Apologetics

Apologetics: the defense for Christian faith; the art of persuasion to commend Christian faith in its relevance to life, not just its rationality. Apologetics is only powerful when reinforced by a life which reflects the character of Christ. Apologetics is Proclamational, Dialogical, and Incarnational. Proclamational = proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dialogical = it is a dialogue between 2+ people, not a lecture! Incarnational = the believer as a living reflection of the character of Jesus.

An example of a common argument a nonbeliever would assert is as follows:

• God is all powerful.
• God is all good.
• An all-powerful and good God would vanquish evil.
• Evil exists.
• Therefore, God does not exist.

A sample response, as God is founder of logic and encourages reasoning is as such (we call this the Free Will Defense):

• A world with moral good is better than a world without moral good.
• Agents with morally significant free will are needed for there to be moral good.
• God cannot create moral agents who never go wrong – or else there would be no such thing as morality (how can good exist without evil, or evil to exist without good?)
• Therefore, God cannot create a world with moral good without the possibility of moral evil.

So then, is God responsible for the evils of His creation since He brought us to life? No, He is no more responsible as is a father of the actions of his own son.

Apologetics takes practice… and keep in mind, it is not meant for conversion. In most cases, no amount of logical arguments can solely cause a nonbeliever to turn to Christ – so don’t forget our purpose and calling to love our neighbors as ourselves!

Some steps to take in this type of discussion:

1. Clarify assumptions the asker holds. “What do you mean by evil? What do you mean by God?” We must have a clear understanding of these things, or the conversation could go in circles and communication would not be effective.
2. Question their conclusions. “How did you come up with the idea that God and evil cannot exist?
3. Provide an answer! As best you can, as God’s grace is upon you.
4. Reverse roles, it’s a good opportunity to also question their beliefs as well and know their perspective.