MY BACKGROUND IN APOLOGETICS
I have a hard time expressing my background in apologetics. I know I have a limited
understanding of what it actually is, and for the past few years, I have grown closer to the Lord
and asked what exactly apologetics is to my Christian friends, but even they seem to not fully
grasp what it is. I have been told it is the defense of the written word, but not much more than
that, and when I look at how I have applied apologetics to my life, I feel like I have failed. I
chose to start this degree because I wanted to understand the Bible more and have confidence
when speaking about my faith and the Bible.
When I was growing up, I was the youngest and the only one in my family who wanted
to learn more about the Bible and God. However, we grew up on a farm, and the expectation was
farm work came before everything else, including church and homework. However, while I was
younger and not much help between the ages of three and five, I could go to Sunday school with
the neighbors to learn more. However, this created a life of my brother and sister torturing me,
one example being they would lock me in woodboxes or attics, telling me to pray my way out of
them even though I do not believe this kept me from feeling any less, but I think it affected my
confidence in speaking about my faith and defending it.
I am not close to anyone in my family today. We will speak every now and again, but it
will typically turn into some insult about how my God let them down and all their problems that
are created because of their actions are because my God is cruel and unjust. Still, then they will
claim to be atheists. These arguments and actions by my family make me sick to my stomach. I
want nothing to do with them. I know I am supposed to be in the world sharing about my faith,
and I am, but I find myself afraid to fight with people about anything. Perhaps I am not able to
see beyond my own convictions. In our study book, it says, "We can know God is real because
he cares for his people, but it is also true that sometimes he doesn't protect, heal, provide for or
MY BACKGROUND IN APOLOGETICS
deliver them" (Chatraw, J. D. & Allen, M. D. (2018). Apologetics at the Cross. HarperCollins
Christian.) Knowing this but not knowing how to describe it to a nonbeliever accurately is
significantly harder for me than sharing it with a believer, and I feel inadequate in sharing it with
nonbelievers because to me, saying it to them comes out as well, and bad things happen too. Get
over it.
My goal is, by the time I am done with this degree, to have a deep enough understanding
of the Bible and the ability to communicate about it in a way that is not argumentative and overly
emotional, preventing me from helping in any way. I am always trying to follow the Bible verse
1 Peter 3:15 "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness
and respect,"(1 Peter 3:15) but I am typically speaking to people who already have a base faith.
As I continue to read and learn more about apologetics, it seems even within our
Christian communities; there are arguments for and against apologetics, such as 'the Gospel does
not require representatives with a sense of responsibility, for it is as responsible for those who
proclaim it as it is for those to whom it is proclaimed' (Barth 1933, p. 35). I feel every time I
think I am gaining an understanding, I am somehow losing perspective.
In the book Apologetics: Sharing the Relevance, Joy, and Wonder of the Christian
Faith, apologetics is considered" an approach to affirming, defending, and explaining the
Christian faith by telling stories." (McGrath, Alister E). Reading this makes me feel like I might
better understand apologetics, and maybe I can help others through it, as it seems way less
abrasive than I imagined.
My personal reservations about not being able to speak from an educated standpoint were
called into question in 1 Corinthians 2 when Paul says "And so it was with me, brothers and
MY BACKGROUND IN APOLOGETICS
sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to
you the testimony about God." this to me as pointed out in our reading Chatraw, J. D., & Allen,
M. D. (2018). Apologetics at the Cross. Harper Collins Christian that in Biblical times, being
able to speak with a certain oratory skill was a sign of elevation and gave the speaker authority.
This is still true today in many individuals' communication styles, but perhaps it is not a good
reason for me not to be willing to speak out on my faith. Most people do not care much about
how well you say something but more or less about the meaning of what you say.
I believe that I can be better at applying apologetics in my everyday life so long as I can
keep from becoming emotional, responding in a hateful manner, or detracting from the gospel by
trying to speak in a way that condemns those I am talking with as pointed out in Apologetics at
the Cross. Harper Collins Christian when they share how Pual refused to let the gospel's message
be judged by how well the speaker spoke.
MY BACKGROUND IN APOLOGETICS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barth, Karl. The Epistle to the Romans; 6th ed. Hoskyns, Edwyn. Oxford University Press:
Oxford, 1933
Chatraw, J. D., & Allen, M. D. (2018). Apologetics at the Cross. HarperCollins
Christian. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9780310524724
McGrath, Alister E. Narrative Apologetics : Sharing the Relevance, Joy, and Wonder of the
Christian Faith, Baker Books, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=5892252.
Created from liberty on 2024-01-22 23:34:18.
1 Corinthians 2
1 Peter 3:15
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