By: Dr.Paul Coulter
What
is ‘Apologetics’?
What is ‘Apologetics’?
The term ’apologetics’ derives from the Greek word apologia.
Although it is derived from the same word as the English noun ’apology’ and
adjective ’apologetic’ the meaning is quite significantly different. In the
ancient Greek world an apologia was a legal defence of oneself, similar to the
speech a modern day defence lawyer makes on behalf of their client. It did not
mean “a regretful
acknowledgement of an offence or failure” (the
Oxford English Dictionary definition of ’apology’) but a carefully reasoned
defence of one’s beliefs or actions.
We might, then, define Christian apologetics as follows:
The task of developing and sharing arguments for the
truth and rationality of Christianity and the falsehood and irrationality of
alternatives with the aim of strengthening the faith of believers and provoking
non believers to consider Christ
The significance of this definition will become clearer throughout
this article, but at this point it is important to emphasise that ’argument’ in
this context refers to a logical, reasoned case rather than an argumentative
style. Apologetics includes both developing and sharing arguments – it is not a
purely academic exercise conducted in an ivory tower, but a practical engagement with real people and real problems. You will also notice
that there are two sides to the arguments we seek to develop – a positive case
for Christianity and a negative case against alternative belief systems.
Furthermore, the ultimate aims of apologetics are not to develop clever
arguments but to see people led to faith and strengthened in their faith.
What Are the Origins of Apologetics?
In the second century AD, as Christianity began to engage at an
intellectual level with Greek philosophy and attractedgreater attention from
Roman society, a number of writers produced reasoned defences of the Christian
faith. Of these Justin Martyr (c. 100165 AD), a gentile from Samaria who was converted
after seeking truth in numerous philosophies and eventually died as a martyr in
Rome, is probably the best known and the most significant. These writers are
generally referred to as ‘the apologists’. Their writings collectively show
three major concerns:
