There is no lack of apologists attacking other apologists. The internet has made this both easier and more public. I understand that many apologists are so zealous for the truth (as they understand it) that it is just as easy to attack Christian apologists as it is to attack skeptics. They likely see their activities as building the kingdom of God. It breaks my heart when I see these attacks and I would like to share five reasons why apologists should not do this.
1. Christianity (even evangelicalism if you want to be that specific) is a big tent and there is plenty of room for diversity. One would have to go pretty far to stray into heresy. Just because you disagree with a position does not mean it is outside orthodox Christianity.
2. While truth is objective, our understanding of it is subjective. Have you ever considered that you might be wrong and the other person is right? It is possible. Have some humility on these issues.
3. It is a bad witness. Non-Christians watch these debates (if they can be called that) and their unbelief is only strengthened. This does not mean we cannot disagree, but when we express ourselves in angry and petty ways, we raise barriers to people’s embrace of Christianity.
4. The Bible tells us to use our words to build up and not to tear down. Ask yourself what you are doing when you disagree with another. Think about how the apostles (think Acts 17) spoke to unbelievers, If we are to be respectful toward unbelievers, surely we can be respectful to believers.
5, We are all working together for the kingdom. It does not matter if we have some differences of theology (as long as we are within orthodox limits), we are all on the same team. Pentecostals and Anglicans are very different (I say that as both a former Anglican and a former Pentecostal) and yet they both are working to see God’s kingdom expand.
I know this will not make apologists stop fighting. The love of the argument is often what draws people into apologetics. But I hope it will make people think twice about how they disagree.
- Apologetics
- Apologists
- Conflict
