each answer brings a new set of questions. Following Christ is promise more than it is promises, the right questions as much as the right answers. Our 'credibility apologetic' makes the case that the Christian faith is the best place to explore the mysteries of life. The faith is a relationship, our Maker's love for us. This truth has much explaining power -- all this faith-talk makes sense when seen that way. It becomes credible. Apologetics must never be reduced to rigid rules, if for no other reason than the fact that God does not reduce people so they can live within them.
Laudability is not about truth as much as it is about value. To laud something or someone means to praise them, usually about some specific action or stance or accomplishment. Another English term is "praise-worthiness", but that wonderful word sounds too churchy to most folks. Laudability addresses questions like these :
In days gone by, Christian beliefs were seen as being very beneficial to society. Christians, as leaders of the community, would respect other people, be honest and calm, help out those in need, and be reliable for carrying out their responsibilities -- and then some. They would show the spiritual fruit of goodness. Such lives usually have real impact on those around them. Such people are their own 'laudability apologetic'. But now, most Europeans and Canadians, along with many in the US, aren't so sure about the benefits. Both rightly and wrongly, they see religions as the main source of prejudice and war in the world. Part of that is drawn from images of prejudice and arrogance which are true of just enough Christians to make it a fair question. Part of it is that few of us in the Western world understand how power, security, and economics are the main driving forces behind most wars, and that those forces then co-opt religion, tradition, history, culture, and ethnicity, pulling them in for support. Like it or not, we have to start the apologetic dialogue not from what we believe or even from what's actually true. We must start with what is believed by those to whom we are speaking, and work from there. The fact is, many of them hear in the media only the most extreme voices among us, and they're rightly scared of the incivility and the recklessness about other peoples' freedoms. "Is this what Christianity produces?", they ask. There's nothing to praise in that. And most folks know of at least one outspoken Christian in their circles who expresses the same nasty ideas. When some of our own can inspire such justifiable anger in others, what do we say? People are now doubting that the Christian faith creates people of laudable, praiseworthy character. Our laudability factor has been brought way down, and we ought to do much more about it than we have done to date.
Viability is not about truth or values. If something is viable, it means it can be done or lived-out on an ongoing basis. It's the "get real" factor, on whether it's "doable" over time. I can believe something is true, and even think highly of it as an ideal, but it would be illogical (and foolish) to live my life according to it if I find it can't be done in a day-to-day way. It becomes nothing more than a utopian dream. It's not seen as viable. Pie-in-the-sky, by-and-by does me no good by itself; I need something I can do well right here where I live. Viability asks these kind of questions :
This is where it helps to share about your
own faith experience or testimony, which is your own 'viability apologetic'.
It helps to see someone else who is actually dealing with the
things that I'd have a hard time dealing with. The best
evidence that it can be done is that there is someone
who is doing it. For your testimony to work, though, you really have to be doing it, or you and your testimony will fail to show the gospel's viability.
a viable way to the top
Apologetics has gotten a bad name lately. There are many reasons for this:
Wise Christians know that our task is to bear the good news of Christ. It often includes bearing the bad news about wrong beliefs. But most of all, it means loving those who hold misbeliefs just as Christ loves them, and being alert to how the Spirit is working to lead each of those people to Christ. True, Christian belief by its very nature cuts into unbelief and cultic belief. But none of us are 'better than' any non-believer. The person in a sect is often open to the ideas in Christian apologetics, but they will hear the fighting words and ask 'where's the love'?
The word "truth" is made from the word "true" and the Old English suffix -th, meaning "having the property of being [the word it is added onto]". It's often attached to some measure of the property. For example, "width" is having the property of being wide. Other words with the -th ending are length and warmth. Thus, "truth" means "having the property of being true", or true-ness. Truth is most directly important for a credibility apologetic, but it is what underlies a laudability or viability apologetic, too. If something is not true, then it will tend to start becoming unworkable or harmful sooner or later. Truth will pass the test of life, over time. When we are not being true to Jesus, then our apologetics will fail.
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