What is Apologetics?

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows.

Together bringing you truth. For a new generation, this is TNG Radio. I got a call two days ago from a parent whose child is in high school and the child for a research paper project wanted to write about the Bible. And the teacher said to the student, uh, you can't write on the Bible because the Bible is not historical.

So the parent asked me, Alex, is the Bible historical? Now with that, and we're going to unpack that, we welcome you to today's edition of Truth for a New Generation Radio. And we're going to talk about apologetics and Christian worldview. Maybe some of the questions that you've heard or maybe pondered yourself.

And we're going to look at how we can defend the Bible and how we can speak with accuracy about the truth of God's inspired, infallible word. Dylan Burrows, it's great to have you as always. Welcome, my dear brother. Great to be with you, Alex. Yeah, you and I have been traveling.

It was our privilege. We were in Nashville, Tennessee for a convention just last week, actually. And you're back in Chattanooga, your hometown.

And I'm back in North Carolina. But before we get into the topic of apologetics, we've got a pretty big thing coming up in a few days that we've been working on for a long time. You want to tell people about our big conference?

Well, certainly. For those who are unfamiliar with Truth for a New Generation, we have a conference coming up that's a national conference in Greensboro, North Carolina area coming up March 23rd and 24th. And you do not want to miss this. This is a time to be equipped and inspired in your faith. There will be people there, such as Todd Starnes from Fox News. There will be one of the greatest apologetics leaders of our time, Josh McDowell. We'll have an entire cast of experts in defending the faith that you want to be part of and bring your church to as well.

So please get the information at truthfornewgeneration.com. Alex will be speaking there as well. In case you're wondering, he will be hosting the event and looking forward to meeting with you in person at that time.

You know, Dylan, you and I were in Nashville at the big conference, and I was talking to a publisher. In fact, we're working on a book right now on revival and spiritual awakening. But one of the publishers with whom we work told me that worldview and apologetics are the biggest areas of growth in Christian publishing.

And part of the reason for that is because people have questions. Well, 1 Peter 3.15, a very, very famous verse, says, �Set apart Christ as Lord in your heart, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that you have. Do this with gentleness and respect.� The King James says, �With meekness and fear.� But Dylan, you know, every time I read 1 Peter 3.15, I think about so many things.

We have to make a decision. We have to resolve within our heart that we will be equipped. Set apart Christ as Lord in your heart.

And what? Be prepared. Be ready always to give an answer. Dylan, why do you think 1 Peter 3.15 seems to be such a clarion call that we get equipped, we be equipped, and we stay equipped?

Well, the first thing that stands out to most people is that it's the full package. It begins with our commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. It answers the reason for the hope within us, which deals with apologetics, answering the questions people have, addressing the misconceptions people have. And it also tells us the way to do it.

It tells us to do it with gentleness and respect, or gentleness and reverence, some translations say. And you look at that and you think, well, how is that relevant to my life today? Well, let me give you one quick example. When we were at this National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, recently, we had the opportunity to hear from Vice President Mike Pence. Now, that's quite an honor. You don't get to hear from the Vice President of the United States every day among a group of Christian leaders. And so I was interested to see what he would have to say. And of course, he spoke about some of the issues of our time. He addressed Billy Graham and the legacy that he has left. But near the end of his speech, he addressed and quoted this exact verse from 1 Peter 3.15 and 16. The Vice President of the United States believes it's an important part of our Christian faith to live it out, to defend it, and to address these issues with gentleness and reverence. And he challenged those Christian leaders in the room to do so.

And likewise, we're challenging you to do the same in your life today. Exactly. Exactly. Wonderful.

I'm glad you brought that up. Back to the phone call I got from the parent. The parent asked me a little bit, you know, nervously, my child wants to write a paper on the historicity of the Bible. Is the Bible historical? And the teacher said, you can't write on that subject because the Bible is not historical. So when they asked me, is the Bible historical? I said, well, yes and no. Do I believe the Old Testament accounts of Israel and all of the things that we read in Old and New Testaments? Did they really happen?

