Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

Teacher Found Guilty of ‘Unacceptable Professional Conduct’ for Sharing Christian Beliefs in Church of England School

The above article caught my attention this morning and after reading it, I realized Ms. Glawdys Leger, the teacher in question is an Apologist. Something every believer should practice faithfully.

Question: What is Christian apologetics?

Answer: The English word “apology” comes from a Greek word which basically means “to give a defense.” Christian apologetics, then, is the science of giving a defense of the Christian faith. Many skeptics doubt the existence of God and/or attack belief in the God of the Bible. Many critics attack the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. Many false teachers promote false doctrines and deny the key truths of the Christian faith. The mission of Christian apologetics is to combat these movements and instead promote the Christian God and Christian truth.

Probably the key verse for Christian apologetics is 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 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 …” There is no excuse for a Christian to be completely unable to defend his or her faith. Every Christian should be able to give a reasonable presentation of his or her faith in Christ. No, not every Christian needs to be an expert in apologetics. Every Christian, though, should know what he believes, why he believes it, how to share it with others, and how to defend it against lies and attacks.

A second aspect of Christian apologetics that is often ignored is the second half of 1 Peter 3:15, “but do this with gentleness and respect …” Defending the Christian faith with apologetics should never involve being rude, angry, or disrespectful. While practicing Christian apologetics, we should strive to be strong in our defense and at the same time Christ-like in our presentation. If we win a debate but turn a person even further away from Christ by our attitude, we have lost the true purpose of Christian apologetics.

There are two primary methods of Christian apologetics. The first, commonly known as classical apologetics, involves sharing proofs and evidence that the Christian message is true. The second, commonly known as “presuppositional” apologetics, involves confronting the presuppositions (preconceived ideas, assumptions) behind anti-Christian positions. Proponents of the two methods of Christian apologetics often debate each other as to which method is most effective. It would seem to be far more productive to be using both methods, depending on the person and situation.

Christian apologetics is simply presenting a reasonable defense of the Christian faith and truth to those who disagree. Christian apologetics is a necessary aspect of the Christian life. We are all commanded to be ready and equipped to proclaim the gospel and defend our faith (Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Peter 3:15). That is the essence of Christian apologetics.

, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014–2021).

apologetics. The theory and practice of defending Christianity. Numerous apologetic tasks are recognized within the Reformed tradition, including answering objections, responding to heterodoxy, demonstrating rational coherence of theological systems, providing evidence for the faith, assuaging doubts, and exploring presuppositions. At the heart of the tradition, however, is the conviction held by theologians such as *Calvin and *Barth that God’s triune *revelation, rather than human reason, is the final arbiter in apologetic arguments. Reformed methods include classical, philosophical, *presuppositional, and *worldview apologetics as advocated by (among others) B. B. *Warfield, Herman *Dooyeweerd, Cornelius *Van Til and Francis *Schaeffer, respectively.

Kelly M. Kapic and Wesley Vander Lugt, Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition, The IVP Pocket Reference Series (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 14.

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Baker Encyclopedia Christian Apologetics

DEVOTIONAL

Defending the Faith

A [true] believer should defend the faith.

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