The arena of Christian apologetics is experiencing a rise in popularity. That is not to say that every person who calls himself an apologist is one. But, a quick glance will show that there is an opportunity for almost anyone interested to learn about apologetics easily. Most of the Southern Baptist seminaries now have apologetics programs. The NAMB began the CAI program that I am a part of, programs in apologetics at Biola and Liberty are thriving, and there is simply a rise in interest in the topic. In fact recently Lee Strobel said he believes that, “we are on the cusp of a golden era of apologetics.” If you are a reader of this blog, you realize that recently I launched an apologetics ministry of my own. Why would I do this if I believe there is a trend of a rising awareness in apologetics, and if apologetics is becoming more popular and maybe more successful? There are a couple of reasons. One is that I believe God has gifted me as an apologist. Although, I hope it goes without saying that I would not launch a ministry if I did not believe I was gifted for it. The most significant reason I have decided to launch an apologetics ministry is because I have the opportunity to fill a gap that I see in the current state of Christian apologetics.
Maybe I should say it like this, I’m not trying to be, or to compete with, William lane Craig or anyone of his ilk. My desire is not to engage in public debate with atheists or Muslims or anything of the sort. Although I have begun writing a book, it is not academic in nature. I believe that type of ministry which is largely academic is noble and wonderful, but it is not where my gifting lies, and it is not my goal as an apologist.
My goal and desire as an apologist is to encourage the church.
My call to the ministry was to the church. I believe that God has gifted me to teach and explain in simple terms the concepts of apologetics, and I believe that these concepts are needed in the pews of our churches. My desire is to come into a church for an apologetics weekend and at the end of the weekend those in attendance will be able more able to defend their faith than they were at the beginning. I desire for people in attendance to have more confidence in the reasonableness of their faith. I want church people to not have their confidence shaken by every atheist they hear from on TV.
I believe that there is plenty of room for a ministry of this sort in our churches and I believe that even if we are a cusp of a golden age of apologetics, it has not made it to the pews. I have some anecdotal evidence of this. Just look at this poll from my website.
In the first part of The God Question Moreland addresses the reason why Americans don’t know how to be happy. He even diagnoses the problem. We don’t know how to be happy because we have decided to reject the notion of moral right and wrongness. And addressing the reader directly he transitions into a work of apologetics. This direct address to the reader as “you” is an approach I have never seen before. Though Moreland does his best to be gentle, the subject is inherently offensive. I wonder how effective this approach is to someone who is a committed agnostic. (Is that an oxymoron?) At any rate It is a novel approach and the book remains interesting. Moreland ventures into territory rarely addressed by apologetics as well. He discusses the reality of demons and the importance of prayer and worship. These topics are usually not found in apologetics books.
In The Reason for God Keller uses the introduction to admit that there are genuine differences in those who are skeptics of God, Christianity, and religion and Christians. He explains that in his view doubts are not bad because they lead us to seek answers. If we seek answers we will find the truth; God is real and Christianity is true. In the first section of the book he addresses a host of doubts that people have expressed to him. Then in the second section he builds the case for Christianity.