Apologetics

Here is an essay I wrote for a Christian Worldview class I took a while back. Since I had a length limit, I wasn't able to go into as much detail as I would have liked, but this is a good summary of the role of apologetics in faith.

"Be Ready to Give an Apologia"

     Richard Dawkins, a prominent member in the scientific community and bestselling author of "The God Delusion", has this to say about religion, "Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." He also says, "I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world." Obviously, Christians strongly disagree with Dawkins' assessments of religion, but what should we do about it? Many Christians advocate contending for the faith through knowledgeable discussions with unbelievers - a method traditionally called "apologetics". The original Greek word, apologia, means "speaking in defense" of one's beliefs. However, other Christians believe apologetics has no real value. They have two main objections: 1) Apologetics does not save anyone; therefore it is useless and 2) Loving Christ and a willingness to be used by Him are the only really important things for a Christian to focus on. While both objections have considerable truth in them, when examined closely we find that they are illogical and not founded on Scripture.

     First, let us examine the objection that apologetics does not save anyone, and is therefore useless. It is true that giving a sound apologetic to an unbeliever will not save him. Even if the unbeliever understands and accepts the good reasons for your faith, he is not saved. He must ultimately accept Christ as his Savior in order for salvation to occur. However, this does not make the role of apologetics obsolete. The Holy Spirit can use reasons for the faith as a powerful tool in transforming a person's life. Often, explaining your faith in a logical sense is the first step towards sharing the Gospel. For example, an atheist will not be interested in hearing about the saving grace of Jesus Christ if he doesn't even see Christianity as a viable option. You may first have to demonstrate that Christianity is logical and before he will even hear of Christ. This is one way in which the Holy Spirit uses apologetics as a tool for salvation. Obtaining a basic understanding of the evidence for our faith is not a waste of time, but rather an asset that the Holy Spirit can use to
lead others to salvation.

     Let us next examine the second objection: Loving Christ and a willingness to be used by Him are the only really important things in a Christian's life. This statement is absolutely true in one sense. Certainly, the most important things in a Christian's life are that he loves Christ and eagerly follows His command to "go". However, it does not follow that one must not have a sound understanding of the faith in order to refute the ideas of the world and prove the Biblical account. The verse often used by proponents of this idea, Luke 10:27, says, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind." The question is not whether we should love the Lord, but rather what loving the Lord entails. Christ said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." He also said, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." Clearly, as seen throughout Scripture, Christ commands us to follow His example and obey His words. Christ Himself gave an apologetic to those around Him, most noticeably through miracles. He performed miracles in order to prove His divine authority. While Christians today cannot perform miracles, we can give reasons for our faith. Also, Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." Peter used the very word "apologia" in this text. In 1 Corinthians 10:5, Paul wrote, "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

     While the usefulness of apologetics has been sufficiently established, apologetics can also be used incorrectly. A Christian should not get in a discussion simply to tout their views over their neighbor. In other words, we aren't in it to win an argument, but to win souls. Love and respect for one's neighbor prove the most effective way to do this. Peter said, "Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." Other translations say, "with gentleness and respect." Also, Christ stated that the second greatest commandment was as follows, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Since you would not want someone to ungraciously treat your ideas as bunk, you should not do so to your neighbor.

     Blaise Pascal stated, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only be God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." Our responsibility as Christians is to tell the world how to fill this vacuum. With 850 million people claiming atheism or no religion, Christians must be capable and willing to make a case for God. Apologetics is often the first step. In conclusion, John Calvin wrote, "A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth was attacked and yet would remain silent." We cannot hold our silence in the face of attack from men such as Richard Dawkins, who, according to 2 Corinthians 4:4, are blind, "In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

For more information on apologetics, visit these websites:

~ Answers in Genesis
~ Institute for Creation Research
~ Evolution vs. God Film by Ray Comfort
~ Creation Today   

Exciting Trip!

It has been dreadfully long since I posted last....many apologies. Life has proven hectic of late. I was awarded once again last week, but have been unable to answer the questions attending. I hope to be able to do so by late next week....we'll see!

