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Who today actually believes that Noah built an ark,
that Jonah was swallowed by a whale,
that Jesus really walked on the water?
Such accounts are for the feeble-minded and weak.
Everyone knows that the Bible is full of contradictions,
false statements and inaccuracies.
Science has disproved all the major claims of Scripture.
Almost everything we’ve been taught about the origins
of Christianity is false.
The manuscripts have been corrupted and corrupt
church leaders have imposed their own political
agendas.
Only non-Christians say these things!
• Is Christianity not a “blind” faith?
• Is Christianity logical?
• Can Christianity be defended?
• If so, how?
• Key Text: 1 Peter 3:15 Be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh
you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear
• Apolgetics comes from the Greek Word
apologia: “A verbal defense; a reply to a
formal charge; an answer.” Apologetics is
the justification and defense of biblical
Christianity. Biblical apologetics focuses
on spreading and defending the Christian
philosophy of life while challenging nonChristian philosophies.
• “Apologia” is used 20 times in the NT:
• Acts 18:4
• Acts 19:8-9
• Acts 22:1
• Phil 1:7
• Phil 1:16
• 1 Pet 3:15
• The apologist responds to the objections
of unbelievers in a way which sets forth
the objective truth of Christianity and the
exclusive character of the Christian
system.
• Specific Purposes of Apologetics . . . .
1. to defend or demonstrate the truth-claims of
Christianity; to prove that Christianity is true
2. to answer particular objections and/or
criticisms of the Bible and Christianity
3. to give an account of the foundational
concepts of the Christian faith
a.
the existence of God
b.
the reality of divine revelation, the
Bible
c.
the ability to know God and truth
4. to reach non-Christian with the gospel (i.e.,
evangelism)
5. to challenge non-Christian faith systems (e.g.,
Mormonism, Islam); to attack the foolishness of
unbelieving or unorthodox thought
Rationalism: “I think; therefore, I am.”
Rene DesCartes
Two approaches to Apologetics:
1. Rationalist: setting forth rational, logical
arguments defending Christianity with the aim
of convincing unbelievers. This approach
focuses on reasons to believe and on defending
the faith against criticism. This is often called
“traditional” or “classical” apologetics because
this seems to be the method used by the most
prominent apologists of earlier centuries.
Rationalists start from “neutral” ground and work
toward proofs that the Bible and Christianity are
true.
2 Presuppositional: starting out with the
notion that the Bible is true and that
it’s God’s business to convince
unbelievers of this fact. This approach
focuses on presenting the truths of
Christianity as fact without regard for
how unbelievers respond to it.
Presuppositional writer John Frame states, “[We] should
present the biblical God, not merely as the conclusion to
an argument, but as the one who makes argument
possible.”
Third approach to apologetics,
experience, is commonly used to defend
the faith in many Christian circles.
What is wrong with using our experiences
to prove Christianity/God/the Bible?