Of course. I believe with 1000% conviction in the truth, the trustworthiness of the Bible. But we began a conversation and I said, you know, within the Word of God, there are different, really different genres of literature. It is the Word of God, given by the Holy Spirit, inspired, preserved, and mark it down. The Bible is God's Word and you can depend on it. But there are things in the Bible that have not yet happened. For instance, the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, and John on the Isle of Patmos in Revelation, Revelation 4 through 22, I would say that is not historical, because it hasn't happened yet.

It's future. It's prophecy. Now, if this sounds like a complicated answer to a simple question, it's because sometimes presenting, explaining, and defending the faith does take a little bit of intellectual heavy lifting, I guess we could say, Dylan. And so, folks, on this show, on today's edition of Truth for New Generation, I want to talk about apologetics and really the biblical call to the life of the mind. Now, you might be thinking, yeah, but I'm just a church member. I'm not a pastor.

I'm not a professor. I'm not a missionary on the mission field. I just, I'm a Christian and I love the Lord.

I would say this, Dylan, and I want your response. It really is the privilege of every Christian, more than a privilege, really the duty of every Christian, to grow and to get a good solid grasp on what we believe and the reasons why. If we're going to rise to the challenge of 1 Peter 3.15 and be ready to give an answer, we have to embrace the responsibility to cultivate the Christian mind. That's true, and a great place to look at that is where Jesus talks about the greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.

Well, your mind is part of that. A lot of times we think emotionally we should be completely committed to Jesus Christ, and yes, we should, but intellectually we should as well. This is where scripture gives us many examples from the Apostle Paul and the other apostles in the New Testament of defending their beliefs in front of those who disputed the claims of Christ or those who believe they were up to no good and gave a clear presentation of who Jesus was, what he did, his resurrection, and how he can change our life today. When we come back here at Truth For A New Generation, we're going to talk more about some of these verses that address the issue of apologetics and worldview and how they impact your life today. So stick with us.

We'll be right back. Our country is falling apart. Political unrest, social upheaval, the breakdown of the family, the rise of atheism, the rise of Islam. Our religious freedoms are under attack. There's gender fluidity.

Gender identity is making a mess of freedom of expression. So we need to put some skin in the game and love this nation. As Christians, we are to stand strong.

There has to be some personal investment in the living out and the preservation of America. Stand Strong America will help you take the fear that you face and the bleakness that you face, but help you become a champion, a bold champion for Christ. In Stand Strong America, Jason Jimenez and I lay out the facts about our nation, the current condition, and how you, yes, you, your family, your church, your community can be involved in keeping this great republic.

Stand Strong America is a guide to bring courage and hope for you, the Christian, wherever Christian books are sold. Attention all Christians who would like to become more effective in presenting and defending their beliefs. This is Alex McFarland, and I urge you to attend the 2018 edition of Truth for a New Generation, the conference on apologetics, worldview and evidence for the Christian faith.

TNG is coming to Greensboro, North Carolina, March 23 and 24. Hear an amazing lineup, including Josh McDowell, apologist J. Warner Wallace, Lauren Green and Todd Starnes, both from Fox News, and much, much more. This is Abraham Hamilton, the third of the American Family Association. We're in a battle for the future of our nation, and I want to see you at Truth for a New Generation as we pray and get equipped to defend the faith, asking God to save our nation. Don't miss Truth for a New Generation, March 23 and 24, Greensboro, North Carolina. You may register at truthforanewgeneration.com.

That's truth, F-O-R, truthforanewgeneration.com. Some two centuries before the birth of Christ, Aristotle, the great thinker, to whom we are all indebted. You may not realize it, but we, every day of our life, have a little bit of debt we owe to Aristotle. Maybe we'll talk about that later, but Aristotle said all true learning is accompanied by pain. Well, welcome back to Truth for a New Generation Radio.

