Apologetics is Stupid Stuff!
(Sorry, A. E. Houseman) I just read a FANTASTIC quote:
“We choose a religion, when we do, not for the tenets of a creed but for the totality of a circumstance, for a tone and a practice and an encompassing condition: ‘It feels like home’ … is about the truest thing that the convert can say about his new faith…nobody has to argue so strenuously for what he actually believes. Nobody gets up on a soapbox and shouts about the comfort of his sofa and chairs. He just invites other people to sit in them.” (p. 58 of The New Yorker, July 7 & 14, 2008 from “The back of the world: the troubling genius of G. K. Chesterton” by Adam Gopnik emphasis mine)
Unfortunately, the folks at Christianity Today (see http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/july/13.22.html), feel that arguments for God’s existence are still the thing that will make converts. It is STUPID to think this way! Even the estimable Josh McDowell (he of Evidence that demands a verdict) was himself converted by a modest woman in college who described her EXPERIENCE and not her REASONS!!!!!
TRUE STORY: (I once surprised Leith Anderson at our Monday morning staff meeting. The previous night’s special Service pitted an Athiest with one of Bethel’s Professors. Afterward I walked up to the professor from Bethel and said, “you convinced me to become an Athiest” and he was visibly flummoxed! Leith, nor the professor, could quite detect the irony!)
Keith,
I think you are touching on an important principle–that the enlightenment view of humanity is flawed. We are more than a mind… we are will, and emotions as well. The intuitive is as real as the intellectual.
But to devalue apologetics entirely…
It might be more fair to say that a generation ago we overemphasized the science.
I appreciated the glimpse of what theistic philosophers are doing today. The what-is-philosopy-for conclusion was good and useful too: “…the value of natural theology extends far beyond one’s immediate evangelistic contacts. It is the broader task of Christian apologetics, including natural theology, to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women. It thereby gives people the intellectual permission to believe when their hearts are moved.”
I think it is unfortunate, though, that Prof. Craig had to throw in a paragraph of evangelical America’s two favourite states of being: Fighting and Afraid.
“By laying aside our best apologetic weapons of logic and evidence, we ensure modernism’s triumph over us. If the church adopts this course of action, the consequences in the next generation will be catastrophic. Christianity will be reduced to but another voice in a cacophony of competing voices, each sharing its own narrative and none commending itself as the objective truth about reality. Meanwhile, scientific naturalism will continue to shape our culture’s view of how the world really is.”
Same as it ever was.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. It is not a matter of either/or. Relationships are crucial but so is the appropriate use of apologetics. Does not the Scripture instruct us to always be “prepared to give reason for the hope that is in you”? “Give reason” – sounds like apologetics to me.
I for one am thankful for those who loved me toward Christ. But I am also thankful for those that God equipped and used to overcome my intellectual barriers in coming to Christ. Without them, I would still be lost and without hope.
I agree, Steve.
Scriptures, in Jesus’ “High Priestly” prayer reminds us that love is an apologetic. And then there’s that passage which you referred.
Although in our day an age of “feeling” our way through the cosmos, we still must consider the person who logically comes to the Gospel of Christ. James T. Kurk of the starship Enterprise would “without a question” come to Christ through emotions, everything he did was about emotion. But his Vulcan friend never came to a decision emotionally. Logic was his way of life. At times, we find people who are not going to come to faith through emotions, I feel at least a grasp of apologetics comes in handy.
Apologetics are often used as a marketing ploy by churches to bolster the timid faith of people IN the church while at the same time help the broader community think that Christianity is intellectually strong (which of course it is but needn’t be trumpeted–remember Shakespeare’s caution, “me thinks thou protestest too much” guides us against appearing more strident).
Many of you have phrased your objections to my strong statement above in opposite terms. Either we are emotionally “feeling” our way through our faith OR we are intellectually challenging the faithless on Mars Hill. What in the world?!! There is a WHOLE degree of choices between these two that is as vast as people are lost. We shouldn’t ARGUE people with our syllogisms into the kingdom any more than we should try to manipulate them emotionally into Christ’s arms.
We are mind, emotions and will and even Aristotle noted that persuasion COMBINES these, it doesn’t simply state the logic (the other two forms of proof are ethos and pathos) and hound people into a corner! I really never see why our logical positions are a tactic we quickly propose to lead people to Christ! That simply doesn’t happen in the real world! We are humans, not machines!
So, in categorically stating that apologetics is stupid stuff, I knowingly created a straw man! We quickly forget the most compelling witness is a changed life in a joy-filled kindly servant who ATTRACTS rather than ARGUES! (I know, I’m arguing my point!)
By the way, we are urged in scripture to be ready to give a reason FOR THE HOPE THAT IS WITHIN US! Read that again! We have our OWN reason because it is personal! It is WITHIN EACH OF US, not in a prepared track, or “Roman Road” or “plan of salvation”! Remember, “all I know is once I was blind, and now I see.” Don’t you love THAT reason?
I’m with you on this one Keith. I think we’ve, for too long, put too much on logic and traditional apologetics. As Larry said, love should be our apologetic, which isn’t about arguing our way to people’s hearts.
