An Apologetic for Apologetics

The Lord talks to Christians through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The inerrancy of Holy Scripture, and God’s inability to err (Yes, there are things God cannot do) are a clear indication that we can have supreme confidence in the Word of God. For most Christians who engage in apologetics – a reasoned defense of the Christian Faith – the “go-to” verse is from the Apostle Peter (1Ptr.3:15). This verse reads, “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 so with gentleness and respect.” All believers are commanded to defend the faith and to answer why we believe on Jesus for our salvation. This verse, and others that encourage us to “contend for the faith” means we should have reasons to believe. As Norman Geisler states in “12 Reasons Show Christianity Is True” YouTube, “The unexamined faith is not worth believing.” (Socrates would happily agree.) God purposely ordered us with rational minds so that we might weigh the truth claims of competing worldviews. Keep in mind that only one (or possibly none) of these worldviews can actually be true.

When Jude 3 encourages believers to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints” (Yes, we are Saints); we should employ the full armor of God and stand and fight as advocates for the true faith. (Yes, when critically examined, Christianity proves to be that true faith.) Jude began his brief Bible commentary intending to write about salvation, but he felt it was more relevant for the Church to encourage his Christian brothers to stand for the truth and become advocates for the Faith, aka, “The Way.”

Jude had a concern that the gospel message was being undermined by heresies being spread by false teachers. These heretical teachers would mislead the faithful and sow corruption. Peter and Paul’s writings demonstrate a similar concern. (see JustBelief Table of Contents on the topic of False Teachers.)

For the Christian Faith to thrive, and avoid its current state of contraction, we must create a justified belief that can aid the Holy Spirit in imparting a genuine saving faith to prospective Christians. Apologetic pre-evangelism serves the dual role of giving believers the confidence to stand against the heresies of false teachers within the Church (Theological Liberals) and the cultish worldviews that assault Christianity from without. A vital part of holding fast to the Gospel of Jesus is being able to “prove” the truth of the Gospels with evidence, logic, and reasoning sufficient to create genuine belief. Paul writes in Philippians 1:27-30, that Christians are striving and competing (wrestling actually,Ach!Ach!Ach! Tim Allen’s “Way”) for victory against a real enemy. (see Eph 6) In this vein, let us accept Peter’s sage advice (2Ptr. 1:5-10) that we should “build ourselves up in the faith by adding goodness and knowledge to our faith that we may continue to growl in Christ.”

Many Christians appear embarrassed to the point of seeming ashamed of their Christian faith. Rms.1:16 Many of us have become “weak,” and succumbed to societal pressure when faced with defense of the Bible. We fall short when addressing the subject of miracles in the Gospels, or some seemingly impossible human standards of morality taught by our Lord (Yes, as in Divine!) and Savior (we all need one of those) Jesus Christ. Walter Martin, one of my heroes and the original “Bible Answer Man,” experienced none of the anemic human failings that most of us have suffered in our tepid attempts to defend the faith. (Get a full dose of his audio files online and you will have an idea of what it means to be “strong for the LORD.”) His uncompromising approach leaves little doubt concerning the exclusivity of Christ and where our salvation lies. So sorry, maybe even embarrassed to ruffle any “chicken” feathers, but an inerrant Bible bids me to declare that there is only one way to salvation and eternity in Holy God’s presence. (see Robert Jeffress’ brilliant apologetics text, ”Not All Roads Lead to Heaven.”) The only path to Heaven is through trust in Jesus Christ. (see the incomparable John 14 – “simply the best”) However politically correct it may feel to ecumenically “COEXIST,” the exclusivity of Christ is non-negotiable and demonstrably true. (Yes, truth really does exist; how silly for effete postmodernists to claim it doesn’t!)

Our Bible isn’t considered inerrant because I would like it to be, or because I find the idea comforting. The Christian Bible should be considered inerrant because it alone can stand the tests of rational criticism applied to the word of God by the fields of logic, history, archaeology, prophecy and mathematical probability. No other worldview can say the same. None are even close! We do not believe in Christ because we believe in theBible; we believe in the Bible because we believe in Christ!

The good news from JustBelief is that a wonderful and effective solution to the dilemma of the bashful, timid Christian can be found from an understanding of Christian apologetics, and by extension, the Bible itself. We would at least understand, and know with a strong degree of certainty, that there is a Creator God, and that the Bible is the true word of that God, and that Jesus is the only way to eternal life in the presence of the God of the Bible. While my contentions may seem overly bold, even grandiose, apologetics is certainly the right tool for arriving at a rational, evidentiary solution to life’s most important questions. For these reasons, apologetics from JustBelief is most definitely in Thomas“Show me the Evidence” Sowell’s “wheelhouse.” (His coming heartfelt endorsement of the JustBelief.org apologetics project will surely be cause for euphoric celebration.)

God clearly commands us to engage in apologetics as a kind of pre-evangelism. (1Ptr.3:15) In Greek, apologetics means to make a defense (persuade) as in a court of law. Apologetics provides compelling evidence based arguments that contain great explanatory power. Because of the logical and evidentiary power of these arguments, Christian apologists come well-armed to the truth battle for the Christian Faith (2Cor.10:5) For the Christian apologist, or any other rational actor, faith is trusting insomething you have good reason (evidence) to believe is actually true.Master apologist William Lane Craig describes apologetics as the branch of Christian theology that seeks to provide rational justification for the truth claims of Christianity. (Dr. Craig’s stellar website reasonablefaith.org is a strong resource for mastering issues in apologetics.) R.C. Sproul provides a powerful apologetic for apologetics when he states online in “The Task of Apologetics” that “the task of apologetics is to persuade by giving a clear and convincing presentation of the Gospel message.” Sproul’s presentation is a literal tour de force in the rationale and logic of apologetics and is not to be missed!

