Do we still believe? The need for apologetics in the church

09 Jan 2009 02:15 pm

The need for apologetics training may be more urgent now than at any point in our country's history.

Colossians 1:28-29 reads, "We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me."

Our church body will be embarking on our second, real, corporate "apologetics" training on February 8th. We currently have about 350 people in our church who have signed up for the study; roughly 23% of our average Sunday attendance. That's not bad, but it would be wonderful to see even more of you signed up.

I know that deep down every Christian wants to impact the world.  I know this to be true because every believer is in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14) I want every believer to understand the vital need for this type of training and encourage all of you to be involved.

"When Worldviews Collide" is far more than a "world religions" study.  This is an apologetics study.  Apologetics is defined by Merriam-Webster as,

1. systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine)
2. a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity

Biblically, we read in Jude 1:3, "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."  According to William Dembski (co-editor of "Unapologetic Apologetics") "The very idea of contending for the faith rings foreign to our modern and postmodern ears...To contend for something, after all, presupposes we have something worth contending for - that the faith is something definite and precious, all too easily lost, and therefore in need of being vigorously preserved."

I want you all to understand something that is vitally important...you MUST understand this.  We are living in a time "when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:3).  We need to see the faith as something that is "definite and precious" and we must "vigorously" preserve it. Let me share some facts with you.

"When Worldviews Collide" is a study into what makes Christianity different from all other faiths and specifically looks at Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam.  It gives the participant the tools to defend Christianity; to reason it.  Our culture today does not understand that a belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is not solely relegated to a "matter of faith."  While faith is important (in fact, "...without faith it is impossible to please God..." Heb. 11:6) our faith can be reasoned.  The truth of the Gospel of Christ is a reasonable, logical, believable position; one that can be defended.  In today's culture, it MUST be defended.

When we study these other belief systems, it is IN PART to reach a group of people who are RAPIDLY moving to the U.S..  People of these faiths are now, more than ever before in history, our doctors and professors and our neighbors.  We need to be able to articulate our hope in Christ to them in a way they will understand.  But that is not the only reason for this course.

You all know Oprah Winfrey.  She is perhaps the most well known and popular public figure in our culture today.  She claims to be "Christian."  This woman holds substantial, significant influence over hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of people today.  Many of those people also claim to be Christian.  If you spend just a few minutes on her website, you find that she is actively promoting, not merely endorsing, a new faith.  A faith that says God is within us; that we can be God; that we are God.  A faith that espouses repetitive, daily "chants" (for lack of a better term) proclaiming your own ability to obtain salvation and realizing your own deity.  While these beliefs are portrayed as something new and enlightened, they are not.  They are the same old lies repackaged.  Their roots are in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.  They are not called that, but that is indeed what they are.  Principles from these religions are rapidly becoming the norm in the culture around us.

Sadly, these beliefs are now starting to infiltrate the church ("church" meaning American Christianity). The Pew forum on Religion and Public life released a report at the end of 2008.  The report found that 52% of American, Evangelical Christians now believe that Jesus Christ IS NOT the only way to get to heaven.  Further, (according to statistics sited at the National Christian Apologetics Conference) 53% of Evangelicals now believe that there are no "absolute truths."  Our fight to defend our faith no longer begins at the exit to the church parking lot.  It now begins in the church pew, in our small groups, and in our homes.  Unless we are prepared to respond; if we continue to be distracted and self absorbed; our generation, the generations that follow, and our children, will be taken by the culture to hell.  As the Pew study points out, many Christians have been taken "captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Col. 2:8 )

As believers, we need discernment.  Given the choice, Solomon asked for discernment and God honored his request (1 Kings 3:11-12).  In Psalm 119:125, David says to the Lord, "I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes." I attended the National Christian Apologetics conference in November and had the privilege of hearing James Dobson, Del Tackett, Charles Colson, Lee Strobel, Erwin Lutzer, David Noebel, Josh McDowell, Alex McFarland, Dinesh D'Souza', and others.  Del Tackett pointed out that "Definitions must precede dialog" (paraphrased).  That is what apologetics training, and specifically this course, endeavors to do.  It defines the terms, and the arguments, so that we will be armed and prepared to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:4-5)

Amos 8:11 says, "'The days are coming,' declares the Sovereign Lord, 'when I will send a famine through the land-- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.'"  Today, these words of prophecy are coming true.

One of my favorite movies is "The Untouchables."  It tells the story of Elliot Ness.  He was a tenacious treasury agent in the late 1920's working with the Bureau of Prohibition in Chicago.  His efforts seriously impacted the operations of Al Capone.  In the movie, he has a Chicago police officer he recruited working for him named Malone.  At one point of the movie, Malone and Ness have this conversation...

Malone: You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I'm saying is, what are you prepared to do?
Ness: Anything within the law.
Malone: And then what are you prepared to do?  If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they're not gonna give up the fight, until one of you is dead.

I firmly believe that we live in a time when our ability or inability to defend our faith and understand the arguments against it, has a nearly incalculable impact on our culture and on the Kingdom of Heaven.  Much is at stake.  The culture desperately wants Christianity, morality, and absolute truth to go away.  And the culture will fight till those things are dead.  So my question to you, and I believe Christ's question to us is this; What are you prepared to do?

Before us all is an opportunity to learn how to change the world; to defend the faith.  Are we going to be ambassadors for Christ?  Or are we going to be "secret agents" who refuse to blow our cover?

In the commons area is a table, and a banner, and posters, and a map, and sign up folders, and a running video, where you can sign up for the study. I pray that you all will and prepare to engage our culture for Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord; STILL the ONLY way to the Father (John 14:6). - KD


(You can find out more about the study by going to "http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D164199%252526M%25253D200718%2C00.html?" You can learn more about Ergun Caner and check out other resources at "erguncaner.com". You can also read three pertinent articles by Albert Mohler at "albertmohler.com" They are...

Many Paths to Heaven? (posted 12/18 )
Can a Christian deny the Virgin Birth (posted 12/23)
For Goodness Sake (posted 01/05))

By : Kevin | Category: IMPACT - Evangelism/Apologetics/BFG's | Comments [1]