Alex McFarland, Dylan Burrows. We're talking about apologetics. And, you know, Dylan, reading the Bible, learning the Word of God, really understanding how the great themes of Scripture fit together, like God's great work of creation, God's great work of redemption. God called forth Abraham, who was the father of the Jewish nation, and God told Abraham, through you all the families of the earth would be blessed, because through Abraham and Israel came Jesus Christ the Savior. And then Christ rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven, and the church was birthed.

Peter preached at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came, Saul of Tarsus was saved, and the New Testament has the letters of Paul to the various churches, and so much about Christian living and evangelism and ministry and just precepts for life are all in there. And the Word of God closes out the final book of the canon of written revelation, the book Revelation, by John on the Isle of Patmos. Now, people frequently ask, is the Bible true? And the answer is yes. Is the message of the Bible that which corresponds to reality?

Absolutely. It's the Word of God. And the Bible says God cannot lie, and the Bible was given by God, therefore the Bible can't and won't lie. But Dylan, don't you think more than ever, we've got to help people understand, you know, we can't just give pat-glib answers when they've read books from sophisticated skeptics, or maybe they've read some blog site on the internet, and maybe their faith is shaken, and doubts have undermined their belief in Jesus.

We really do have to, on a lot of levels, be prepared. And friend, that brings us to our topic, Christian worldview and apologetics. Well certainly, when we look at the examples we see in the New Testament, the apostles and the early church leaders took great links to explain their faith to those who either did not believe and did not know about Jesus, or those who spoke out against them. And if we look at the Christian faith, we see two things about it. One, it's historical, meaning the facts about history that are mentioned in it are accurate as far as we can identify and evaluate. And second, that Christianity is a testable faith. It's something we can evaluate.

Is it something that really happened? Let's look at the evidence and see where it leads. And Alex, you are big on this, that you follow the evidence and see where it leads. You don't come to the Bible with some predetermined bias and say, this is what I think it says. You go to the Bible and you look at it and say, let's look at the evidence, let's see where it leads, and I'll make my decision based on where that leads me instead of where my preconceptions lead me. You hit on something, Dylan, that I think is really, it would be kind of an epiphany to a lot of people that faith claims can be tested. You know, all belief systems really are based on claims, a propositional statement. A proposition is a truth claim. Is the Bible the word of God, or is the Quran the word of God?

Did Jesus die on the cross and rise from the dead, or did he not? And when 1 Peter 3.15 says, be ready to give an answer, the word answer and the word reason in the original language is the word from which we get the word apologetic. Now let me say what apologetics is not. Apologetics, the Christian apologetics mission that we're talking about, is not apologizing. I know sometimes we'll get emails, Dylan, and letters from people who say, you know, just a minute, I don't apologize for being a Christian.

Not at all. Purge that from your mind. To say, I'm sorry, that's a Latin phrase, mea culpa, my guilt, I'm culpable. Apologetics in the New Testament sense is a legal word. It means to speak in defense of something. Acts 22 verse 1, it says, brothers and sisters, listen to my defense.

In 1 Corinthians 9 verse 3, Paul says, this is my defense, or my response, or my answer to those who sit in judgment of me. So when we talk about apologetics, or Christian apologetics, we might be talking about the evidence, like history or archaeology. We might be talking about the reasonableness of Christianity, that it really is rational and logical to believe in God and His Word and His Son Jesus Christ. We might be talking about a Christian response to competing faith claims. The Christian message versus the message of Buddhism, or Hinduism, or Baha'i, or Islam, you name it. We might be talking about what we might call experiential apologetics.

Changed lives. You know, Dylan, I love the story of Billy Graham when he was in London in 1957. People were coming forward and the altar call was going and there were people up in the stands and a man said to his neighbor, I need to go down there. And I want to go pray. Will you come with me? And the man said, I need to go down there too.

And the choir is singing just as I am. And the man said, look, before we go down there and do business with God and pray, here is your wallet back. I am a pickpocket and came in here to make some money, but I don't want to face God having stolen your wallet. Now, friend, that's experiential apologetics. That's an example of God's power to change a life. Now, understand this.

