What is Apologetics?
breaking down apologetics.
Prologue
Questions people have
People have all sorts of questions about Christianity and some of these questions have led a lot of people to doubt the authenticity of the Christian faith or the veracity of scriptures.
Over the years so many questions have been raised about the Christian faith. Each of these questions has a context worth considering. Some of the question can be framed as follows:
- What will happen to people who died long ago without knowing Jesus?
- How do we know Christianity is right and other religions are wrong?
- Why do bad things happen to good people?
- Who created God?
- Why doesn’t God stop evil? or if God is good then why does evil exist?
- Why did God create us if He would condemn us to hell anyways?
- Why are Christians so anti LBGTQ?
And so many more…
We come from a culture where we are not allowed to ask questions about what we believe but to accept that it is how things are done.
In the process more and more people have become disillusioned by the Christian faith and have resorted to either being passive Christians, changing religions or completely forsaking their faith in God.
In this booklet we attempt to explain why it is important to understand why you believe, what you believe and that it is actually okay to ask questions.
Jesus said in Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND and with all your strength.
We cannot neglect that there is indeed an intellectual aspect to our faith. Apologetics aims to enlighten you on what that looks like as we seek to understand what place Apologetics has in our faith.
at the core
definition of apologetics
The word “apologetics” comes from the Greek word “apologia,” It means, “a verbal defense” or simply defense of the faith.
You may be wondering why a Christian needs to defend themselves in the first place.
The Bible actually tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to MAKE A DEFENSE to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
1 Peter 3:15 teaches us three things about apologetics:
- WHAT – apologia is a defense / reason
- WHO – Every Christian
- HOW – With gentleness and respect
Apologetics is:
- The work of convincing people to change their views.
- Understanding why we believe what we believe.
- Defending what we believe in.
- Confronting unbelief and truth.
- Communicating truth with gentleness and respect.
Christian apologetics deals with answering any critics who oppose or question the revelation of God in Christ and the Bible. It can include studying biblical manuscript transmission, philosophy, biology, mathematics, evolution, and logic. But it can also consist of simply answering a question about Jesus or a Bible passage
Apologetics can be defensive and offensive because God’s Word gives us instruction to defend like in Philippians 1:7 where we defend and conform the gospel, and offend like in 2 Corinthians 10:5 when we destroy speculation and destroy any lofty ideas that rise against God.
Apologetics is the work of convincing people to change their views. In this, it is similar to preaching because its goal is ultimately the defense and presentation of the validity and necessity of the gospel. It attempts to persuade the listener to change his beliefs and life to conform to biblical truth and to come to a saving relationship in Christ as Paul also demonstrated in the book Acts chapter 17.
Answers to Christian faith based questions.
Do you have questions about the Christian faith or doubts about the Christian faith? Apologetics helps answer those questions. You can ask those questions by clicking here.
quick outline
Types of apologetics
Methods:
- Fideist – “faith without reason” – maintains that faith is independent of reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths
- Classical – arguments from natural revelation for the existence of God. Stresses rational argumentation for the existence of God.
- Presuppositional – biblical assumptions. Assumes the existence of God and the truth of the Bible.
- Evidential – e.g. proofs from archaeology. They emphasize giving evidence for the Christian faith whether historical, logical, etc. They think miracles do not presuppose God’s existence but can serve as evidence for His existence.
- What are the various areas of Christian apologetics?
- Philosophical Apologetics
- Theological Apologetics
- Biblical Apologetics
- Scientific Apologetics
- Religion and Cult Apologetics
- Other Areas (History, Sociology, Business, etc.)
This is just but a quick introduction to the wide field of apologetics. To learn Apologetics you can join our Apologetics course by clicking here.
You could also get familiar with apologetics through our social media forums. Visit our YouTube channel and or engage us on X and FaceBook.
To learn more about Apologetics or spread the word, you can purchase our booklet in support and as a way of donating to Apologetics Kenya. Purchase the hard copy of What is Apologetics? Where and how to get started with Christian Apologetics.
We would also want to recommend a book edited by our own Dr. Kevin Muriithi. Apologetics in Africa.
Divided into four major sections, this textbook provides an in-depth exploration of the biblical, philosophical, cultural, and practical concerns facing African Christians as they proclaim and defend the gospel in Africa. Written by a diverse group of pastors and scholars, it provides a much needed interdisciplinary and contextualized approach to apologetics. It also seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and ministry practice, touching on such topics as hermeneutics, biblical criticism, church history, the nature of evil, religious inclusivism, Muslim-Christian engagement, eldership rites, domestic violence, cults, and the digital age. Biblically robust, contextually relevant, ministry-oriented, and accessible, this is a remarkable resource for enriching the life and ministry of Christians in Africa and beyond. You can buy the book by clicking on either of these links. Amazon or Langham Publishing.
how to enroll
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