Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Genuine Apologetics
There seemed to be a theme ringing in the world of apologetics yesterday. Broken Messenger opened up the discussion with this gem
Glenn Lucke at Common Grounds Online hits the nail pretty well examining I Peter 3:15
But as Lewis states elsewhere, Christians are the best example for and against Christianity - and so we Christians should take heed. No one wants to go looking for more evidence about God, if the testimony they see before them seems hypocritical.To be fair to the Messenger, his post is about not letting "bad" Christians stand in the way of your faith, but in doing so, he has hit on a very important point.
Glenn Lucke at Common Grounds Online hits the nail pretty well examining I Peter 3:15
So again, is this what Peter intended?Jollyblogger summarizes Glenn in this way
The general context of the letter suggests that Peter was possibly in Rome and he was writing to Christians who were suffering various forms of persecution. Peter?s language about trials and suffering sounds jarringly different from the prosperity blandishments of some television preachers. He exhorts the believers to live as sojourners and exiles in the world, and he exhorts them to live holy lives radiating heartfelt love for their brothers.
Woven throughout the letter are Peter?s imperatives. ?Do what is right. Suffer for righteousness, not for evil deeds.? Immediately before 3:15 Peter writes, ?But even if you should suffer for righteousness? sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.?
If I may paraphrase, Peter is saying, ?Do good, and not evil, and much of the time people won?t persecute you. But even if they do persecute you for righteous living, do not fear them. When they make fun of you, when they exclude you, when they fire you or boycott your business, when they beat you, when they are doing their worst to you, even in those moments?do not fear.?
But Glenn is getting at something more profound and that is that the defense of the faith goes beyond intellectual argumentation. It seems that our most powerful apologetic defense of the faith comes in our response to suffering, not our intellectual arguments. In other words, the apologetics that are enjoined here are apologetics that give a reason for hope in the midst of suffering. Sure, if the theistic arguments are the things that bring you comfort and hope in the midst of suffering then by all means use them. But for most of us, suffering is not a merely intellectual thing with intellectual responses. Glenn's closing paragraphs get at the heart of suffering and the heart of our hope in the midst of suffering.Which brings us full circle to Messenger's citation of Lewis -- the best evidence for Christian faith cannot be stated. It is not an argument or a syllogism. Intellectual acknowledgement of Christianity is but a step on the journey to genuine faith. They great apologetic work is not in the words of the professor, but in the life of the believer. By all means learn, study, read, but more -- LIVE! Live like Jesus is the most important person in the world to you. Live like you mean it on Sunday morning.
