Written by by Doug Groothuis
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The evangelical world today suffers from apologetic anemia. Despite the fact
that holy Scripture calls believers to give a reason for the hope we have in
Christ (1 Peter 3:15; see also Jude 3), we sadly lack a public voice for
truth and reason in the marketplace of ideas. We do not have a strong
intellectual presence in popular or academic culture (although some areas,
such as philosophy, are more influenced by evangelicals than others). The
reasons for this anemia are multidimensional and complex.
Three recent books explore the lack of a "Christian mind" in contemporary
evangelicalism, and I highly recommend them. Mark Noll's The Scandal of the
Evangelical Mind (Eerdmans, 1994) explores the historical roots of
evangelical anti-intellectualism. Os Guinness's Fit Bodies, Fat Minds (Baker
Books, 1994), discusses some of the historical problems and also outlines
what a Christian mind should look like. J.P. Moreland's Love Your God with
all of Your Mind (Navpress, 1997) explains why Christians don't think,
develops a biblical theology of the mind, and offers helpful apologetic
arguments and strategies to empower the church intellectually.
My modest purpose is briefly to lay out six factors that illegitimately
inhibit apologetic engagement today. If these barriers are removed, our
apologetic witness may grow into what it should be in Christ.
1. Indifference
Too many Christians don't seem to care that Christianity is routinely
ridiculed as outdated, irrational, and narrow-minded in our culture. They may
complain that this "offends" them (just as everyone else is complaining that
one thing or another "offends" them), but they do little to counteract the
charges by offering a defense of the Christian world view in a variety of
settings. Yet Scripture commands all Christians to have a reason for the hope
that is within them and to present this with gentleness and respect to
unbelievers (1 Peter 3:15). Our attitude should be that of the Apostle Paul
who was "greatly distressed" when he beheld the idolatry of sophisticated
Athens. This zeal for the truth of God led him into a fruitful apologetic
encounter with the thinkers gathered to debate new ideas (see Acts 17). It
should for us as well. Just as God "so loved the world" that he sent Jesus to
set us right with God (John 3:16), Jesus' disciples should so love the world
that they endeavor to reach the lost by presenting the Gospel and answering
objections to the Christian faith (John 17:18).
2. Irrationalism
For some Christians, faith means belief in the absence of evidence and
argument. Worse yet, for some faith means belief in spite of evidence to the
contrary. The more irrational our beliefs, the better--the more "spiritual"
they are. Although Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 that God makes
foolish "the wisdom of this world" (because it is false wisdom), God's
revelation is not irrational; nor must belief in it be irrationally held. God
does not require us to suspend our critical faculties in order to believe
what he has made known. Through Isaiah, God declares to Israel, "Come let us
reason together" (Isaiah 1:18). Jesus commanded us to love God with all of
our minds (Matthew 22:37).
When Christians opt for irrationalism, they become just another "religious
option," and are classified along with Heaven's Gate, the Flat Earth Society,
and other intellectually impaired groups. In the wake of the Heaven's Gate
suicide, several major magazines such as Esquire, Newsweek, and US News and
World Report claimed that the faith of those who ended their life in
accordance with Marshall Applewhite's science fiction religion were no
stranger that Christians, who believe ridiculous things as well. Sadly, the
behavior of some Christians gives impetus to such accusations.
3. Ignorance
Many Christians are not aware of the tremendous intellectual resources
available to defend "the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints"
(Jude 3). This is largely because many major churches and parachurch
organizations virtually ignore apologetics. One major campus ministry with a
fine history and an otherwise splendid program offers no materials to help
students deal with the unbelief emanating from their secular professors. Few
evangelical sermons ever address the evidence for the existence of God, the
resurrection of Jesus, the justice of hell, the supremacy of Christ, or the
logical problems with nonChristian worldviews. Christian bestsellers, with
rare exceptions, indulge in groundless apocalyptic speculations, exalt
Christian celebrities (whose characters often do not fit their notoriety),
and revel in how-to methods. You can tell much about a movement by what it
reads, and by what it does not read.
