the end of apologetics

i am more concerned about loving my neighbor than convincing them i am right

Photo by Juri Gianfrancesco on Unsplash

I was raised in a practice of Christianity that emphasized apologetics—the defense (apologia) of one’s faith. Debating evolutionists, “mission trips” to the local mall, and apologetics “bootcamp” were all part of this. My youth group friends and I would create book groups to discuss texts like “The Case for Christ,” “Reasonable Faith,” and “Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door.” We would also practice debating with one another, preparing and refining the the strategies and tactics we sought to employ.

The object of our apologetics, though, was often framed as an enemy. We were taught to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15), already assuming that the person we encounter will be a passionate atheist ready to debate us outside of the Hot Topic store about the nature of evil. Movies like "God’s Not Dead” and heated live-streamed debates further deepened this imagination.

We were also encouraged to remember the surrounding context of Paul’s encouragement: “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened” (v.14) // Do this with gentleness and respect,  keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (v.15-16). The framework we were given was that apologetics was a way of loving our enemies by telling them about their sin, and then converting them to Christianity.

However, the more I read the Scriptures the more I see that Jesus didn’t walk around the shopping malls of his day trying to convince people of his divinity. Rather, he ministered out of the reality that he is God incarnate. Rather than walking into the ideological traps of those who challenged him (Matthew 22:15), Jesus told stories, hosted meals, preached sermons, met the tangible needs of those around him, and pointed people to a New Covenant made possible through his status as the Son of God.

Today, I think the greatest “apologetic” Christians have is, like Jesus, living out of this reality of God’s divine and redemptive action in the world. While there are certainly scientific and logical reasons to believe in the existence of God, the authenticity of the Bible, and the historical validity of Jesus’ existence, what is most compelling about Christianity is what these realities mean for us as people of faith. Rather than intellectually convincing someone of the possibility that God is real, we ought to live in a way that witnesses to the joyful and beautiful reality that Jesus is Lord.

Our message is Jesus Christ, crucified and raised again to bring redemption and new life. Our apologetic is living out of this reality concerned more about loving than convincing, about compelling rather than debating, about serving rather than strategizing.

If we do these things, I believe the church can flourish in our world today.

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Reading:

• Theodore R. Johnson, “How the myth of a ‘model minority’ works to divide Americans” (Washington Post)

• John West, Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery (Eerdmans, 2023)

Watching:

• Kal Ho Na Ho (Netflix)

• The Bear — Season 2 (Hulu)

Listening: