The underlying intention would be to motivate you in passionately seeking out areas where you can grow deeper in knowledge and defense of your Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith; which will serve to help you not be universally pacifistic when your Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith is attacked but to be strategically aggressive.
There may be those who have no idea what the term Christian Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.Apologetics means, so let's start there. The word Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.apologetics comes from the Greek word ἀπολογία (apologia) which simply means 'a defense.' So when we use the term Christian Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.Apologetics we are referring to the branch on Christian theology that seeks to provide a rational justification for the claims of the Christian Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith. Simply put, the defense of the Christian Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith. It is a theoretical discipline with practical application that tries to answer the question, ‘What rational warrant can be given for the Christian Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith?’
To explain how this is to be done, following are three vital roles which the discipline of Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.apologetics plays today:
Shaping Culture:
Many Western intellectuals have been deceived into believing that theology and thus Christianity is a joke that does not hold any weight in our modern, technological, fast paced culture. While I believe this is the result of an inability to accept the moral responsibility that is attached to such beliefs, it is nonetheless a growing problem mostly due to Christians having grown lazy alongside society in their effort to defend their Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith.
Princeton theologian J. Gresham Machen put out a warning of what happens when we fail to acknowledge the power of an idea when he said, "false ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the Literally 'the good news' which is a term used to describe the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through whom we may be granted salvation.Gospel. We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation to be controlled by ideas which prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion."
At another time Machen also stated that, "as Christians we should try to mold the thought of the world in such a way as to make the acceptance of Christianity something more than a logical absurdity."
I think a good example of this can be found by looking at the history of the United States. A nation where Christianity was the base of our government. Even Benjamin Franklin who was thought to be a deist insisted that schools teach, "the excellency of the Christian An organized system of belief that generally seeks to understand purpose, meaning, goals, and methods of spiritual things. These spiritual things can be God, people in relation to God, salvation, after life, purpose of life, order of the cosmos, etc.Man's attempt to reach Godreligion above all others, ancient and or modern." Our government used to fund the shipment of Bibles to all parts of the world, used to fund missionary trips around the globe, used to allow prayer in schools, used to have no problem saying that we are "One Nation Under God" or "In God We Trust." But because of a few people who had the passion for their opinions that Christians should have for their Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith, all these things have been changed. Because we have failed to continue shaping culture, our culture has become pluralist, relativist, liberalist, and atheist. It is the age of the 'ist.'
Therefore, it is important as a Christian that we use Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.apologetics, the defense of our Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith, as a method with which we will continue our effort to shape the culture; even if it will not be state by state, we can do it inch by inch just as the early Christian Church did.
Strengthening Believers:
When we go to Church on Sunday we use worship to create an emotional and spiritual intimacy with God, additionally we can use Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.apologetics to strengthen the relationship between us and God. Kind of like in a marriage, intimacy is great, but a stronger and more meaningful relationship where your Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith and understanding of each other is dominant will generally result in a stronger and more meaningful intimacy with each other.
This is becoming increasingly important with the youth of today’s church. It has recently been found that as much as 90% of today’s youth will leave the church after turning 18. In high-school but mostly in college our youth are like fresh meat for the overwhelming non-Christian worldview and relativism that is taking over our society.
The church as an organization cannot fix or prevent this. It is the job of the church as a family; as mothers, as fathers, and as leaders of our youth. If we are not intellectually engaged in our Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith and do not have good reason outside of the Bible to follow Christianity as well as answer questions set forth by our children, then the youth of the Church are doomed to the small chance that they might someday return to Christ by some other means. In our modern society it is unfortunately no longer enough to simply teach our kids the inspirational stories of the Bible and send them to youth group once a week. What they need is What the whole Bible teaches us today about a particular topic.doctrine, logic, reason, rationality, and yes, even basic philosophy. When I mention philosophy I do not mean to imply that our children should know the writings of such authors as Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant, but that they know basic arguments that will help them defend their Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith. All this in contained in the study of Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.apologetics, like a mental 5 for 1 deal. Today it is absurd to risk something as challenging as parenthood without having a strong foundation in your Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith and the ability to answer questions and defend it when necessary.
But it is not just the youth who need this strength. Whenever a member of the Church loses a loved one, they may need to be uplifted in their Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith during their time of emotional crisis. Or when one comes across an atheist who stumbles their Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith using some fancy argument, they will need us to show them truth and logic. Perhaps they come across someone of a different Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.faith who tells them that the Bible is full of contradictions and false statements, they may need us to show them the validity and reliability of God’s word through A message directly from God through a human, which often include details of things that have not yet come to pass, in order to prove the origin of the message.prophecy and extra-biblical documentation.
Evangelizing Unbelievers:
Many times you may hear people say, "people don’t come to Christ through arguments." Understand, that when I mention argument I typically mean a set of reasons given with the goal of persuading others that my belief or idea is right or wrong.
I think it is necessary to point out that this particular point of view is most definitely an unbiblical opinion based off of limited observation. All a person would need to do is read through the book of Acts to get a better understanding as to how biblical 'arguments' really are.
You may be saying to yourself that there are no arguments in any of those verses, and it does seem that way when looking at it in English. But wherever you see the word 'reasoned' replace it with the Greek word διαλέγομαι (dialegomai) which means 'conversed, debated, and argued.'
So when you read And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.Acts 18:4, picture it more like this, "And he conversed, he debated, and he argued in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade the Jews and Greeks."
When dealing with Jewish audiences the apostles used fulfilled A message directly from God through a human, which often include details of things that have not yet come to pass, in order to prove the origin of the message.prophecy, the miracles of Jesus, and most importantly Jesus' The event of Christ's rising from the dead three days after being crucified on the cross.resurrection from the dead after his crucifixion as evidence that He was indeed the Literally 'the anointed one' which in the New Testament is translated as 'the Christ'. Jesus is the one who was promised in Genesis 3:15 and anointed by God in Matthew 3:16.Messiah ( “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."Acts 2:22-23).
But when they confronted Gentile audiences who did not accept Jewish Any part of the Bible itself, which consists of the Old Testament (39 Books) and New Testament (27 Books).scripture, the apostles referred to God’s handiwork in nature as evidence of His existence ( Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”Acts 14:17). They then proceeded to point them towards the eyewitness testimonies of Jesus to show specifically that God had revealed Himself to us through His son ( The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”Acts 17:30-31, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
I am reminded of Dr. William Lane Craig’s where in his book titled Reasonable Complete trust and confidence in someone or something.Faith he says, "those who regard Reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.apologetics as futile in evangelism just don’t do enough evangelism." I think he is right. But it is important to repeat myself in light of "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”John 13:35 and But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.1 Peter 3:14-16 in that when we do dialegomai that we do it with gentleness and respect, because we cannot correctly be a A personal follower of Jesus during his life, especially one of the twelve Apostles.disciple of Christ if we are inappropriately a jerk for Jesus.