On Guard What is Apologetics?

Key Verse – 1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer (or defence - apologia) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Apologetics is not saying you are sorry Apologia is Greek for “defence” as in a court of law Christian apologetics is how to defend what the Bible teaches as in a court of law Making a case for the truth of the Christian faith

Our Manner Gentle and respectful Defence without being defensive Arguments without being argumentative Argument = a series of statements leading to a conclusion Good arguments -> less anxiety

Is Apologetics Biblical? Jesus – Miracles – Fulfilled prophecy Apostles - to Jews – Miracles – Fulfilled Prophecy – Resurrection Apostles – to Gentiles – Existence of God from nature – Eye witness testimony to resurrection Trusted Holy Spirit to use evidence and arguments

Why is Apologetics Important? 1.Shaping Culture 2.Strengthening Believers 3.Winning Unbelievers

1. Shaping Culture Secularists want to eliminate religion from public sphere Media portrays Christians in a negative way New Atheists want to eliminate belief entirely Belief in God is still common Belief in Jesus is politically incorrect Religious people are dangerous and must not be allowed to influence society

Unreasonable Faith The public perception: – Faith is believing something you know ain’t true. (Mark Twain) – Faith means blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence. (Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene) Unfortunately it is often true Is this your view of Faith?

Why not just preach the gospel? The gospel is never heard in isolation Without apologetics the gospel appears absurd Christian belief is assumed to be absurd Apologetics is required to change perception about Christians Christians can be thoughtful rather than emotional fanatics Gospel can then be viewed as a real alternative

2. Strengthening Believers Personal Benefits – Know why you believe – Keep faith in times of doubt or trouble – Personal development - makes you a deeper and more interesting person

2.1 Know Why You Believe More confident in sharing faith Opponents are usually quite ignorant If you know the answers then you will be bold

2.2 Keep Faith During doubt Need more substance than emotions Prevent Christians abandoning faith Especially important for young people Church often focuses on – Emotional worship – Felt needs – Entertainment Sitting ducks to opposition

2.3 Personal Development Culture engrossed with celebrities, entertainment, sport and self-indulgence Apologetics addresses life’s deepest question Become more thoughtful Think logically Deeper appreciation of Christian truths Develop a Christian world view

3. Winning Unbelievers Do people come to Christ through arguments? Only a minority respond to the gospel Arguments may have a cumulative effect Only a minority respond to apologetics Each person is precious That minority is highly influential In fact apologetics is effective

Logical Arguments Arguments consist of premises and a conclusion There are 9 rules of logic If the premises are true and you follow the rules of logic then the conclusion is guaranteed to be true.

An Example of a Valid Argument 1.All men are mortal 2.Socrates is a man 3.Therefore Socrates is mortal