DR. ALEX MCFARLAND: Apologetics Isn't all that Necessary, Until It Is

ANALYSIS

The phone call came at an unusually late hour.  

It was a physician friend, and the tone of his voice was frantic: His daughter had gone to Haiti for a year-long assignment with the Peace Corps. While serving there, she came into contact with a religious cult that pursued her with increasing diligence. Members of the sect informed her she possessed the mark of the beast, she was headed to hell, and her only hope and recourse was to undergo private . . . rituals alone with several of the male leaders.

Disobeying the cult leaders, the young woman had called her parents, back in the states. Her confusion, self-doubts, and outright fear had reached a breaking point. She was in a vulnerable, dangerous position.      

Both parents were medical professionals, a very well-to-do family in our city, but could be fairly described as only "nominally Christian." During previous conversations whenever they had asked me to explain what "apologetics" was all about, it was obvious they were unimpressed.  

They later told me that (prior to this Haiti incident) they viewed our ministry as, "Evangelical zealots, picky about religious issues we all have different opinions on . . ."

But tonight was different: Suddenly . . . theological help was needed. The doctor's tone was beyond urgent. I was on the phone with a father who was panicking.

"My daughter is in trouble," he said. "I am afraid she is suicidal. She's 2,000 miles from home, screaming in fear, and I don't know what to tell her."

And then, he added this: "We called our pastor and he doesn't know what to do, either."

I was familiar with the left-leaning, mainline-denominational church this family occasionally attended. Though I held my tongue during this dire phone call, I knew that their woke pastoral staff would be zero help in reasoning this girl out of the persuasions of a cult. I prayed for God's wisdom as the father gave instructions:

"Alex, please write down this phone number. You must dial 011, then 509 . . . "  

This incident happened when international cell phone calls were still very expensive. The father said to me, "I don't care what this costs or how long you talk— I'll reimburse your bill and pay you anything you ask. Please phone my daughter right now and talk to her about . . . that 'evidence for Christianity' stuff you do."

The father added, "It doesn't matter the time, but please call me after you and she talk."  

I had my assignment. And a moment or so after midnight, I dialed Haiti.     

A positive ending from a spiritual crisis

While the cell phone connection I had with the young woman in Haiti was somewhat scratchy, the spiritual connection God gave us was perfectly clear. I explained that her Dad had asked me to call, and I reassured her that everything was going to be OK. Though I had a pretty good idea which cult had been after her, my assumptions were validated as she repeated some of the false teachings she had been hearing.

The phone call to Haiti that night resulted in a three-hour-plus conversation that became a crash course in apologetics and Biblical orthodoxy. The precious value of God's Word and sound reasoning could not be missed: When we had begun our conversation, the young woman was actually hyperventilating, so full of anxiety through heretical teachings and attempted brainwashing.

We unpacked, line by line, the false teachings with which she had been pummeled. And verse-by-verse, we discussed Biblical promises, soundly reasoned, and I could hear her panicked breathing smooth out. She prayed to accept Christ as her Savior, joyfully noting of God's love and truth, "This all makes sense now!  I . . . I . . get it!"

Till three in the morning, the young woman and I talked theology, Bible truth, the history of cults, and the role of apologetics in evangelism and discipleship. What began as "talking someone off a ledge" psychologically, turned in to a celebration of the assurance any person may possess through knowing Scripture (and the compelling lines of evidence that affirm it).   

Though separated by 2,000 miles, speaking through cell phone static till the wee hours of the morning, God's Holy Spirit was able to work in and through our conversation.

As we concluded our tutorial on the core truths of Christianity, my new sister in the Lord asked, "I've been in church my whole life. Why haven't I heard any of these things before?"     

Protecting those who are spiritually vulnerable

Christian thinker G. K. Chesterton observed in 1933 that while it is important to win the unsaved to Christianity, leaders must increasingly endeavor to "convert the Christians to Christianity."

Chesterton's remark was a timeless reminder that the church must be ever dedicated in its duty to pass on biblical truth to rising generations.

Today more belief systems than ever are competing for the attention of people. Because of this, I believe it is vital for churches to incorporate Biblical worldview content and apologetics into their ministries. 

"Worldview" is a term referring to what a person believes.

"Apologetics" is all about why one believes the things he believes.  

Individuals within the church—and those on the outside possibly looking in—need to learn about both.

The Greek word for apologetics appears several times in the Bible. Usually translated as "answer" and "reason," apologia means "a defense." A few of the categories of Christian apologetics include the following: (1) textual apologetics—defending the trustworthiness of the Bible and then presenting the content of what it says; (2) evidence-based apologetics—presenting external data that provide objective confirmation of the Christian faith (such as historical or scientific facts); and (3) philosophical apologetics—exposing the flawed reasoning behind popular arguments against Christianity.

Much has been written about the decades-long erosion of Christianity in America and the West. Cultural and spiritual challengers to Christianity are even causing some church members to ponder how Christianity stacks up against competing beliefs. 

Statements like "You've-got-your-truth-and-I've-got-mine," or "Jesus was just one of many great spiritual leaders" have become axiomatic in our culture. Knowledge of apologetics helps both Christians and non-Christians understand why the claims of Christianity are to be preferred rather than those of some other belief system. 

The rise of secular humanism throughout the world is also a reminder of the need for apologetics. Why not just embrace the atheism and "truth-denying-inclusion" insisted on by popular culture, pagan Western academia, and clueless liberal politicians?

The answer is multifaceted. But Christianity is to be believed and followed because it is true. In a world of sincerely held opinions, Christianity comes via historical (yet personally relevant) facts. Christianity — defensively stated — could change our culture. In literally thousands of cases (like the one recounted above), we've seen it quickly transform hearts and lives.  

All New Testament Occurrences of the Word for "Apologetics"

The following eight verses from the New Testament all include the Greek word apologia, a legal term that means "to speak in defense of." 

Acts 22:1
"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense."

Acts 25:16
"I answered them that it's not the Romans' custom to give any man up before the accused confronts the accusers face to face and has an opportunity to give a defense concerning the charges."

1 Corinthians 9:3
"My defense to those who examine me is this."

2 Corinthians 7:11
"For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter."

Philippians 1:7
"It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel."

Philippians 1:16
"These do out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel."

2 Timothy 4:16
"At my first defense, no one came to my assistance, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them."

1 Peter 3:15
"But set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you to for a reason for the hope that is in you."

Dr. Alex McFarland is a youth, religion and culture expert, a national talk show host and speaker, educator, and is author of 20 books. McFarland directs Biblical Worldview and apologetics for Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, CO. Via the American Family Radio Network, Alex is heard live on Exploring the Word, airing daily on nearly 200 radio stations across the U.S. The Alex McFarland Show airs weekly on NRBTV, providing Biblically faithful TV and discussion on current events affecting our nation.