"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning. . ." – Mere Christianity
"Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable." – Mere Christianity
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/cs-lewis-quotes.htm
I once had a friend who told me that she didn't like the word apologetics because it sounded like she should be sorry for something. She told me that she wasn't going to apologize for being a Christian. I am somewhat surprised by statements like this. It shows a basic naiveté about the faith. With our ability to 'google' just about anything, ignorance is no longer understandable. I went to the following website and found a comprehensive definition of this term.
http://www.carm.org/apologetics/apologetics/introduction-apologetics-0
´The word "apologetics" comes from the Greek word "apologia," pronounced, "ap-ol-og-ee?-ah." It means, "a verbal defense." It is used eight times in the New Testament: Acts 22:1; 25:16; 1 Cor. 9:3; 2 Cor. 7:11; Phil. 1;7; 2 Tim. 4:16, and 1 Pet. 3:15. But it is the last verse that is most commonly associated with Christian apologetics.
"….but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Pet. 3:15, NASB).
"Apologetics is the work of convincing people to change their views."
“Therefore, Christian apologetics is that branch of Christianity that deals with answering any and all critics who oppose or question the revelation of God in Christ and the Bible. It can include studying such subjects as biblical manuscript transmission, philosophy, biology, mathematics, evolution, and logic. But it can also consist of simply giving an answer to a question about Jesus or a Bible passage. The latter case is by far the most common and you don?t have to read a ton of books to do that”.
“Apologetics can be defensive and offensive. Phil. 1:7 gives us instruction on the defensive side, "For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my 2imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me." 2 Cor. 10:5-6 gives us instruction on the offensive side, "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." The apologist can and should defend his reasons for believing (1 Pet. 3:15). But he can also go on the attack. He can seek out those who oppose Christianity (2 Cor. 10:5). Of course, he should be prepared to do this beforehand, and all apologetics is to be done with gentleness”.
“Basically apologetics can be evidential (often called "classical") or presuppositional. Evidential apologetics deals with the evidence for Christianity: Jesus? resurrection, the biblical manuscripts, fulfilled prophecy, miracles, etc. Presuppositional apologetics deals with the presuppositions of those who oppose Christianity, because presuppositions affect how a person views evidence and reason”.
We thought it would be interesting to look at some of the great apologists of our day. There is a fascinating web site that lists its pick for the top 100 Christian apologists. It is called Apologetics 315 and can be found at this link:
http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/2009/06/100-christian-apologists.html
This site offers links to relevant web sites about these apologists. It also offers links to various apologetic groups. They are even handed, featuring both Ken Ham and his arch nemesis, Hugh Ross. We chose this term intentionally and will discuss the reason why in coming posts on the creationism debate.
Incredibly, neither The Fixed Point Foundation nor Dr. Francis Collins appears in the list which is a serious oversight. Since we have already discussed both we shall use this list as a guide.
Of course, our personal favorite, C.S. Lewis is listed. There is a link to an organization (http://www.cslewis.org/) which gives the reader much information. For Dee, Lewis was the first Christian author she read after coming to the faith. Mere Christianity is a must read for all Christians. Who can ever forget his apt description of Jesus as either a liar, lunatic (on the level of a poached egg) or Lord? Dee makes a habit of rereading the Chronicles of Narnia every five years.
2. G.K. Chesterton is wisely included. It was his works that a young atheist by the name of C.S. Lewis began his journey toward Jesus. He was a humorous, wickedly insightful man who challenged his culture. "A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." – Everlasting Man, 1925
(http://chesterton.org/discover/quotations.html)
3. How many of our readers who share a "certain" age with Dee and Deb can ever forget the great Francis Schaeffer — famous late cultural apologist, author, philosopher; founder of L'Abri? His book Whatever Happened to the Human Race is considered a Christian classic. (http://www.labri.org/)
Today, many great apologists and theologians are rising to the task of engaging our culture.
4. John Lennox – philosopher of science, mathematician, Oxford debater of Dawkins. Dr. Lennox actually heard some of C.S. Lewis' final lectures. If one has the pleasure of watching him speak, one might actually see a small spark of the puckish Lewis escaping this brilliant man's eyes. His book, God?s Undertaker, is a well-reasoned look at the issues facing Christians in Europe and the United States. He is a key debater for Fixed Point Foundation and is an ardent supporter of that organization. He often debates his fellow colleague at Oxford, Richard Dawkins.
(http://johnlennox.org/index.php/en/about/)
Francis J. Beckwith is Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies at Baylor University. He considers himself an evangelical Catholic which should cause a certain Jimmy Smryl's hair to curl. His book, Return to Rome: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic, is fascinating. (http://web.me.com/francis.beckwith/FrancisBeckwith.com/Bio.html
6. William Lane Craig – philosopher, theologian, apologist. He is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. His book- The Only Wise God: The Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom is considered a classic.
(http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer?pagename=publications_main
7. Dinesh D'Souza – writer, speaker, debater. Dee began to follow D'Souza's carreer when he was editor of the notorious Dartmouth Review, a conservative college newspaper that was causing heartburn for the entrenched liberals of that college. He became known for his Letters to a Young Conservative. He is considered by some to be the replacement for William F. Buckley Jr. He is Catholic in his theology. (http://dineshdsouza.com/more/about.html)
8. Ravi Zacharias: He is presently Visiting Lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University in Oxford, England where John Lennox is a professor. He is a widely known and respected Christian apologist. His book, Jesus Among Other Gods is a classic. (http://www.rzim.org/USA/AboutUs/RaviZacharias.aspx)
9. N.T. Wright: Bishop of Durham and is known for his works on the resurrection. In 1986 he returned to Oxford as University Lecturer in New Testament and Fellow and Chaplain of Worcester College, Oxford. He became Dean of Lichfield in 1994, and Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey in 2000. His book, Who Was Jesus is a classic. Once again, note the tie to Oxford. That place is a powerhouse! (http://www.ntwrightonline.com/)
Alister McGrath, Professor of Theology, Ministry and Education, and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture at King's College, London. This man is a notable scientists who majoring in pure and applied mathematics, physics and chemistry. The interaction of Christian theology and the natural sciences has subsequently been a major theme of his research work, and is best seen in the three volumes of his Scientific Theology (2001-3). (http://users.ox.ac.uk/%7Emcgrath/biography.html)
We urge you to go to the web site and see the names of all 100 apologists. We are blessed to have such talented apologists, many of whom are respected scientists. However, many Christians are falling into a post modern mindset in which they reject careful debate and substitute the mindless drivel of the likes of Joel Osteen and those who would dumb down Christianity. Instead of facing the real challenges of the New Atheism, many Christians turn their backs on the world and refuse to engage the questions of a modern culture. And in doing so, they are sacrificing their children. The majority of kids raised in Christian homes are losing their faith in college. Why? Because their parents didn't take the time to teach them "the reasons for the hope they have." Thank God that He has raised up men and women who are up to the challenge.