Theology Thursday: What is Apologetics?

Oftentimes, when people think of ‘apologetics’ they think of either professional debaters such as Dr. Frank Turek or they think of internet fighters with quick thumbs in the comment section of Instagram, X, and YouTube. As a result, Christians tend to believe that apologetics is either for the special few who are educated, or for the ‘special many’ who just like to argue on the internet all the time. The goal of this article is to talk about what apologetics really is and how it can apply to the Christian life.
Apologetics is a unique field of Christian study that is either overemphasized, under utilized, or not properly applied to practical ministry. Christian apologetics is not designed to be a merely verbal defense but one that is modeled and lived out by the whole self. Dr. William Lane Craig, the world famous Christian apologist, states, “More often than not, it is who you are rather than what you say that will bring an unbeliever to Christ.”
Nevertheless, this doesn’t take away the fact that Christians should still be logical in their Gospel presentation and communication. Therefore, in order to properly utilize apologetics, you must know what it is, understand its necessity and limitations, and proper ways to integrate apologetics into ministry. The prayer is that once a Christian understands the nature of apologetics, they will be able to correctly apply it to their own lives.

What is Apologetics?

To understand apologetics biblically, one must go to the cornerstone verse of apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 (CSB, emphasis mine) says, “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense(apologia) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” It is here where Christians get the word ‘apologetics’ from the Greek word apologia, which means ‘to give or make a defense.’ In this case, apologetics is the discipline of Christians making a reasonable defense for the Gospel. Peter uses the Greek word logon for ‘reason’ in his passage to indicate the need for Christians to be able to verbally and logically defend the Gospel.
Why must apologetics be reasonable? Do Christians really need logical arguments to defend the Gospel? Isn’t it solely the work of the Holy Spirit to break the hard hearts of unbelievers? Yes, it is only the Holy Spirit that can save. However, Francis Schaeffer points out that God specifically made humanity in His image as beings that can communicate logically. Acts 17:2 says, “As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” Apostle Paul, who evangelized the globe, would reason with people from the Scriptures. Not only that, but the Bible says, ‘as usual’, indicating that this was a regularly used evangelizing method. Lastly, the reason why apologetics must be logical is because the entire purpose of logic is to find truth in reality. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” Therefore, apologetics must be reasonable in exposing the truth in reality so that those who come to Christ may worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
Now if you Google ‘Christian apologists’ you’ll probably run into brilliant people of the faith such as William Lane Craig, John Lennox, Frank Turek, and James White to name a few. Seeing their background and educational level, you’re probably wondering: do I have to be a genius to do apologetics?

The Scripture instructs ALL Christians to be ready to make a reasonable defense of the Gospel and it’s not just for the ‘smarties’ of the Church. Furthermore, don’t be scared about words such as ‘logic’, ‘reason’, or ‘argument’. An argument (just like an apologetic) has three basic components: claim, evidence (support), and warrant (not a warrant for arrest lol but the explanation of how the evidence supports the claim). Believe it or not, we use this basic formula all the time in our regular everyday lives! For example, a common debate in sports is who the greatest basketball player is. Typically, you would claim players like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, or Kobe Bryant to be the greatest; then, you would list evidence to support your claim such as championships, points scored, games won, etc. Then based on that evidence, you would give a warrant (explanation) on why the evidence supports your claim that this particular player is the GOAT. Furthermore, regardless of where you stand on this argument, each one of these players has enough evidence to make a reasonable claim to being the GOAT; thus, these arguments would be considered a logical apologetic.