4. Cowardice
In our pluralistic culture, a "live and let live" attitude is the norm, and a
capitulation to social pressure haunts evangelicalism and drains its
convictions. Too many evangelicals are more concerned about being "nice" and
"tolerant" than being biblical or faithful to the exclusive Gospel found in
their Bibles. Not enough evangelicals are willing to present and defend their
faith in challenging situations, whether at school, at work, or in other
public settings. The temptation is to privatize faith, to insulate and
isolate it from public life entirely. Yes, we are Christians (in our hearts),
but we have difficulty engaging anyone with what we believe and why we
believe it. This is nothing less than cowardice and a betrayal of what we say
we believe.
Consider Paul's inspired request for prayer and his admonition to us: "Devote
yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too that
God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of
Christ for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I
should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every
opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with
salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:2-6).
We may experience rejection; but Jesus called those who are persecuted for
his name's sake "blessed." "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute
you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and
be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). The Apostle
Peter echoes his Master: "If you are insulted because of the name of Christ,
you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you" (1 Peter
4:14).
On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit blesses our efforts, people will
respond with interest and even saving faith (Romans 1:16). We must never
forget that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, and that he has
commissioned us to declare and defend his Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20).
5. Arrogance and intellectual vanity
At the other end of the spectrum of error lies the arrogance of the
know-it-all apologist, who is more interested in displaying his or her
arsenal of arguments than in defending the truth in a godly manner. The
besetting sin of apologetics is intellectual pride, and it must be avoided at
all costs. The truth we defend is a gift of grace, not our intellectual
achievement. We develop our apologetic skills to sanctify ourselves in the
truth, to win souls for Christ, and to glorify God. We must "speak the truth
in love" (Eph. 4:15). Truth without love is arrogance; love without truth is
sentimentality.
Arrogance also occurs when some apologists accuse other believers of heresy
without sufficient evidence. Paul told the early church leaders to expect
heresy in its midst and to be on their guard against it (Acts 20:28-31). We
should do the same. However, we must be vigilant not to slander fellow
Christians or to assume the worst about them. I know of this error
first-hand, having myself once been accused of being New Age because a critic
horribly misread one portion of one my anti-New Age book, Unmasking the New
Age! Let's not waste our apologetic energies attacking other believers when
real heretics and unbelievers cry out for refutation and correction.
6. Superficial techniques or schlock apologetics
Some who get excited about apologetics may become content with superficial
answers to difficult intellectual questions. Our culture revels in rapid
responses to most anything, and technique is king. Some Christians memorize
pat answers to apologetic questions--such as the problem of evil or the
creation/evolution controversy--which they dispense without a proper
engagement of the issues and without an empathetic concern for the soul that
raises the question. I once saw a little book called something like The
Handy, Dandy Evolution Refuter. Yes, macro-evolution is false, and good
arguments have been raised against it from both nature and Scripture, but the
matter is not as simplistic as the title of that book makes it sound.
Apologetics must been done with intellectual integrity.
Francis Schaeffer's apologetic motto was that we must give "honest answers to
honest questions." First, we must really hear the question being asked or the
objection being raised. We must get inside the minds of those who are giving
reasons for not following Christ. Each person is different, not matter how
common some skeptical objections may be. Don't reduce people to cliches.
Second, respond to what you hear. Don't answer a question that was not asked.
Such a superficial approach will not impress the thoughtful unbeliever. If
you cannot come up with a sound answer to the objection at the time, don't
try to hide your ignorance or inability. Honestly admitting your limitations
is better than giving a shoddy answer. Tell the person that it is a good
point and you need to think more about it. Christianity is absolutely true;
but this doesn't imply that any one Christian can handle absolutely any
objection raised against it. We should avoid apologetic techniques, and
instead develop intellectual resources and cultivate real dialogue with
unbelievers.
Walter Martin rightly said that the evangelical church was a sleeping giant,
and he endeavored mightily to awaken it to its God-given potential to present
the Gospel and defend it against skeptical and cultic objections. With this
legacy in mind, may we rekindle this vision and find the passion and wisdom
to put it into effect through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
--Douglas Groothuis, PH.D. teaches philosophy at Denver Seminary and is the
author of seven books, the most recent being The Soul in Cyberspace (Baker,
1997).
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