Why Study Apologetics

by David Rollert

For many years we have hosted an annual Apologetics seminar in November. Two important questions often arise about this practice. The first question is, what does apologetics mean? The second is, why do we host these seminars on such a frequent basis? These are great questions! This brief explanation will help everyone better understand the value of these seminars and hopefully motivate us to share this opportunity with everyone we know.

What does apologetics mean?

The word is defined as, “1: systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine). 2: a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity.” (Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary)

Apologetics is all about finding and presenting logical reasons to believe that the Bible is from God and that it is accurate. Peter speaks of this idea when he states:

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;” (1 Peter 3:15, NASB)

In this verse, the word translated as “make a defense” is the origin of our modern word “apologetics”. This word literally means “to answer in defense of oneself.” Thus, learning how to give a defense for our faith is not just a good idea, it is fulfilling a command!

Why do we host these seminars on such a regular basis?

There are many arguments for and against believing the Bible. The enemies of God are constantly presenting supposed reasons why people should disregard the Bible. Sceptics are continually questioning the validity and accuracy of the Bible. People find their faith constantly attacked by the dark world we live in. We must be prepared to answer those attacks. It’s necessary for the sake of our own faith, as well as for the sake of reaching those who need Christ.

Furthermore, New Hampshire is one of the least religious states in the union. Because of this, many of the people that we try to evangelize to will not have a belief in God at all. We must know how to present the facts about God and the Bible in a way that convinces them to believe in and obey God. To do this we will need more than emotional arguments, we will need to be able to present facts and compelling arguments to them.

Apologetics is an important topic and very much worth our time to study if we want to effectively reach those we love with the Gospel!