APOLOGIA
By Hendrik van der Breggen
The Carillon, April 1, 2015
The Carillon, April 1, 2015
Apologetics
What is apologetics? Why is it important for
Christians?
Apologetics is the intellectual discipline/
practice in which one presents reasons for one’s worldview or philosophy or
spirituality, to commend it as true—done typically in response to questions or
objections, to arbitrate between competing worldviews, philosophies, and
spiritualities.
"Apologetics" derives from the Greek word apologia, which means a reasoned defence
or justification of an intellectual position or even conduct. Plato’s book Apology is an extended apologia in which
Socrates defends himself at a trial against false charges of corrupting Athenian
youth, charges that arose from his relentless questioning of Athenian cultural
pretenses. (An apology, then, doesn't always mean saying sorry.)
For truth-seeking individuals, the doing of
apologetics—the presenting of an apologia—involves not only setting out reasons
for a position, but also carefully assessing the reasons pro and con. If there
are false or deceptive worldviews, philosophies, and spiritualities, we should
strive to be critical thinkers who discern truth.
Specifically Christian
apologetics involves setting out reasons for commending the Gospel as truth and
refuting objections to knowledge of God, and such apologetics is to be done
with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
Why is apologetics important for Christians?
There are at least three reasons, which Christian
philosopher, theologian, and apologist William Lane Craig sets out in his book On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason
and Precision.
First, apologetics (done well) shapes culture in
such a way that it inclines people to be more open to the good news of Jesus
Christ. That is, apologetics creates an intellectual milieu such that the
truths concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are not wholly dismissed
as mere superstition. The alleged truths become, in the words of William James,
a "live hypothesis" (i.e., a real possibility to be considered).
(This fits with what the Christian philosopher
Francis Schaeffer called "pre-evangelism." This also fits with the
notion of apologetics more broadly defined by religion professor John
Stackhouse Jr., who suggests that "anything that helps people take
Christianity more seriously than they did before, anything that helps defend and commend it, properly counts as
apologetics." Stackhouse includes art and music.)
Second, apologetics strengthens those who are already
followers of Jesus. I can attest personally that knowing that there are good
reasons for believing that God exists, that Jesus claimed to be God, and that Jesus
did in fact resurrect bodily after being killed—knowing these reasons helps me
continue to be a follower of Jesus when I'm in doubt or struggling. Apologetics
has helped me maintain my faith (and grow in faith) through three philosophy
degrees at universities that were sometimes intellectually inhospitable to
Christianity.
Third, apologetics wins people to Christ. Craig
writes: "Like a missionary called to reach an obscure people group, the
Christian apologist is burdened to reach that minority of persons who will
respond to rational argument and evidence."
Craig goes on to point out that he and apologist
Lee Strobel (author of the popular books The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith) "continually are thrilled to see people committing their lives
to Christ through presentations of the gospel coupled with apologetics."
Craig adds that Strobel "has lost count of the number of people who have
come to Christ through his books." Many persons have also come to Christ
through Craig's well-attended debates with leading atheists, agnostics, and
Muslims.
Clearly, the Holy Spirit uses reason and
evidence to draw people to God!
Of course, apologetics isn't the only means
whereby people are drawn to God. Living a life characterized by love of God and
neighbour—what Craig calls the "ultimate apologetic"—is crucial. So
is prayer.
To learn more about Christian apologetics, I
invite readers to take the one-week course Special Studies in Philosophy of
Religion: William Lane Craig's Campus Apologetics. This course will be offered
at Providence University College from April 20 to 24 (check ProvidenceUC.ca)
and will be taught by…me.
Happy Easter!
(Hendrik
van der Breggen, PhD, is associate professor of philosophy at Providence
University College. The views in this column do not always reflect the views of Providence.)
Resources that I've found helpful and which I recommend:
- Paul Copan, Loving Wisdom: Christian Philosophy of Religion
- William Lane Craig, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
- William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics
- John S. Feinberg, Can You Believe It's True? Christian Apologetics in a Modern and Postmodern Era
- Douglas Groothuis, On Jesus
- If God Made the Universe, Who Made God? 130 Arguments for Christian Faith
- Nabeel Qureshi, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity
- John Stackhouse, Jr., Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today
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