#128 Introduction to Apologetics
Why do we engage in apologetics?
We engage in apologetics because it is the foundation on which we rationalize our faith. According to Gould, there are three reasons apologetics is important. First, “apologetics addresses the ideas and values embraced by a culture that shape its receptivity to the gospel.” Second, it helps us become more Christlike as we learn what we believe and why we believe it. Thirdly Gould suggests that apologetics helps to win unbelievers. These reasons are fairly sound and seemingly make a strong argument for learning apologetics. But I wonder if there is reason to believe that the second and third reasons are merely what Christians ought to do and learn simply by reading the Bible? I agree with Gould in these two reasons for the value of apologetics but I might phrase it as, apologetics helps deepen our understanding of Scripture and thereby potentially increase our faith. The value of apologetics to spiritual formation is only meaningful in its subservience to the Bible. But apologetics as a way to make the road to Christ easier and wider definitely has more merit in my opinion. As for the first reason that Gould suggests apologetics that it helps connect it to our cultural values, that is vitally important. But I again wonder if that is not better served in some other way.
What is the relationship of truth to knowledge and faith?
According to Gould, truth, knowledge, and faith, relate to each other in specific meaningful ways. Gould says that, “faith and reason are perfectly compatible and, indeed, are importantly related. Reason, in our view, is a tool for coming to know upon what sort of object we should venture our trust. It helps us to know what objects are trustworthy—or, what we may call faithworthy.” Truth is based on facts, Gould says that when we make a claim it also has a proposition attached. The claim is only true if the proposition is based on reality. While knowledge has three conditions. The conditions are that you must believe it, the proposition must be true, and there must be good reasons for the belief. William Lane Craig suggests the idea of inner experience where our inner experience of the nature of God acts as a sort of proof or knowledge. Truth, knowledge, and faith, relate to each other such we do not need to suspend truth or knowledge to have faith. It seems that truth is the underlying proposition, knowledge is our claim about truth, and that faith is our conclusion. Or as Gould puts it faithworthy.
1. Paul Gould, Travis Dickinson, and Keith Loftin, Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 8.
2. Paul Gould, Travis Dickinson, and Keith Loftin, Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 31.