In the meantime, my family and I will be traveling to Indiana/Kentucky to see the Creation Museum! I have heard a myriad of wonderful things about it, and can't wait to see it for myself, Lord willing. After staying there a couple of days, we will make a pilgrimage further northeast to see Holmes County, Ohio - the world's largest Amish settlement! I am so giddy about this trip....I pray the Lord will have a lot of information and wisdom in store for us. Our biggest goal with this trip is to learn how we might better glorify Him, and with His guidance alone we will not take our eyes off of this goal. Stay tuned ---- many pictures and stories in waiting when I return, Lord willing!

Ohio and the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, my dad had a last minute business trip to Ohio. Since it is an 8 hour drive, mom and I decided we would go with him to keep company. Miraculously, we got ready to go within two hours! While in Virginia, we ran into some very heavy rain, and then ran right back out of it. We were so astonished to see this rainbow:



There were actually two rainbows, but one was much brighter than the other.



 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: "And as for me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh..."             Genesis 9:8 - 15 

We arrived very late at night, so we went straight to bed! The next day, while my dad was in his meeting, mom and I went to the Columbus Zoo. It was rated the #1 zoo in America in 2009. I wish my dad had also been able to go, because nothing is as wonderful without him there too.

Trumpeter Swan



Mexican Wolf

 

This chipmunk was sooo cute...I couldn't resist!



Timber Wolf



Another shot of the Timber Wolf




Caribou (Reindeer)



This Brown Bear was taking it easy....

 

while the other one fished!



HaHa!

At one point this beautiful Brown Bear attacked the glass, thinking that the children were fish!

Polar bear, of course!



Grizzly bear



Puma



Bobcat

 




Bald Eagle



Bison



I was excited to get a picture of the elephant actually sticking the hay into his mouth!



Rhino



The caretaker was playing with him in this shot....thus the lip!



Red-crowned Crane

Water Monitor. My brother used to own a monitor lizard

Flying Foxes - these were similar to bats, except much larger!

Red Panda

Bengal Tiger - he wasn't too happy about us looking into his abode





African Lion



There was a small aquarium on the premises, and this was my absolute favorite fish. I would definitely call him Pinocchio!



Humboldt Penguin

 The zoo, of course, took an evolutionary stand on everything, but I found this sign particularly interesting. It seems as though they were using a play on words to mock the Bible. This shouldn't be surprising to us.

A resting Alligator

Flamingos

Aldabra Tortoise - this guy was massive!

Tree Kangaroo - isn't he adorable?



Koala

Kangaroo



 

Two Gibbons



Orangutan - he looked so forlorn



Contemplating

 Now we have come to my absolute favorite animal...the Gorilla! I promised in my last post to tell you about a special animal named Mac, and so I will. Mac was the main Gorilla on display at the Columbus Zoo, although there were others. He was almost 400 pounds - that weight being all muscle - and very charismatic. I went up to the glass to look at him, along with a school group of younger children. The kids were banging on the glass incessantly, and finally Mac began sauntering over to us. What started out as a saunter, however, turned into a run. He jumped and banged vehemently upon the glass, scaring all of the kids (and myself, I must admit) to death. The glass shook and rattled something awful.


 It was clear....Mac was completely irritated. After attacking the glass, he went away a little ways and sat down.

Note his position - he had his arms crossed!

The expression on his face was of shear anger

I believe that if he could have gotten through the glass, someone would have been seriously hurt

He had such realistic facial expressions for a Gorilla!

He was running towards the glass again. He attacked the glass about six or seven times!

He finally went and sat down...but he was still mad

So, Mac was by far my favorite animal - I guess because he was so interactive.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip. The plethora of animals at the zoo reminded me of what a great God we serve each day. He deserves our undivided attention; whether we are cleaning house, gardening, or cooking, it should be our goal to bring Him glory. We can best accomplish this by knowing exactly what His commands and precepts are, which are laid out clearly in the Bible. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians:

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

I hope you enjoyed these snapshots. I would like to know which animal pictured here was your favorite, so please leave a comment!