Apologetics and Evangelism…

I have over my brief experience as a Christian, questioned different aspects of my faith and the Bible. I have listened to others question and accuse the Christian faith, which caused me to seek out answers, almost frantically. It seems non-Christians and Christians both search for solid verifiable evidence. Almost like we would search for the local McDonalds… you know we drive down the road and say “there it is; now I believe it”. Or it’s like what we hear said, usually in some cheesy Santa Clause book or movie around Christmas time which says “seeing is believing”. Though people don’t really want to see evidence, rather they want you to point at God and say “see he exists”.  As if someone could point at evolution and say evolution exists; awkwardly then, they want proof for God that they don’t recieve from their evolutionary belief.

The God of the Bible does exist and it is evident by the fact that everything, our earth and the humans and animals that inhabit it scream of a designer.  Apologetics can come in handy when non Christians question the faith. I think it is important to know some of that positive evidence you can share. I think when an answer is needed there is plenty of evidence to share (prophecies fulfilled, science, and archaeological just to name a few) which verifies the Christian Faith. You can bet, if there was strong evidence that falsified the Christian faith it would be plastered by every opponent of the Christian faith and the media, but rather the true non-biast approach to evidence verifies and upholds the Bible.

 Rather than showing evidence the presuppositional approach, established mainly by Van Til, takes the issue from the negative side, by seeking to show the futility of trying to explain this world or humanity without the Christian God of the Bible. Van Til’s greatest argument for the Christian God was known as the “Transcendental Argument” which is a great defense for the God of the Bible. The presuppositional approach will also use arguments like the uniformity of nature, Laws of Logic, or Universal Morality, (which an atheist atheist will aknowledge exist) which proves that God must exist due to the contrary being utterly impossible. We all believe in transcendental reality, like morality, murdering a child is wrong, atheists cannot account for that, outside of God. How can an atheist ask you to prove God, based upon his concept of proof, when he does not even ask that of his own world view?

I think the evidential and presuppositional approach both can be used very effectively to defend the Christian faith, especially in public forums with numerous observers. I have to admit the presuppositional approach by Van Til has been something that I have studied for numerous hours, just because it is such an intriguing topic and one I would commend for any person, Christian or non-Christian.

The mistake I now see that I made while studying Apologetics is a prideful one. I know as a Christian sin still resides within me (Rom 7). It seems when Christians take up the task of defending their faith, they take up the task for the secret purpose of looking great in the eyes of others. When I was (and still am) studying Apologetics I never would have admitted my secret pride, but I can remember seeking out non-believers and believers to argue with about the Christian faith and the sad thing is, I don’t even believe I was seeking that persons salvation but rather the glory I thought I received from the won argument, which turned into my sin feeding upon pride. Whenever I did when that argument I don’t ever think the core issue was addressed. The person who lost the argument usually would become bitter towards the Christian Faith and would not talk to me again. I know we are supposed to speak the truth in love, but It doesn’t seem that the truth we are addressing is the truth that needs to be addressed.

 “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” Matt 16:4.

Sin is the root issue. Remember just because we are Christians, we are not elevated above and beyond other Christians or the lost world for that matter. When we become Christians we are slaves of Christ rather than slaves of Sin. It seems the whole study of Apologetics is not to convince somebody into placing their faith in Christ, but rather to affirm the already placed faith of the Christian. Regeneration will happen monergisticly through the spirit; it is a super natural act of God. Stone is made flesh, blind eyes see, and the miracle is done through the knowledge of Sin. God saves sinners; neither the Apologetic approach we choose nor the argument we win or lose, in and of it self, saves anybody. The indwelling sin of humanity must be addressed, the law will reveal that sin, and when Christ on the Cross is shown to be the remedy for that sin, then and only then have you found the proper balance in apologetics.

Josh