What are Apologetics?
The word "apologetic" is derived from the Greek word "apologia." The word itself means "defense" and is usually referred to in a legal testimony. This word is used in 1 Peter 3:15:
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
Why would I ever use it?
It is one of the means God uses to draw people to Christ (2 Peter 1:16-21). Sometimes we have to address people's concerns where they're at before we can present the gospel to them (Acts 17:16-34). Finally, when we share about Christ, the reliability of the scriptures, and the sense that a Christian perspective makes, we grow in our faith in Him (Philemon 6).
There's no way I could ever learn “all that stuff”!
You're right - nobody can (not even the “professionals”). What you can learn is how to listen to people, ask strategic questions, and give them something to think about. Your job is not to answer every question that every skeptic or unbeliever might have.
Can I really argue someone into heaven?
No, you can't. Apologetics is to be a part of the process of lowering intellectual barriers so the issue of Lordship is exposed. Oh, and you need to always show respect to the person you're talking to - they're made in God's image!
So, What Do I Need to Know?
- First, you need to know God. You can't really tell someone about something (or someone) you don't know yourself. 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 (NIV) says:
"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test."
- Secondly, you need to know the Bible. As an analogy, theology is to the Bible what science is to the natural world. Before you can be a scientist, you have to be aware of and a student of the natural world. Before you can be a theologian, you need to be a student of the Bible. We'll cover more about how to study the Bible later.
- Third, you need to know how it all fits together (that's theology - the study of God). Could you give directions to your house? How would you tell someone to get there? You can't give someone a coherent ("fits together") picture of God if you hold contradictory ideas yourself.
- Finally, you need helpful techniques to allow you to be a good ambassador for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). To be a good ambassador, we need to know who we represent, know how to communicate the purposes, values, and character of the one we represent, and live in a way that's consistent with our commission.
The steps are simple. With practice, so can the implementation be.
Be Ready
What if you were asked to play a piano (or guitar or whatever) piece, and you hadn't practiced in months or years? How well would you do? In order to be ready, you have to practice. That means you read, you talk with your (Christian) friends, pray, read your Bible, etc. That way, when an opportunity presents itself, you won't sound so out of tune.
Learn to Listen
Sometimes we are so ready to tell people where they're wrong, we don't listen to what they're saying. Try to listen for not just to what someone is saying, but why they're saying it. Listen for self-refuting statements, multiple beliefs that are mutually exclusive, or stated beliefs that don't match up with people's lives.
Ask Strategic Questions
Rather than charging straight ahead and saying “Let me tell you where you're wrong”, ask them questions that make them think.
"Tell me how you came to that conclusion or belief", "What do you believe substantiates your belief in that idea?", etc.
Leave Them with a Question
Have you ever had a stone in your shoe? It's really irritating until you deal with it. You have to stop, take off your shoe, and pull it out. Instead of a pebble in your friend's shoe, how about putting a question to ponder for awhile?
You don't have to answer all of their questions - try to focus on what seems most important to them. Even still, it's better for you to think about how you can challenge them to ponder some things to come up with the next time you meet.
Be Prepared to Follow Up
We tend to think of opportunities to discuss spiritual matters as “one-shot” deals. As a result, sometimes we can end up force-feeding our friends more than they can handle. Try to “pace” your discussions with your friends, and be mindful of additional opportunities as they come up.
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