Apologetics. It’s a word that I personally never felt comfortable using when talking about defending our faith. It reminded me too much of “apology” – as if we are making one for what we believe. But the definition of the word is entirely accurate. According to the Oxford Languages dictionary, apologetics means “reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.” 

Now that one makes sense. It means that logic and reason don’t have to take an absolute swan dive to believe what we believe.

Of course, some may ask why that is important. After all, they may say, the Word of God should not need to be defended – and yet, what about someone who doesn’t believe the Bible is the word of God, and doesn’t understand why we believe it? Others may believe that human reason can’t answer anything about God, but isn’t that, in itself, a statement of reason about God?

The great author and Christian apologist Norman Geisler (“I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”) put it this way: “This does not mean there is no room for faith. But God wants us to take a step of faith in the light of evidence, rather than to leap in the dark.”

Generally speaking, people seem to refuse to believe something – rather, believe in something – without evidence. Oh sure, they’ll often believe what is said on the news they listen to, or even to a degree on social media, without evidence. But to give up control of their lives, to submit to a moral authority greater than themselves, they need evidence. After a lifetime of being taught that evolution is a fact – and hearing about how Christianity is “evil” – they need truth. They need to hear of the love of Christ.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

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