The mission ofthe JustBelief Project is to transform our world with God’s word to produce an environment where Christians can thrive in an atmosphere of freedom. Combining apologetics with the word of God is the best way I know to accomplish this goal. Secular humanist indoctrination in universities and public schools has been an ongoing problem that has adversely affected our culture for many years. Cultural Marxism, featuring Gramsci’s “long march throughour institutions,” has proved more successful than anyone realizes. Its destructive results can be witnessed at all levels of society. Paul’s learned advice, that we should always be “renewing our minds,” (Romans 12:2) encourages the apologetics initiative. It echoes Jesus’ own apologetic comment that we are compelled to use our minds to love the Lord! (Mt.22:37) It is not difficult to determine from Jesus’ apologetic ministry that a mindless fideism (leap of faith) is not helpful in producing a genuine belief. The New Testament is replete with examples of Jesus’ willingness to provide evidence and to reason with his audience. (see Geisler and Zukeran’s book,The Apologetics of Jesus, 2009) An added benefit, should God will, is that apologetics can most definitely lead the way in vanquishing the pervasive evil of secular humanism.

Apologetics on a Lark – Truth is My Thing (Pkr.Meyer) Here I am on a Sunday afternoon, listening to J.S. Bach and Rachmaninoff, and enjoying another riveting lecture from Alistair Begg on “Demons, Satan & Spiritual Warfare.” Please don’t pity me as if to say, Why doesn’t this guy get a life; or at least take up a descent hobby? Hold your proverbial horses. Begg is likely the best Pastor/Bible expositor you could ever hear. He has the YouTube hits to prove it. Besides intelligence and civility, he is truly a wonderful wordsmith who has never wavered in his commitment to Bible inerrancy or in his condemnation of clerical liberalism. But I’m not here to promote the “Cult of Begg,” I’m here, as Jon Lovitz used to bark, so you can “get to know me! “

Early on in the Scotsman’s half hour discussion of Satan’s tactics etc., he relates a story involving a golf partner who inquires on “What is his thing?” Begg responds that perhaps he would be a “Bible man.” His partner responds that that is too general. It has to be something else. Begg decides that it appears he does not actually have a thing, but that he seems to be getting along in life pretty well without one. I’ll say! He actually movie acts and produces first rate documentaries on the side. (Put some time aside to see, “The God Who Speaks,” or find yourself another apologetics website. (I’m actually not kidding.) It is my uninformed opinion that Pastor Begg probably does have a “thing,” but his modesty prevents him from stating that he is one of the premiere “Bible-men” on God’s green Earth. He is in the business of making paths straight for the Lord and facilitating the salvation of his audience. As Carly Simon crooned for Mr. Bond, “Nobody Does It Better.”

I would like to think that my “thing” is the same kind of thing that humble Begg does not believe he possesses. (Please, don’t think, just go with me on this.) While Begg and I may not share similar IQ scores, I do believe both of us share a similar thing, and that is a “truth thing.” He explains to his audience the veracity and logic the Christian Faith possesses and why it is definitely in the listener’s best interest to form a loving relationship with their Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. In order to love Him, it is imperative that you know Him. God has provided us with an eminently reliable Scripture to facilitate that process. The importance of regular Bible study (what apologists call the true and literal word of God), along with Creator God’s redemptive plan for our salvation, is basic to the Christian Faith. It is the contention of JustBelief that all of life’s activities are a labor in minutiae when compared to a relationship with the living God. Free men have a saying, God created apologists to use logic and evidence to train the faithful; One cannot go against the Word/Logic that is God. (Erwin Lutzer knows that “the logos” is the Logic. see The God Who Speaks, 2018 documentary.)

It is Parker’s contention as well that Christianity, and the New Testament in particular, are demonstrably true. Once the divinity of Christ and His resurrection are demonstrated by prophecy, confirmed miracles, and His resurrection, we can have confidence that whatever Jesus said about the Scriptures is true and that anything opposed to that truth found in other worldviews is false. This we can know. (Academics such as Norman Geisler, Josh McDowell, J.P. Moreland, Frank Turek, William Lane Craig, John Lennox, Ronald Nash, Gary Habermas, Richard Howe and John Warwick Montgomery have all done stellar academic work in bearing out these truths.)

As “Nutty”Buddy Love would remark, “Now, let’s talk about me” and my thing. (“You dig Baby? I know you do.”) Christian apologists have a truth thing as well. William Lane Craig succinctly states that, “Apologetics is the branch of theology that seeks to provide rational justification for the truth claims of Christianity.” As a committed apologist (Don’t say it; it’s too easy), my truth thing involves assembling an impactful, and hopefully entertaining, website so that teenagers, and others, can develop a mastery of issues in apologetics. This material should be suitable for use in Texas public schools at the 8^th or 9^th grade levels. (Perhaps Apologetics electives may be an option for the appropriately obsessed.) Please don’t hesitate to pray for the future of public school students in the State of Texas and for Christian apologetics projects like JustBelief.org .

Stay blessed and Stay Salty!