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What
is apologetics?
In short, apologetics is the enterprise of striving to win people to
Christ by obeying Scripture's command to "...be ready to give a reason
for the hope that is in you" (I Peter 3:15). Be ready to give a
reasoned defense or justification for the faith. How do you know that
God exists? Don't all religions lead to the same place? Isn't all
morality a product of culture and upbringing? If God is good why do so
many bad things happen? How do you know your faith is true? Doesn't
science disprove religion? These questions, and many more, a believer
faces when he or she steps out to share that faith. The discipline of
apologetics is designed to answer those questions - encouraging a more
active and intelligent faith in those who seek to defend it.
Why
apologetics?
Because we are rational creatures. Apologetics is needed in every age
(including our own 'anti-rational' age) because it is commanded in
Scripture and because of the unchanging needs of the human heart. As
Peter Kreeft has said, "People still want reasons because they
still have heads. It is as simple as that." We are starved for good
reasons. Our current generation needs apologetics more, not less, than
previous generations. In both overt and insidious ways faith in
Christ is constantly being challenged. All people, and particularly
young people, need solid reasons for the faith.
What
can apologetics do?
It can do more than we think and less than we think. There are solid
reasons for the existence of God; that God is the source of
uncompromising morality, that Jesus Christ is the only way to peace with
God, that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive and well today. Most
people do not believe that this is so. But most people would think that
if you had such reasons you could argue people into the Kingdom.
Apologetics removes roadblocks to faith but does not force one to faith.
Faith is still a personal contact with the Living God who is both Lord
and Savior and giving your life to Him.
So, what do you do if you have questions?
1. E-mail your questions to apologetics@westminsterpres.com
2. Check these links:
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