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NASHVILLE (BP) – In an increasingly secular and post-Christian culture, leaders who make a living from apologetics are imploring believers to practice this discipline in their daily lives.
Apologetics and Christian thought are no longer specific subjects for certain Christians, but necessary disciplines for the spiritual walk of every believer, experts say.
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Timothy Paul Jones is chair of the Department of Apologetics, Ethics, and Philosophy at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
During Southern’s annual faculty address earlier this month, Jones said the current state of the world makes the study of apologetics non-negotiable.
“Apologetics is no longer limited to scholars and theologians,” Jones said during his speech.
“Cultural and social changes have made apologetics an inevitable consequence of public life as a Christian. Continuing the Christian way of life will inevitably require a defense of this way of being in the world – not just for apologists, but for all of us. »
The question believers face in society is no longer “Is Christianity true?” » he said, but rather: “Is it good?
In comments to Baptist Press, Jones said Christians can learn a lot about this concept by studying church history, because a culture hostile to Christianity is nothing new.
“The beginning of the 21stst This century is far from the first time that Christians have been accused that their faith is immoral or harmful,” Jones told BP.
“This has already happened in many places around the world, and it was also the case in the second and third centuries. Particularly in the second century, Christianity was seen as harmful to civic order because Christians refused to worship civic gods. Yet even under these circumstances, Christianity flourished.
Jones said the most important apologetic concept that every believer should be familiar with is the resurrection of Christ.
“If apologetics gives a reason for our hope and hope is centered on the resurrection, the resurrection should be central to Christian apologetics,” Jones said.
“When the resurrection is not central to apologetics, the practice of apologetics can turn into a bad theological quiz game, with the unbeliever raising a random series of objections until he “wins.” » by asking a question that the Christian can resolve. I don’t answer.
“When the resurrection of Jesus is central, however, apologetics can never stray from the gospel, and we answer the unbeliever’s questions by turning the questions toward the cross and the empty tomb.”
The study of apologetics is already beginning to take a very different form in the local Church.
Jeremiah Johnston served as associate pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, since April 2022.
He said it’s hard to imagine evangelical ministry without some form of apology.
“The door to evangelism today and sharing our faith now is through apologetics,” Johnston said.
“Today’s world, as we see it reflected around us, is post-Christian, secularized, even hostile to the Christian worldview. This is our Jerusalem. This is our mission field. We must be able to explain the Gospel through apologetics…and we must spread it with clarity. I can’t imagine sharing the gospel now without associating it with an apology. »
Johnston agreed with Jones that discipline is nothing new in the Christian life.
“Apologetics is necessary not only for (addressing) those outside the Church, it is just as necessary for the body of Christ,” Johnston said.
“It’s something I think we’ve lost because of our historical distance from the New Testament world. Apologetics was essential to the growth of the Church in Acts. This means that Christians were raised with a strong Christian worldview. They had no choice but to defend their faith. We have really lost this motif on the importance of apologetics within the Church.
During his first year in the role, Johnston began equipping all of Prestonwood’s ministries to better defend the faith.
The Ministry of Apologetics is dubbed by Johnston the Worldview Task Force, designed to provide training and resources to every part of the Church in the area of apologetics.
Additionally, Johnston helps interested church members complete a 36-week worldview program if they want specific training.
Areas of teaching include the nature of God, creation studies, morality and truth, and identity and purpose.
He said the demand for training was difficult to meet and believes this highlights the need for apologetics training in churches in the future.
“My opinion is that churches are going to have to rethink their financial priorities to ensure that they have some sort of official apology pastor on staff in the next 15 to 20 years, just like we have evangelism pastors “Johnston said.
“I don’t see the Church being effective if we don’t do things right. This person in this role must be Church-centered and not there to build their own platform. They are there to create a program for reproducing the Christian worldview in the Church.
Johnston said churches can engage in apologetics training by simply instilling confidence in their congregants.
“We need to convince people to overcome their reluctance or hesitation to think that apologies are for someone else,” Johnston said. “There are no prerequisites for taking better ownership of your faith. There are no prerequisites for loving God with your heart, soul, mind and strength.
“We need to get people over the hurdle of ‘You mean I can do this?’ I don’t need to go to seminary and I can be a Christian thinker and I can see the Great Commandment fulfilled in my life? The answer is 100 percent yes.
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