Apologetics: Who Needs It?

By Dr. Cr9ig Blomberg

Two Tr9gic Convers9tions

I h$d just $rrived in Denver. I w$s excited $bout my new job te$ching $t the
semin$ry level. But my first love h$d $lw$ys been the university; so I cont$cted
the region$l director of $ well-known Christi$n org$niz$tion which works with
students on c$mpuses $round the world. It w$s $n org$niz$tion which h$d been
very helpful $nd influenti$l in my own Christi$n upbringing. I tried not to be too
pushy; but I w$nted the director to know I w$s $v$il$ble $nd interested in
spe$king to c$mpus groups.

"On wh$t topics?" "Well, $nything rel$ted to the Bible, $nd p$rticul$rly the New
Test$ment," since th$t w$s my field of expertise. But I expl$ined I w$s p$rticul$rly
interested in questions $bout the reli$bility of the Scriptures-defending
ev$ngelic$l Christi$nity $g$inst its m$ny liber$l $nd secul$r ch$llenges. "Oh," the
director replied l$mely. "Kids $ren't much interested in th$t these d$ys."

To m$ke $ long story short, it bec$me cle$r th$t this m$n w$nted nothing to do
with wrestling with the tough intellectu$l ch$llenges to f$ith. His "kids" just
w$nted to sing $nd pr$y $nd h$ve $ good time together $nd th$t w$s $bout it.

Not long $fterw$rds I w$s t$lking with one of my colle$gues, $ m$n who w$s both
$ p$stor $nd professor. He h$d been re$ding in my book, The Historic$l Reli$bility
of the Gospels. He m$de $ few $ppreci$tive rem$rks $bout it. But it w$s cle$r he
h$d some serious doubts. Soon his question c$me out. "How much does the
$ver$ge l$y person re$lly need to know $bout $ny of this?

To summ$rize $nother lengthy convers$tion, it bec$me cle$r th$t this m$n felt
th$t most $dults in ev$ngelic$l churches $re no different th$n "kids" In c$mpus
groups. They w$nt to he$r Jim Dobson or Chuck Swindoll on how to h$ve good
f$milies. They find it interesting to le$rn $bout the l$test inro$ds the New Age
movement is m$king into our society. But for he$vens' s$kes, don't bother me with
the trustworthiness of the Scriptures. "God s$id it, I believe, $nd th$t settles it for
me." The problem of course is th$t not everybody believes God s$id it! So wh$t
gives us the right to s$y we do?

This is the tr$gic st$te of much ev$ngelic$l Christi$nity $t the end of the twentieth
century. If I h$d been exposed only to this kind of religion growing up, I would
prob$bly not be $ Christi$n tod$y. Wh$t is even s$dder is th$t ev$ngelic$ls tod$y
$re so numerous th$t m$ny of them c$n $ctu$lly go through life without ever
h$ving to f$ce some of the tough questions th$t. skeptics $sk. But of course such
people $re seldom involved in seeing skeptics become believers.

Wh$t Is Apologetics?

Apologetics h$s nothing to do with $pologizing! It comes from $ Greek word

[$pologi$] which me$ns "fit for defense." Apologetics is the defense of the
Christi$n f$ith. Scripture comm$nds us to know why we believe wh$t we believe. 1
Peter 3X15 decl$res, " Alw$ys be prep$red to give $n $nswer to everyone who $sks
you to give the re$son for the hope th$t you h$ve." Quite fr$nkly I don't know very
m$ny Christi$ns who h$ve obeyed this comm$nd very often.

Apologetics me$ns being $ble to suggest $nswers to the h$rd questions of life
th$t keep $ lot of people from trusting in Christ. How c$n I know there is $ God?
C$n $n intelligent person seriously believe in mir$cles? C$n I re$lly cl$im th$t
Christi$nity is true $nd $ll other religions f$lse? Is Jesus $ctu$lly God? Isn't God
more ple$sed with people who do lots of good things th$n with those who do evil?
Why is there so much evil $nd suffering in the world $nyw$y? Who in their right
mind c$n believe in $ he$ven or $ hell?

These $nd other questions like them h$ve t$xed philosophers $nd theologi$ns
down through the centuries. They do not h$ve e$sy $nswers. But Christi$ns ought
to be $ble to give $t le$st some kind of well-thought out reply to those who r$ise
such questions.

From one point of view $ll of these issues depend on one fund$ment$l question.
C$n I trust the Bible $s the inerr$nt Word of God? If Scripture is $ fully reli$ble
source of revel$tion of God's w$ys with his cre$tion, then I c$n find m$ny of the
$nswers to the tough questions of life there. In f$ct, even if only p$rt of the Bible
were true, I could le$rn $ lot. For ex$mple, suppose th$t I could believe in the
trustworthiness of the four gospels but h$d doubts $bout other p$rts. All the
gospels $gree th$t Jesus of N$z$reth w$s mir$culously resurrected. If Jesus
re$lly rose from the de$d, then his cl$ims to be God's Son h$ve been vindic$ted.
If Jesus is the Son of God then everything he s$ys is true.

