There are so many theories and topics for apologists to remember. What are the best arguments for the existence of God? How do you demonstrate the resurrection of Jesus? In the midst of those important things, there are some essentials that we dare not forget.
1. Remember why you do apologetics. It is not to win an argument. It is not to humiliate an opponent. It is to help seekers come to faith and to help Christians grow in confidence.
2. Strengthen your own faith first. Airlines always remind us that in case of an emergency, we must give ourselves oxygen before giving it to those with us. That is good advice. Do not become a famous apologist at the cost of your faith.
3. Our role is limited. We can feel the pressure of introducing the Gospel, seeing the conversion and doing all the discipleship. Instead we are likely to be one part of a large puzzle. Don’t be overwhelmed by the entire job. Do what you can and let the next person continue from there. As Greg Koukl says, be content to put a stone in their shoe.
4. The Spirit is essential. We need to do our best at addressing questions and providing reasons for our faith. But it does not rest all on our work. We need the Holy Spirit to use our words to make the changes. This is not an excuse to be lazy. It is a reason to be humble at our role.
5. Keep things Jesus-centred. This does not mean you can’t address other topics. But eventually bring things back to Jesus. People are not saved by faith in Noah or Jonah. Some how find a way to get the topic back to Jesus.
6. Be respectful. People we speak with can be hostile. Keep your cool. Not only do we have to worry about how they will react, we need to care about those who are observing the conversation.
7. You don’t have to answer every question. There are times that people have legitimate questions and those should be answered. But there are skeptics who will replace every answer with two more questions. They just want to take up your time. You need to decide the best way to use your time and energy.
8. Do your homework. The worst thing is when an apologist gets lazy and puts forward an argument not based on facts. Beware of urban legends even if they sound helpful to your point. The truth will ultimately be revealed. Credibility is too valuable to lose.
9. Walk to walk. None of us is perfect. But there is a certain standard that we should aim for. It is correct that what we say should be true aside from how we live. But reality is that people will not take our arguments seriously if they know we are living an ungodly life.
10. Take time off apologetics. Apologetics is important but it is not everything. Take up a hobby. Read some fiction. Go on a date with your wife. Play with your kids. Taking a break from apologetics will actually make you a better apologist in the long run.
- Apologetics
- Apologists
