By Jack Wilkie
One of the most challenging areas of study for the Christian is that of apologetics, or Christian evidences. Because the information can get pretty deep in a hurry, it’s tempting to make the assumption that the study of apologetics is only for preachers and people in academic settings. The truth is, though, your Christian faith is being bombarded every single day. You are likely surrounded by people every day who don’t share your beliefs about God or the Bible, and many of them have their arguments lined up as to why. It’s vitally important that we as Christians ground ourselves in apologetics. Here are four reasons why.
It’s a different world
There was a time when the majority of people in America held at least a somewhat similar foundation of beliefs. They believed in absolute truth, in God, and often in the Bible. That’s just not the case anymore. It’s hard to start in on the plan of salvation with someone who doesn’t believe God exists. In order to reach people, we have to be able to draw a path from where they are to a place where we can begin to discuss God. That’s why we need to learn apologetics.
Evangelism
I will make this stipulation to the last point – simply winning apologetics debates in an era of skepticism won’t convert folks. For most people, the head follows the heart. Many have to want Christianity to be true before they will accept that it is. It’s for this reason that Jesus said our unity and love for each other would be what shows the world that He is from God and that we are His (John 13:34-35, 17:20-23). Once we have their hearts, though, that’s when we need to be able to give answers to the difficult questions that may still give people pause. If at that point we don’t understand the evidences for God and His Word, we will be little help to them. They might agree that there is some real substance to our way of living, but they might still be unconvinced that Jesus truly rose from the dead or that the Bible wasn’t just slapped together long after the events depicted within. That’s why we need to learn apologetics.
Fake news
“Fake news” has been one of the hot terms of the last few years, and that was probably inevitable in our post-truth society. Since many believe truth is relative, they have no problem bending it to suit their argument. Consequently, Christianity is constantly being attacked with various forms of fake news – fabricated “hidden” books of the Bible, claims that the Bible stole from other cultures, claims that the Bible is full of contradictions, etc. The further we grow into this post-Christian society, the more people there are who are well-versed in these false arguments against God and His word. That’s why we need to learn apologetics.
Fortifying our own faith
Doubt can creep into the minds of even the strongest, longest-tenured Christians. Difficult life circumstances can make us ask the tough questions like “Why does God let bad things happen?” Worldly pressure can cause us to be unsure of who God is or if He really exists. If we don’t have a solid foundation of truth and know how to find answers for these questions, we will crumble. That’s why we need to learn apologetics.
You don’t have to know every argument for every challenge raised against the Christian faith. But it’s vitally important in this post-Christian, post-truth age that we know where to turn for answers when our faith is put under attack. The more we know about these topics, the more we will be “prepared to give an answer for the faith that is within us.”