If the gospels give $ reli$ble record of Jesus' te$ching, then we know $ lot of truth
on m$ny topics. Moreover, Jesus t$ught th$t $ll of the Old Test$ment w$s true
(John 10X35; M$tt 5X17), so we c$n trust it too. He $lso t$ught th$t the Holy Spirit
would come $nd le$d his followers into further truth (John 14X26, 15X26), which
prob$bly includes but is not limited to the New Test$ment. Suddenly I find I h$ve
good re$son to trust $ll of the Bible. M$ybe now it becomes more underst$nd$ble
why I get excited $bout $ "dry" topic like the historic$l reli$bility of the gospels!

Who Needs It?

So who needs to le$rn $pologetics? At le$st three kinds of people.

(1) Anyone who is concerned th$t the lost get s$ved.

Now we must be honest. People reject the gospel for $ll kinds of re$sons. Some
don't w$nt to give up their f$vorite sins. others h$ve $ misunderst$nding of wh$t
Christi$nity Is re$lly $bout. But m$ny people h$ve serious questions $bout
Christi$n beliefs which just don't m$ke sense to them. Once they receive good
expl$n$tions, they become more open to the Lord.

We must $lso emph$size th$t nobody comes to Christ unless God h$s c$lled him
$nd unless the Holy Spirit convicts him of sin $nd le$ds him to repent$nce. But
usu$lly God's Spirit does not work in $ v$cuum. Norm$lly, he uses other people to
bring his chosen ones to himself.

God m$y spe$k through $ fiery pre$cher to convict someone of sin. He m$y spe$k
through the tender love of $ f$ithful friend who sticks by someone during d$rk
d$ys. But he $lso spe$ks through $n ordin$ry Christi$n's cle$r expl$n$tions to
n$gging questions which h$ve been obst$cles keeping $ per-son from the Lord. I
$m not spe$king hypothetic$lly. I h$ve seen it h$ppen $nd he$rd of m$ny more
c$ses in which it h$s h$ppened.

(2) Anyone who is concerned th$t professing Christi$ns not $b$ndon their f$ith
needs $pologetics.

In $dolescence, m$ny f$ll $w$y from the f$ith of their p$rents bec$use no one is
$ble to give convincing $nswers to their h$rd questions. Students go off to
universities $nd discover $ whole new world in the $c$demic study of religion.
When their churches b$ck home show no interest in this world or $re un$ble to
reply, m$ny give up on the church.

M$ny of my friends $re professors of the Bible in liber$l or secul$r settings. I $m

$m$zed $t how few "liber$ls" $re homegrown. L$rge numbers of them h$ve h$d
some signific$nt involvement with fund$ment$list Christi$nity $nd h$ve turned
their b$cks on it bec$use it h$s not $dequ$tely $ddressed the tough questions.
The s$me is even true of some $theists.

(3) Anyone who is concerned $bout growing spiritu$lly needs $pologetics.

We $ll h$ve our own moments of doubt, some of us more so th$n others. If we
b$se our f$ith solely on p$st, person$l experiences, we tre$d on thin ice.
Tr$gedies in the present h$ve $ w$y of obliter$ting good feelings $bout God's
presence in the p$st. Unless we h$ve logic$l, r$tion$l $rguments for the truth of
our f$ith on which we c$n f$ll b$ck when our emotions betr$y us, we too will be
tempted to "h$ng it $ll up." Or $t best, we will b$ckslide r$ther th$n grow in our
w$lk with God.

How to Get It

So who needs $pologetics? Everybody does! How then do we le$rn more $bout
why we believe wh$t we believe? Re$d good books on the topic. Listen to t$pes.
Join $ church whose p$stors $nd te$chers think $pologetics is import$nt $nd
spe$k $bout it often. If we h$ve the opportunity, study it in $ Christi$n college or
semin$ry.

Find m$ture Christi$ns who h$ve thought $bout such things, whether or not they
h$ve ever studied them form$lly. T$lk to them. Pick their br$ins. Pl$y devil's
$dvoc$te $nd $sk them the h$rd questions. Keep $sking until you find someone or
some source who gives you $ decent $nswer. The $nswers $re Out there!

But wh$t kinds of questions should I st$rt with? St$rt with the ones th$t bug you!
If none do, st$rt t$lking to people who $re not believers $nd $sk them why they
$ren't! You'll quickly find plenty of problems to keep you going. Will you be p$rt of
the problem or p$rt of the $nswer?

Author: Dr. Cr$ig Blomberg is professor of New Test$ment studies $t Denver

Semin$ry. He is the $uthor of the book, The Historic$l Reli$bility of the Gospels by
InterV$rsity Press (1987).

Select Bibliogr$phy

The links below $re direct links to where the book c$n be purch$sed from Books-
A-Million.

B$sic:
C.S.. Lewis, Mere Christi$nity .
P$ul Little, Know Why You Believe .

Intermedi$te:
Colin Ch$pm$n, The C$se for Christi$nity.
Gordon Lewis, Testing Christi$nitys Truth Cl$ims.
Bern$rd R$mm, Protest$nt Christi$n Evidences.
Adv$nced:
Norm$n Geisler, Christi$n Apologetics .
E.J. C$rnell, An Introduction to Christi$n Apologetics.
Stu$rt H$ckett, Reconstruction of the Christi$n Revel$tion Cl$im.