APOLOGETICS IN A POSTMODERN AGE

While theology tries to provide the Church with what we should believe, apologetics attempts to come up with reasons for why we should believe. Admittedly, doing apologetics in the postmodern West has not been very fruitful. This has led many Christians to claim that the old methods no longer work. They say that we need new strategies; namely, those that bypass rationality. Some refer to this methodology as “modernistic reasoning.”

While I have nothing against finding new methods, as long as they are biblically supportable, I do not think it is wise to discard the strategies that have been used in the past. In fact, a rationalistic defense of the faith is part of the fabric of the entirety of Scripture.

Apologetics is not just a matter of a few isolated verses like Jude 3, 1 Peter 3:15, and 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. All of Scripture rests squarely on a foundation of reasons for believing. Luke prefaces his Gospel with several of these reasons. He claims that he has thoroughly investigated what various eyewitnesses have reported and has drawn up an orderly account:

• Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:3-4, emphasis added)

Clearly, Luke was concerned about apologetics, the evidential basis for the faith, in the writing of his Gospel.

The Apostle John, as an eyewitness to the earthly ministry of Jesus, assured the readers of his Gospel about his apologetic intent in a similar way:

• Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, emphasis added).

John’s ultimate goal was for his readers to believe and to “have life in his name.” But the process wasn’t magical. John understood that his readers needed food for their minds, reasons to believe. Therefore, John provided evidence—apologetics—including his accounts of the miracles of Jesus.

Far from supposedly outgrowing our need for evidence, we still need the testimony of John and Luke and the other authors of Scripture to provide us with a rational basis for our faith. Therefore, while it might be important to explore new ways to reach our generation, we must not forget the old paths, which are potent sources of nourishment for God’s people.

Peter also insisted on the importance of evidence—reasons to believe. He wanted his readers to remember certain truths. Therefore, not content to merely state the truth, Peter offered reasons for why the disciples should believe what he was saying:

·       For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable... (2 Peter 1:16-19a, emphasis added)

Peter cited the fact that they, the Apostles, were eyewitnesses to the things they were claiming, but that wasn’t all. He also cited the evidence of the “prophetic message”—Scripture. Thus we see, yet again, the way that theology and apologetics work together.

Furthermore, it is clear that none of the Apostles ever asked believers to take a blind leap of faith. As they understood it, faith had a powerful and necessary evidential basis.

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It has been argued that apologetics alone cannot save anyone. Of course, this is true. If the Holy Spirit is not involved in the process, no amount of evidence can make a difference for the unbeliever. The renowned atheist and mathematician, Bertrand Russell, was once asked:

• Bertrand, what would you say to God if you encounter him after you die and he asks, “Bertrand, why didn’t you believe?” Russell confidently responded, “There just wasn’t enough evidence” (Russell).

Here is the subtext of this reply:

• I am a rational person and rational people require evidence. The fault, therefore, wasn’t with me but with You!

Richard Dawkins, perhaps the most famous atheist today, has taken it one step further, claiming that no evidence is possible to support belief in God! In an interview hosted by Peter Boghossian and available on YouTube, Dawkins was asked what it would take for him to believe in God. He dismissed the possibility that any evidence was possible. Even if Christ returned and he could see Him, Dawkins would have no way of knowing whether he was experiencing a hallucination or not.

However, if Dawkins were to use this logic consistently, he would also be depriving himself of any evidence for the existence of the universe. According to this line of thinking, the world as we know it might only be a dream.

Nevertheless, Dawkins seems haunted by the idea that his dismissal of all possible evidence does not line up with the logic of science. After all, if a theory can be proven false by evidence, it should also be amenable to evidential proof. Perhaps Dawkins is aware that he is playing fast and loose with the ways that the concepts of evidence and of science are generally understood.

In any event, Dawkins accurately reflects the state of mind of the unbeliever who is not being drawn by God. There is no amount of evidence that will change his or her mind. The heart of the unbeliever must first be changed. Only then can the mind be truly responsive to the light of evidence.

Therefore, apologetics is, first of all, for us, His Church. We who believe need to be mentally assured of the truths of the Christian faith. It is only with this assurance that the Lord has enabled me to stand and to confidently participate in many secular conversation groups.

Some Christians protest: “I don’t need apologetics. I just believe, and that is enough.” Such a stance is inadequate. All believers need reasons for believing. For one thing, we are always changing. We are continually in the midst of a process whereby the Lord is refining and pruning our faith, so that we can more ably serve Him.

• In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7).

As our faith is “tested by fire,” we will find that we need to dig deeper into the many reassurances that are available to us through the Word of God. Paul had warned us in Ephesians 6 that we must put on the entire armor of God. This armor includes the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. And when we study the Word, we become more adept at the tenets of apologetics—the knowledge and understanding of reasons why we believe. Without this protection, there is a chink in our armor and we will fall.

• So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (I Corinthians 10:12)

John the Baptist was Israel’s greatest prophet. He had heralded “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” He testified that he had seen the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His baptism. Nevertheless, when John was cast into prison, he too began to doubt whether Jesus was truly the Messiah:

• Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3)

How would Jesus answer these disciples of John? Would He say to them, “Just tell John to believe”? No! Instead, He told them to tell John about all the apologetic evidence:

• And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-5).

If John required evidential reassurances, then so do we! And Jesus proved that He was more than ready to provide the necessary reasons to believe. For example:

• “You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe” (John 14:28-29, emphasis mine).

While some of us may require more evidence than others, we all require some measure of assurance. This chronic skeptic certainty did! However, searching for reassurance has produced in me a great confidence and, by His grace, boldness before a hostile world. It is this boldness that I hope to impart to my brethren.

Of course, as we have said before, apologetics alone cannot save. We need to remember as well that even the preaching of the Gospel of Christ cannot save…without the work of the Holy Spirit. However, we know and are convinced that the Spirit can use both preaching Christ and apologetics to draw others to salvation.

However, it is hard to believe what is unbelievable. Secular authorities have done a good job in discrediting the Bible and, along with it, the Gospel message. Therefore, there is a great need to reclaim the trustworthiness and believability of this message and the Bible. That is what this book is about.

Work Cited:

Russell, Bertrand. “What to say when someone asks for proof of God’s existence.” Christian Today, 22 January 2016,

www.christiantoday.com/article/what.to.say.when.someone.asks.for.proof.of.gods.existence/77413.htm. Accessed 22 February 2017.

Dawkins, Richard. “Richard Dawkins in Conversation with Peter Boghossian.” 2013,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNcC866sm7s. Accessed 13 February 2017.