Listen very carefully, folks. Different religions could talk about how this or that religion caused somebody to change their behavior. In terms of apologetics, I really advocate what might be called an eclectic apologetic. In other words, when you put all these things together, the preservation of the biblical manuscripts, the content, what those manuscripts say, history, archaeology, philosophy, logic, really even mathematics, and that's another subject for another day, and then experientially the power of the gospel to change lives, to make a promiscuous person virtuous, a dishonest person honest, a selfish person selfless. I mean, the power of the gospel to change lives.

You take all of this together, and I believe it's a pretty compelling case for the truth, the trustworthiness, in fact, the urgency and relevancy of this wonderful message we call the gospel. You hit a very good point there, Alex, and that's the idea that we don't talk about the Christian faith as a deductive argument. In logic, there's deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning would be two plus two equals four.

The outcome must be a certain number or amount or objective. In inductive reasoning, we're compiling all the information and trying to make the most logical conclusion based on all of the evidence, and when it comes to the Christian faith, we can look at this evidence, we can evaluate it, we can test it, and see that it points toward the reasonableness and the accuracy and the integrity of Scripture and the teachings of Scripture. We want to help you look at more of these, so stick with us.

We'll be right back in a moment at Truth 4 New Generation Radio. If you're a Christian parent, you of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children. If you're a pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. Why do bad things happen? I interviewed hundreds of children, ages five to twelve, and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids.

Did Jesus ever sin? The book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask, the book, study guide and video series. You'll find it at AFASTORE.net. That's AFASTORE.net. Attention all Christians who believe that America needs a spiritual revival, an awakening, a message of the gospel for our times. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to attend the 2018 edition of Truth for a New Generation, the Conference on Apologetics, Worldview and Evidence for the Christian Faith, Greensboro, North Carolina, March 23 and 24.

Hear an amazing lineup that includes Josh McDowell, apologist J. Warner Wallace, Lauren Green and Todd Starnes, both from Fox News, attorney Abe Hamilton III of the American Family Association, music by the bands and orchestra from North Greenville University, and much, much more. Sessions for all ages, equipping you to share your faith confidently in any situation. Visit truthforanewgeneration.com, that's truthforanewgeneration.com, TNG 2018, to save a nation, March 23 and 24, brought to you by North Greenville University, where Christ makes the difference. To the captive it looks like freedom, to the orphan it feels like home, to the skeptic it might sound crazy, to believe in a God who loves.

In a world where our hearts are breaking and we're lost in the mess we've made, like a blinding light in the dead of the night, it's the gospel, the gospel that makes a way. Don't miss March 23-24, Greensboro, North Carolina, first time back in North Carolina in really 15 years, but you will see and hear in person Josh McDowell, J. Warner Wallace, Kamal Saleem, former Muslim Kamal Saleem, Juan Valdez, who's going to be talking about the issue, is Christianity based on ancient mythology, Todd Starnes from Fox News, Lauren Green from Fox News, it's amazing. The bands and singers from North Greenville University, and then also an exclusive screening of the movie The God Who Speaks, produced by American Family Studios, the last, as far as we know, the last filmed interview with the late theologian Dr. R.C.

Sproul. The website is truthforanewgeneration.com, truthforanewgeneration.com. Dylan, I'm so excited, we have partnered with Child Evangelism Fellowship, our dear friend Bob Fowler, Compassion International, the Billy Graham Radio Ministry, my dear friend Jim Kirkland up in Asheville at the Billy Graham Radio Broadcasting Department, and so many others. Friend, people are coming in just two weeks to central North Carolina. We've got registrants from Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, all around the country.

Why? Because of our theme, Save a Nation. We believe that the future of our country, if we have any hope, any future at all, it's in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to learn how to defend our faith, but we're going to pray. And this would be especially appropriate to bring a young person to. If you've got any teens or college students or young people in your life, Dylan, middle school is not too early to start kids on apologetics either, is it? You're exactly right.

I have two teenagers myself now. One is in high school, one in middle school, and seventh grade is about that age where the best questions come out. They start asking about the conflicts between science and the Christian faith. Why can't all religions lead to God?