I’ve always felt (note, the emotion) that apologetics is more for Christians to strengthen our faith. experience alone is dangerous, we then need logic to strengthen our experience. I love apologetics, but have never used it to witness, i use it in discipleship.
ive always said (and the quote isn’t mine) “You will never argue anyone to Jesus.”
I don’t think we should devalue apologetics, without it, we could get off track quite easily. Apologetics anchors us in Truth and esstablishes a foundation we can build on, but its one of the least effective means of evangelism.
I’m with you on that!
I agree that the “hope that is in us” is more compelling in evangelism than intellectual arguments. But I also know cult members, athiests, and just plain weird people who also experience purpose, peace, joy, love, moral lives, etc. What sets the Christian faith apart from other religious beliefs is that it has a logical, factual, historical basis. To put it in non-politically correct language, Christianity is unique because it is true! We have an answer, a reason for that hope that is in us.
I certainly agree that sometimes we are quick to draw our apologetics guns (I speak as a former “gunslinger” who has won some arguments, but lost the soul). But let’s also “be ready” as needed to demonstrate the “why’s” behind our belief.
Keith,
I think you misunderstand the passage in 1 Peter 3. We actually get our word “apologetics” from the greek word for “reason” or “defense”, depending upon what translation you are using. It is referring to a rational defense of what you believe and why.
I think all of us agree that no one will be “argued into the kingdom”. As a Christian, I am very thankful God does not leave it up to my powers of persuasion to bring people into the the kingdom (talk about pressure!!). Ultimately, God’s Spirit must to the work that only He can do and change people’s hearts. I am grateful that he still used crooked and sinful sticks like us to point me people the straight and narrow way of Jesus Christ, though I do not always understand how. He certainly uses our testimonies (“I was blind but now I see”), and I am not discounting that. But we are called to deliver the good news and be able to give defense of it. Ultimately, we must trust that the Lord will use it to bring folks to himself.
Being a Trekkie, I liked the Kurk and Spock reference. But what happens if you run into a Klingon or a Romulin?
Earlier in the month I was talking to Daniel Albrecht about sharing our faith. He made the point that we need to be real. Do we have all the answers? No, only God does.
Sometimes, I have fallen into the trap of relying on my “debating abilities”, which a poor, as the way to bring Christ into a coversation. I have lived my life at work according to God’s Word as much as I can. Just me being me has made more of an impact on my team than any of my arguments for Christ. Whenever I try to use arguments for Christ, my co-workers start to get defensive. When I say what God has done for me (no matter how hard that is for me to say), they have not had the time to build their wall. It is a personal experience rather than saying they are wrong.
1 Peter 3:15 ends saying that we are to give a reason “with gentelness and respect”. It takes time to understand how to debate with someone with gentleness and respect. I get too passionate when it comes to speaking about God. For me, I am much better “living” like Christ than trying to defend him.
What a great topic for discussion! I know I’m almost a year late and who knows who will read this however, I can’t help but comment!
I just listened to Ken Ham with Answers In Genesis give a talk last night about the State of Our Union in America as it relates to the war for our children’s souls. If you have not heard it, you must!
I think to argue how specifically is a rediculous waste of time! While we dicker over apologetics and wether it is, in laymen’s terms, “bible-pounding” people into faith or of emoting them into boredom or just some emotional conversion to make us go away, the adversary is laughing all the way to the bank, WITH OUR CHILDREN’S SOULS!!!
We must be ready for all questions, that is the jist of the Bible verse. Be ready in season and out of season. If someone needs to hear of the sins triumphed in your life then tell them. If they need to understand the science aspect, TELL THEM!! For Pete’s sake let’s not pigeonhole our testimony! Give to each as he has a need. Some need science such as the huge questions I have run into. Can you imagine winning the sould of Richard Dawkins by shedding a tear and waiving a hankie?? I doubt it. Actually, may be that is what he needs but I would imagine it would be a combination of the two. Truly, it would be because the Holy Spirit already called to him and we are just there to pick the fruit.
If apologetics doesn’t work ever and is more for christians, how is it that my hubby got saved being of an analytical mind? How is it that in our school systems the fight is on to keep prayer, creation and etc. OUT?!
I’d like to suggest that apologetics not only works but is crucial! The school systems are using it with Evolution, homosexuality and gay rights, sodomy, sexual rights of our youth and let’s not forget abortion. They will take your daughter for one and our tax dollars pay for it and you as a parent will never know it happened. All this under the guise of education. All day long our kids hear the opposite of what we say we believe and on Sunday, what do we offer them? A good time. We pass out the candy, we hip hop to the beat of whatever christian band is popular, we tell them a nice story, shed a tear or two over some testimony and they are finally out the door in an hour or so.
Do you realize how few teens will keep going to church into their adult years? Virtually none. They have jumped ship. You can thank those 12yrs. of public education for doing a better job indoctrinating them into the apologetics of this Humanistic WorldView. We can also thank parents who don’t take the time to really live the faith they purport to believe in. Talk about double standards!
I agree that it takes different strokes for different folks so to speak but let’s not forget where the battle lies. If we are not willing to put all things out and be all things to all people as they have need, we can forget it.
Not to mention we need to be saved ourselves and it isn’t us who will actually save anyone, it is the Holy Spirit who does the saving, we are just the messengers.
What message has God gifted you with?