The Layman's Manual on Christian Apologetics

Bridging the Essentials of Apologetics from the Ivory Tower to the Everyday Christian

Brian G. Chilton

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781532697128
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Teología cristiana

Modern Christians have been bombarded by objections launched against the Christian faith from popular secular authors, bloggers, and stars from the entertainment industry. The church is quickly beginning to acknowledge the need for apologetics due to the number of youth and adults alike leaving the faith. But how does one respond to these objections? For the laity of the church, this is especially difficult, as many are left without the proper training to know how to answer these objections.In The Layman's Manual on Christian Apologetics, the essentials of apologetics are taken from the ivory towers of academia and are made available to those who have not obtained seminary training or for those thinking about attending seminary. In this book, three major areas of apologetics are covered. The first unit engages the nature of truth and what can be known. The second unit deals with the existence of God and issues involving God's existence. The last unit tackles historical objections to the resurrection of Jesus and early Christianity. The Layman's Manual on Christian Apologetics delivers heavy apologetic issues with the laity in mind and blends in personal illustrations to make the material applicable.

Unit 1

Prolegomena—Apologetic Methodologies and the Nature of Truth

Before the task of apologetics is conducted, some preliminary remarks are necessary. We must first define what is meant by apologetics and how a person can know what is true. The term prolegomena comes from two Greek terms: pros meaning before and legein meaning to say. The term literally means “to say beforehand.” Charles Ryrie defines prolegomena as “prefatory or preliminary remarks.”1 Unit 1 consists of chapters 2–4. Chapter 2 will define what is meant by the term apologetics and will show the need and the methodologies employed. Chapter 3 asks the same question that Procurator Pontius Pilate posed to Jesus as it seeks to define truth. How do we know what is true? Is truth obtainable? Chapter 4 will examine the role that logic plays in one’s quest for truth. The student will find chapter 4 very helpful as it will provide them, what I call, an instant bologna detector. So now, without further ado, let’s begin our journey into the world of apologetics.

1. Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth, 12–13.

Chapter 1

What is Apologetics?

What Is Apologetics?

Without fail, when an apologist mentions apologetics to individuals in their congregations or to loved ones, the inquirer asks, “Why do you want to apologize for being a Christian?” Luckily, apologists do not apologize for their faith. The term apology holds at least two meanings in the English language. It can be meant to offer an acknowledgement of an offense. But the older meaning of the word means something quite different, it means to offer a defense for a person’s belief as a lawyer would defend his case in a court of law.

In Christian apologetics, the term apology is used from the Greek definition of the term from which it is derived. The Greek term apologia (apologia) means “to defend” or to “clear oneself from false accusations.” Apologia is a compound word stemming from the terms apo which means “from” and logos meaning “word, reason, or logic.” Literally, apologia is translated “from logic.” The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church defines apologetics as “The defence [sic] of Christian belief and of the Christian way against alternatives and against criticism.”2 The term apologia is found in 1 Pet. 3:15 where the aged apostle writes, “but 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” (1 Pet. 3:15).3 The apostle Paul uses the term in Acts 22:1 when he asks the brothers to listen to his defense. The term apologia is also used in Acts 25:16; 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Philippians 1:7, 16; and 2 Timothy 4:16. Simply put: The Christian apologist is a defender of the Christian faith.4

The Need for Apologetics

Some individuals may inquire why there is a need for apologetics. Some will hold that God does not need defending. Granted, God is far more powerful than anyone could hope to be. But by using that same logic, why would anyone need to evangelize? God could simply lead a person to faith, couldn’t he? He doesn’t need to use people to bring others to faith. But . . . HE DOES! Likewise, when a believer sees his or her faith attacked, does it not behoove the believer to at least clear the air concerning what the faith holds? It is fascinating to me that the same people who claim that Christianity does not need defending will also spend three hours defending why their chosen sports team is the best. So, why is it that a sports team is worth defending and the Christian worldview isn’t? In reality, apologetics is necessary for modern evangelism. Investigating the issue further, I contend that there are three reasons why a person should be an apologist.

Biblical Reasons

First, the student of Scripture will note multiple biblical reasons for why a person should defend the faith. Beginning with the most important reason, Jesus was himself an apologist. Jesus gives a bold word to the Jewish individuals who trusted in him at the temple. He said, “If you continue in my word, you are really my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32). Note three things about Jesus’s teaching in John 8:1. The disciple is to continue in Jesus’s word—this does not mean that a person stops studying the truths of Christianity after accepting them; 2) truth is knowable—it is something that can be attained; and 3) the truth has a freeing capacity to it. If this is the case, then why would a Christian want to settle for ignorance?

One of my favorite examples of Jesus’s apologetic ministry was when John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus asking him if he really was the anticipated Messiah. John the Baptist found himself in a prison cell for preaching the truth. John was anything but politically correct. He realized that he would be executed soon.

In a moment of doubt, John the Baptist sent his disciples to make absolutely certain that he had identified the correct person as the Messiah. By the way, if John the Baptist had doubts, don’t beat yourself up if you find that you have doubts, too. Luke recounts a spectacular event. When the disciples asked Jesus about his messianic identity, Jesus “at that time healed many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people.

He replied to them, ‘Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me’” (Luke 7:21–23). Jesus performed miracles before the very eyes of John’s disciples and sent them back to John to reveal to him all the things that they had seen. Jesus did not perform miracles to put on a show. Rather, his miracles were used to back up his messianic and divine claims.

Not only was Jesus an apologist, Peter was also. As noted earlier, Peter gives what has been adopted as the apologetic banner. The apostle said,

But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be intimidated, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame (1 Pet. 3:14–16).

Peter teaches three important points concerning the use of apologetics.

1. The apologist gives a defense for one’s hope. You say you have hope. Well and good. Why do you have hope?

2. The apologist gives a defense with gentleness and respect. Apologetics is not meant to engage in obnoxious argumentation. Rather, apologetics should be done in love.

3. The apologist gives a defense for Christ and not for oneself. Apologetics is not to show off your intellectual prowess. It is not about becoming a rock star. Apologetics should point a person to Jesus.

As an additional example, Peter used apologetics in Acts 2. On the Day of Pentecost, God used Peter to lead three thousand people to faith in Jesus Christ. Although the reason for this mass conversion can be contributed to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all who were in attendance, it should be noted that Peter preached an a...