Is there more than one way to heaven? And when those questions arise, that's the time to address it. Not to wait until college when you get into a class at a state university where you're being challenged for your faith, but when you are first growing in your faith, when you're first coming up with these questions where you can have an influence as a parent. So come if you're a parent, bring your young people with you.

This is going to be an exciting time. But as we turn back to our discussion today, I want us to also talk about this idea of apologetics from another angle. We talk about apologetics often as this idea of defending your faith.

But it's both a defense and an offense, isn't it, Alex? We have a side where we speak out against false ideas of the Bible and of God and of Jesus Christ, but there's also the positive case we make for the faith. That's what we see Paul talk about in Philippians 1-7 where he talks about speaking in the defense and the confirmation of the Gospel. That's something that Billy Graham was known for, being the outspoken advocate for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So we both defend those ideas, but we also do so in order to communicate the good news of Jesus, don't we, Alex?

We really do. And I think it's important that you're right. There's a negative in that we are dismantling false claims and we're trying to respond to attacks on the Gospel, but there's a positive that we're speaking in favor of this true message. And so think about three words. As you're a witness for Christ, as you're out there and people are watching the way you act, the way you react, what your priorities are, what you talk about, do your words match up with your walk, think about this. Present, explain, defend. Now friend, the way you walk and live and carry yourself, D.L. Moody talked about your comportment, the way that you project yourself. You are preaching a sermon.

You really are. And may God help all of us present a message that our life really is completely yielded to the Lord, and that we are showing, you know, we have a true Savior, and we're to be true messengers. We often talk about 1 Peter 3.15. Be ready always to give an answer. 1 Peter 2.15, also one of my favorite verses, it says, This is the will of God, that by doing well you will put to silence the arguments of foolish men.

1 Peter 3.15 is what we believe and why, but 1 Peter 2.15 is how we behave. And we have a true message. We need to be true messengers.

Present, explain. We need to be equipped to explain what the gospel is. And then if need be, and the situations do present themselves, we need to be able to defend the faith. That's what apologetics is.

Verses like 2 Corinthians 7.11, Paul says, With godly sorrow we are eager to clear ourselves. And defending their reputation. Again, apologetics is not apologizing for God, like, I'm a Christian, please like me anyway.

No. It's to speak in defense of something. And we've done this all of our lives. Like in 2 Corinthians 7.11, you know, maybe you're defending your reputation. Maybe you're defending why you love a certain brand of ice cream.

Who knows? But biblically, the word apologetics means to stand up for the faith. Jude verse 3 says that we believers are to earnestly contend for the faith. That means consistently, with conviction and passion, effectively present, explain, defend. Present, explain, defend the gospel. Now is this always easy? No, not necessarily.

But it's always the right thing to do. Dylan, I know you. You are a young theologian that I deeply, deeply respect. Some of the concepts of Christianity, some of the truth claims, some of the reality of the Bible, some are very simple.

God loves you. Others are very complex and require a little bit of thought, reflection. But isn't it in the times that we wrestle with complex intellectual ideas, isn't that the time in which we really, really grow?

It is. And I think so much about how things have changed over the years with us living in an information age where there's plenty of information for those who want to investigate the faith. But there is much to be said in terms of how to sift through the ideas of our time, how to determine what is right, what is true, what is most accurate.

But then there's also the way in which we present it. And I think about a college student I once shared my faith with, and I was really the first person who had shared the faith with him and had done so in a way that was caring and compassionate and compelling to him. So he hung with me long enough to come to faith in Christ. And I think about Ephesians 4.15, where it tells us to speak the truth in love.

Yes, we cannot compromise on the truth, on the issues of our time, but we must do so in a way that shows the love of Christ. So we are both convincing, we are compelling, and we are changing lives in the process. And we thank you for being with us here at Truth For A New Generation Radio. We look forward to being with you next time.

Thank you so much. Truth For A New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, to equip Christians with a biblical world view through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1. That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, P. O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. That's P. O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.