Apologetics and Evangelism

Why does an all-powerful and all-loving God need apologists?

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More than once I’ve seen skeptics say that if God was real, apologetics would be unnecessary. If God is really all-powerful, all-wise, and all-good, then he ought to be able to communicate his message clearly to all. He shouldn’t need fallible humans to come in and set the record straight. If you think about it, this is just the ‘hiddenness of God’ objection in another skin. And from a Biblical perspective, it just isn’t true. God has needed apologists even when he is obvious For starters, in some sense, God has needed apologists from the very beginning. Think about it for a second. According to the first few chapters of Genesis, God made himself abundantly … Read more

So the Next Generation Would Know: A must read for every parent, pastor and youth minister.

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Have you ever read the book of Judges? It’s one of the gloomiest books in the Bible. The prelude says: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel”. (Judges 2:10) Not to sound alarmist, but the last part of that verse sounds a lot like Generation Z, at least according to many polls. Today, incoming college freshmen, when surveyed before they enter college, are three times more likely to report that they are religiously unaffiliated than freshmen who entered college in the 80’s. It’s said that 50-70% of Christian youth will abandon their faith once they leave … Read more

7 powerful passages from The Book of Acts that show that the Apostle Paul used evidence and reason to turn the world upside down for Jesus.

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Well-meaning Christians argue that using evidence and reason doesn’t bring people to faith. We’re just supposed to preach the gospel and let the Holy Spirit do his job. Paul is the model missionary, and he said that preaching Christ with eloquent speech would empty the cross of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:17) On the surface, arguments like this sound right. People do need the aid of the Holy Spirit to come to Christ. Plus, faith does come by hearing the word of Christ. (John 16:7-9, Romans 10:17) But if we look closer at Paul’s teaching and life, we will see that Paul absolutely relied on logic, reason, argumentation, and evidence to defend the truth of … Read more

There are two kinds of skeptics. Jesus demonstrated how to deal with both types.

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We can gain knowledge about the subject of Christian apologetics until our eyes bug out of our heads. But knowing how to apply that information in our everyday lives is another animal. And a big part of learning effective communication is knowing our audience. I’m old enough to remember those cheezy WWJD bracelets from the ’90s. I’m sure they decorated the wrist of many a Newsboys concert-goer. They do raise a good question that we’ll apply here. What did Jesus do when faced with doubters? Let’s look at a couple of examples: The open-minded doubter – John the Baptist Yes, even a spiritual stalwart like John the Baptist went through a period of doubt in … Read more

The Gospel of ‘Meh’: Why apatheism is more dangerous to the Christian faith than atheism or other competing worldviews

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Have you ever shared the case for Jesus with someone, only to be met with a resounding ‘meh.’ If so, you’ve met an apatheist. So what’s an apatheist? An apatheist is someone who is indifferent about the existence of God. It’s not a belief, but it’s more of a psychological state of mind. Whether God exists or any religion is true makes no difference to them. One writer in The Atlantic describes someone asking about his spiritual condition. He replied “I used to call myself an atheist,” I said, “and I still don’t believe in God, but the larger truth is that it has been years since I really cared one way or another. I’m”—that … Read more

6 Non-Awkward Questions That You Can Use to Start a Spiritual Conversation With Anyone

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Most Christians know that they ought to be sharing their faith. I mean, there is the whole “make disciples of all nations” thing that Jesus said. (Matthew 28:19) But knowing and doing end up being two different things for many believers. When Christians hear the word evangelism, there’s a sense of anxiety that springs up for many. Asking a friend “hey buddy, do you know Jesus?” can be an awkward thing. It’s only more awkward to spring that question on a total stranger. There’s a certain yuck factor, as you don’t want to come across overly salesy or be lumped in with some cult. Our society is growing increasingly secular. We have to be aware of … Read more

19 Essential Bible Verses and Passages on Apologetics That Every Christian Should Know

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Sometimes you gotta make an apologetic for apologetics.  Often well-meaning Christians spout off pious-sounding platitudes like “faith isn’t based on reason, that’s why it’s called faith”, or “God doesn’t need us to defend him, just preach the gospel.” That sounds spiritual, but it isn’t biblical. That’s not the way Jesus operated, and that’s not the way the early church operated either. Here I list off some verses and various passages that demonstrate that apologetics is one of the most biblical and spiritual things you can be involved in: 1. 1 Peter 3:15-16 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for … Read more

Preach the Gospel at All Times, and Words are Absolutely Necessary

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“Preach at all times. Use words if necessary.” You probably have heard this quote before if you’ve been in churches any length of time. It’s been attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, but there’s some dispute about whether or not he actually said it. I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking a couple of different things: 1. “Wow! How I live in the world really matters. I need to live a life of integrity and love in the world.” 2. “Whew! What a relief! I’m already pretty introverted, so now I’m excused from evangelism. If I’m a good enough person, some people will eventually ask me what makes me so different” Guess … Read more

Is Jesus Alive?