Apologetics

Lecture Two:

THE TASK OF PRESENTING YOUR CASE:

THE BIBLICAL MANDATE OF APOLOGETICS AND POLEMICS

MEET THOMAS: A MODERN COLLEGE DOUBTER

The following conversation has been duplicated many times. It took place between the author and a young college student at a coffee shop, around 9 p.m. during the summer of 2009. Though the argument offered by the student may be a bit more acidic that most of us face, the substance is certainly recognizable. Follow the lines of logic and argumentation used by this young intellectual.

Thomas (T): “Aren’t you one of those Christian speakers?”

Myself (Me): “Well, I am a speaker, but not a pastor.”

T: “Must be exciting, being able to assuage the fears of the ignorant sheep.”

M (smiling): “Wow. That was an interesting opening statement. I take it your

don’t believe in Christianity?”

T: “I don’t believe in anything that cannot be proven, and certainly nothing based

on racism and hatred.”

M: “So what do you believe in?”

T: “I believe in truth. I believe in diversity. I believe in every human’s right to live

their life the way they want, regardless of the ‘thought police.’ I believe in peace and justice. I most certainly do NOT believe in your God.”

The rest of the discussion lasted about fifteen minutes. A long, tedious, and depressing fifteen minutes. No matter how I probed, he inevitably resorted to caricatures and insults. Since I speak fluent sarcasm, I can also get quite caustic, but this time, I actually held my tongue. I felt sorry for the young man. It seemed that he was parroting back one-line bon mots that impressed fellow skeptics, but there was no depth to his beliefs. In fact, his main belief was that he held to no beliefs. An entire worldview based on vague actions of justice.

APOLOGETICS DEFINED:

What would you have done in the same situation? Would you have silently gritted your teeth, or would you have responded in anger? Would you have simply told him you would pray for...