An illogical apologetic/argument would be if I say that Brian Scallibrine (shout out to the White Mamba) is the GOAT of basketball because there isn’t sufficient evidence to support this claim. Another illogical argument is if I say that because Tom Brady is the GOAT of football, that means he’s the GOAT of basketball too. Essentially, I’ve conflated two entirely different concepts that weren’t designed to be connected. The purpose of this example is to show that the average person does use apologetics and logical argumentation when debating things about everyday life.
Now, instead of debating who’s the GOAT of basketball, let’s get serious: WHY do you believe in Jesus as the Messiah? That one little word ‘why’ dismantles so many people on their walk of faith and on their evangelistic journey and yet it’s rarely addressed in the church. Apologetics helps answers the question of ‘why’ concerning the Christian faith! Here are some examples: why do you believe Jesus was physically resurrected? Why do you believe Jesus was a real person in history? Why do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Why do you believe God created all things? Why does a good God send people to Hell? Why chose Christianity over the thousands of other religions in the world? These are only a fraction of the many questions that your friends, family, co-workers, and even fellow Christians have that you can help them answer. However, before you can help them answer these questions from others, you have to answer them and be convinced about the validity of the Gospel.
Let me be clear, the Gospel is true! One more time for the people in the back: THE GOSPEL IS TRUE! Not only that but God owns ALL truth! As Dr. Werner Heiseberg famously said, “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” Don’t be afraid to search out this truth because when we look at the science of the Universe and its creation, the history of Christ and the Bible, or the natural and biological systems of humanity, they ALL support Christianity: all of them. Unlike any other religion, you can be confident that Christianity is fundamentally true in every aspect of life and that’s something worth praising God for!
Nevertheless, here’s a Christian example: is Jesus real? Now if I was to say, ‘Yes, Jesus is real because the Bible says so,’ you would probably look at me crazy and rightfully so.

Unfortunately, too many Christians, churches, and pastors take this approach to answering the question or other ‘difficult’ (because it’s not really too difficult) questions that people bring up about Christ. The reason why ‘the Bible says so’ isn’t a valid argument in this context is because in order for me to believe the validity of the Bible, I have to first believe the validity of Christ since that’s what the Bible is based on. Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of times (yes, I’ve even used this as a pastor) that ‘the Bible says so’ is a completely valid argument but it’s only valid amongst believers not non-believers.
For this question, ‘is Jesus real’, it would be a good idea to list historical proofs or statements such as, ‘most historians, even atheists, agree that Jesus was a very real person in history who claimed to live a perfect life, die on the cross, and be resurrected.’ Or you can say, ‘there are reliable extra-biblical sources such as Josephus who also attested to the work and life of Jesus of Nazareth.’ Though people may not be ready to jump into the baptismal pool after these answers (to be fair, only Christ can save anyone anyway), these answers provide a logical apologetic for the Gospel. You don’t need to be a historian to know these things but it is important to take these questions seriously and really dive into the research behind biblical answers.

On the flip side, Peter not only instructs Christians to make a reasonable defense of the Gospel, but he also instructs us on how to do apologetics. 1 Peter 3:16 states, “Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.” Apologetics must be done with ‘gentleness and reverence’ in order to keep oneself blameless. The goal is not to win an argument but for the Holy Spirit to use us to win a soul.
We are dealing with people not machines meaning that, a lot of times, the objections delivered to Christians are coming from a deeper place. McLaughlin suggests, “Going deeper into someone’s identity can breed empathy.” Even when practicing apologetics with other Christians, we have to remember that we’re dealing with imperfect people attempting to live out the perfect Gospel, through the perfecting power of the Holy Spirit. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” Lewis’ comment is so important because it reminds us that the ultimate barrier between man and Christ is personal sin.

 
This is not to say that some people don’t understand or follow Christ due to a logical error but the real reason why people don’t follow Christ is sin. This is clear if you read Romans 1-3. This is essentially the logical assumption: “if Christianity is true, that means that I’m wrong. If I’m wrong, that means I have to admit I’m a sinner deserving Hell, and that I have to change and submit to Christ. However, I don’t want to repent from my sin so I must reject Christ even though He is the Truth.”
You may think this is an oversimplification but in reality, this is how simple the argument truly is. Apologetics help people see that there are only two options: live in sin or live in Christ. I’ve seen and encountered people who were completely incoherent with their own beliefs and admitted that Christianity is the most logical option of belief; yet they blatantly rejected Christ because ‘they still don’t like it’ or ‘they choose not to believe.’ Remember, no matter how hard you try, you can’t save anyone: only God can. He controls the results. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (CSB) says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” When we’re defending the Gospel with gentleness and reverence, always remember that the results of the conversation are left up to God.
Though apologetics is a powerful evangelistic tool to share the Gospel, internally, apologetics is important to build assurance in one’s Christian faith. When asked hard questions that challenge the believer, “a genuine and robust faith will not shrink from the process of testing, for it is confident that it will indeed pass the test… Through this process the believer may have confidence that [his or] her faith will be deepened and strengthened.” Peter says in the end of his second letter, “The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures… But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:16b, 18a) Apologetics is necessary for Christians to grow in their understanding of Scripture so that they can help defend themselves from not falling astray from the faith. Not growing grace and knowledge of our Lord will eventually come back to hurt us when we are challenged in our faith by either the enemy, our associates, or even ourselves. We must lean on the truth of Christ, knowing that Christianity is absolutely true.


Apologetics in Practical Ministry
Apologetics is a powerful tool that should be implemented and applied to practical ministry. This does not mean that pastors should seek to turn their church into a den of philosophers. However, pastors should seek to develop an atmosphere of ministry that encourages the search and refinement of truth: all of which belongs to God. The first imperative step that D.Q. McInerny says is required for being logical to be attentive because “many mistakes in reasoning are explained by the fact that we are not paying sufficient attention to the situation in which we find ourselves.” In short, if we are not looking for truth we will fall into error.
Therefore, pastors and church leaders should seek to equip their saints like the Bereans: “The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) Notice, their nobility in character was directly linked to their eagerness in receiving the truth of the Word and their willingness to search the Scriptures regularly for truth. However, this search of Gospel truth must not be simply head knowledge but affect the entire being. In apologetics, “people participate as whole persons, not as calculating machines.” Therefore, pastors should help their parishioners connect the why behind the apologetics. For example, yes, it’s good for Christians to know that the universe is fine tuned, but it’s better when Christians can understand how this connects to God’s sovereignty and divine care. When Christians consider the ‘fine-tuned’ apologetic of God’s universal design, it should cause us to sing, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:4 NKJV)
Now that one understands the goal of apologetics in ministry, which is to give glory to God, one can explore some ways to integrate apologetical tools. The first and foremost way is directly through the pulpit. Not that pastors should debate behind the pulpit, but pastors should preach sermons that are so valid and sound that it compels their listeners to the truth of the Gospel. Apologetical, Gospel-centered preaching should help reinforce the saints and encourage them to learn more about the God they serve, while also compelling unbelievers to either reject the cross or repent to Christ.
Secondly, it’s a good idea to hold a Q&A session after service or to offer seminary style courses where people can come and ask questions about the Christian faith. This was a method used by Tim Keller who praised that the sessions were incredibly beneficial for both Christians and non-Christians. In reading the Gospels, it’s clear that much of Jesus’ teachings, parables, and sermons were delivered in a question and answer format such as in Mark 12. Furthermore, these sessions can flow into small groups where pastors can equip the group leaders in answering difficult questions about the faith. Nevertheless, the practical goal is for apologetics to flow under the guidance of the Gospel from the pulpit down to the pews.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the ultimate purpose of apologetics is doxology(worship) to God. Jeremiah 9:23-24b says, “This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows Me.” Apologetics must not stop with mere wisdom. We must “turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God… Its purpose is to clear one’s mental and spiritual vision of God and to let His truth make its full and proper impact on one’s mind and heart.” Therefore, we should seek to increase our knowledge of God to better defend the Gospel, and seek to dig deeper in God’s grace to know Him more intimately. In the words of Peter, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” (2 Peter 3:18, emphasis added)



Bibliography
Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. Third Edition. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
Evans, C. Stephens, and R. Zachary Manis. Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith. Second. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009.
Hartman, Dayton, and Michael McEwen. The Pastor as Apologist: Restoring Apologetics to the Local Church. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2024.
Keller, Tim. “5 Reasons to Host a Q&A After Your Worship Service.” The Gospel Coalition, 2016. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-reasons-to-host-qa-after-worship-service/.
Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. New York City: HarperOne, 2023.
McInerny, D.Q. Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking. New York City: Random House, 2005.
McLaughlin, Rebecca. Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. Wheaton: Crossway, 2019.
Packer, J.I. Knowing God. Downers Grove: IVP, 2021.
Schaeffer, Francis A. He Is There and He Is Not Silent: Does It Make Sense to Believe in God. Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2001.