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THINK

JUSTIFICATION

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We live in an era defined by scepticism and doubt, the death of truth and the triumph of secularism. Religious belief has been delegated to the sidelines of sound intellectual pursuit, often touted as irrational and unscientific, and noticeably absent in the frameworks of western society. However, in our age of progress and plenty, it seems that many are still left asking the same foundational questions of origin, meaning, morality, and destiny that have plagued human consciousness since the beginning of time. Through the discipline of apologetics, Christians can become equipped to provide answers to the kind of fundamental questions that so many people are asking. 

Kenneth Boa states that apologetics may be simply defined as the defence of the Christian faith. The word “apologetics” derives from the Greek word apologia, which was originally used as a speech of defence. In ancient Athens it referred to a defence made in a courtroom as part of the normal judicial procedure. After the accusation, the defendant was allowed to refute the charges with a defence (apologia). The classic example of an apologia was Socrates’ defence against the charge of preaching strange gods, a defence retold by his most famous pupil, Plato, in a dialogue called The Apology.

The word apologia appears 17 times in noun or verb form in the New Testament, and can be translated “defence” or “vindication” in every case. The idea of offering a reasoned defence of the faith is evident in Philippians 1:7, 1:16, and especially 1 Peter 3:15, but no specific theory of apologetics is outlined in the NT (Boa 2007).

In the second century this general word for “defence” began taking on a narrower sense to refer to a group of writers who defended he beliefs and practices of Christianity against various attacks. These men were known as the apologists because of the titles of some of their treatises, but apparently not until 1794 was apologetics used to designate a specific theological discipline (Boa 2007).

It has become customary to use the term apology to refer to a specific effort or work in defence of the faith. An apology might be a written document, a speech, or even a film. Apologists develop their defences of the Christian faith in relation to scientific, historical, philosophical, ethical, religious, theological, or cultural issues (Boa 2007).

Kenneth D. Boa outlines four functions of apologetics:

  1. Vindication or Proof: marshalling philosophical arguments as well as scientific and historical evidences for the Christian faith.
  2. Defence: clarifying the Christian position in light of misunderstandings and misinterpretations, and answering objections, criticisms or questions from sceptics.
  3. Refutation: answering the arguments that others give in support of their own beliefs.
  4. Persuasion: persuading others to apply Christian truths to their life, to bring people to the point of commitment.

So why is it important to participate in the work of apologetics? Well, notable Christian apologist and author, Norman Geisler gives us three good reasons:

1. God commands it:
The most important reason to participate in the work of apologetics is that God has commanded us to do so throughout scripture (2 Cor. 10:5; Philippians 1:7; Jude 3; Titus 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:24-25). The classic statement is 1 Peter 3:15, which says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” This verse tells us to be ready, not just a matter of having the right information available, but also having an attitude of readiness and eagerness to share the truth of what we believe.

In Philippians 1:7 Paul speaks of his mission as 'defending and confirming the gospel.' He adds in verse 16, 'I am put here for the defence of the gospel.' Defending the gospel means getting out where we can encounter others and defend truth. Paul also gives us an indication of our attitude in this work in 2 Timothy 2:24-25: “And the Lord's servant must…be kind to everyone, able to leach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” Anyone attempting to answer the questions of unbelievers will surely be wronged and be tempted to lose patience, but the ultimate goal is that others might come to a knowledge of the truth that Jesus has died for their sins. With so important a task at hand, we must not neglect obedience to this command.

2. Reason demands it:
God created human beings to reason as a reflection of His image (Gen. 1:27; cf. Col. 3:10). Indeed, it is by reasoning that humans are distinguished from 'brute beasts' (Jude 10). God calls upon his people to use reason (Isa. 1: 1 8) to discern truth from error (1 John 4:6) and right from wrong (Heb. 5:14). A fundamental principle of reason is that it should give sufficient grounds for belief. An unjustified belief is just that: unjustified.

Socrates said, 'The unexamined life is not worth living.' He surely would have been willing to add that the unexamined belief is not worth believing. Therefore, it is incumbent upon Christians to give a reason for their hope. This is part of the great command to love God with all our mind, as well as our heart and soul (Matt. 22:36-37).

3. The world needs it:
People rightly refuse to believe without evidence. Since God created humans as rational beings, he expects them to live rationally, to look before they leap. This does not mean there is no room for faith. But God wants us to take a step of faith in the light of evidence, rather than to leap in the dark. Evidence of truth should precede faith. Faith is not belief in the absence of evidence; it is the gap between (i) the most reasonable, logical, rational evidence and (ii) proof.

Giving impetus to the need for apologetics, Ravi Zacharias, in one of his famous question and answer sessions, addresses a student’s question about the state of the modern day church and its future role in society:

“We have become masters of engineering feelings without much thought. We have not listened to others and what their questions are, and our answers are very shallow. Life has got its jagged edges against us and we are giving simplistic answers. Teaching and ideas are important, but an expenditure of words without an income of ideas will lead to conceptual bankruptcy. It will have to be a passionate thoughtful Christianity that will endure through the ages, not a mindless, emotive one which has no staying power."

2007. Kenneth D. Boa – “What is Apologetics”
2009. Norman Geisler – “The Need for Apologetics”