Pride has No Place in Apologetics

When you think of apologetics the main thing that most likely comes to mind is providing arguments in the defense of something you hold dear or important. With that picture in mind, anyone can be an apologist for just about anything: Muslim apologist, abortion apologist, Hindu apologist, etc. What I specifically want to deal with here is the Christian apologist.

The verse that should be at the forefront of your mind regarding apologetics for Christianity is 1 Peter 3:15, be prepared always to give a reason for the hope that is in you and do so with gentleness and respect. As may be evident from the title of this discourse the focus is on the latter portion of this verse (gentleness and respect). When you picture in your mind that presenting arguments is what we are challenged to do it may seem quite difficult to argue gently and respectfully. However, I believe there may be a slight misstep here and it is thinking that we must "argue" for the faith. Arguing in the sense that we moderns understand it is not, I believe, the heart of giving a reason or apologia for the hope that is in us. It much like presenting a legal defense. Though these can get spirited, the goal in court is to keep a calm head and present the information as clearly and as respectfully as possible.

The inspiration for writing about this is that pride, admittedly, is a struggle that I personally deal with and generally speaking, I believe it is something that those who chase after intellectual pursuits tend to deal with as well. As apologists, we can be "heady" people or people who are more focused on the mind and getting the point across and less focused on the emotional and caring side of understanding. Understanding someone's perspective does not mean that you agree with them or that you think their position has merit but rather it shows that your goal is to meet the needs of that person because you care about them. That is why 1 Peter 3:15 is such an important passage to keep in mind whether you are debating someone professionally or it is a simple interaction with a friend or acquaintance over lunch. 

The primary goal of apologetics is to open up the possibility of Christianity for people. You could view it as a pre-evangelism. This is a very important step for some because they may have intellectual qualms against the Christian faith. With apologetics, we have the opportunity to break down some of those intellectual barriers that may preclude an emotional, heartfelt response to the gospel. 

Now, it should be the primary goal of every person conducting apologetics to see a change in the person. There should be a strong desire to see this person come to Christ but it should always be kept in the back of your mind that this person is not going to feel that desire if you brain bash them and prove their position wrong. If someone is unresponsive to the information and evidence that you are presenting it is not your job to try and prove their worldview as bunk. Planting seeds is an important part and can greatly be influenced by yourself or someone else later on. Apologetics is in the business of winning people to Christ by showing them that there are no intellectual barriers to belief in God and Christ as savior. 

There may be a temptation to keep arguing a point because you think there is so much more to present but when a person is done, they are done. There is nothing wrong with taking a time-out and picking it back up later. Most of these encounters with people take years to change their hearts and/ or minds and satisfying some feeling of victory in yourself will do nothing but close a door and shut down a person. Typically, once that person is shut down by the manner in which someone presents a case to them they are shut down towards that idea for a long time or maybe even forever.

Many (this is generally speaking of course) people have had terrible encounters with self-righteous Christians who think they know it all and this is a primary reason they disregard it has a viable option for their lives. This objection or complaint has merit to it because not all persons in the church are saved nor do all saved people act Christ-like. I have had a personal experience which taught me that the church is not always going to be there for you when you need them or when you feel lost and this is a scary thought. I was a believer and I was shutout from the church. The reason for this shutting out was because I was getting divorced and they had misguided information as to why, but their answer was to make me feel hated and despised when really reaching out, seeking truth and showing love would have been a far better response. So, the threat of losing people because of pride or not taking their struggles for real is a truly large problem.

Now, I should caveat this idea of grace or love with not being contentious. I am in no way suggesting that we cannot or should not be contentious because Jesus himself could be contentious. The skill in this is recognizing when being contentious is appropriate. A prime example of when to be contentious would be when someone is trying to present a heresy within the church body. Our goal is to present the gospel as Jesus provided it to us, that he is the only Son of God and provided the way for mankind to be with God. Paul said that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead we would be saved (Rom 10:9-10). Things can get a little more in-depth, but this is the basic gospel message. We want to preserve this message of truth, reach the lost, and strengthen those already in the body.

          Moving backward a little bit here, everything that the apologist does needs to be for the kingdom and to reach the lost. Nothing that we do is about the individual apologist nor is it strictly about the reasons or philosophy that you are presenting. Everything is being presented for the express purpose of reaching the lost and glorifying God. This is why pride has no place in apologetics. Although this may be very difficult at times, most good things generally are. I would encourage you to pray daily and simply thank God for the opportunities that you may have. Just be thankful that God can use you and be thankful for his mercy and grace. When praying simply thank God and the only thing to ask for is strength to always make it about him. Approaching my prayer life in this way, with just thankfulness, has drastically affected the manner in which I approach people (family or otherwise) because I am coming from the place that it is not me but God working in me that I have this passion and drive. You may stumble, fall and pride may rear its nasty head but that is alright, we just need to focus and get it back in check quickly. The unbelieving community is always watching with a precise gaze that will capture every misstep and those who are prideful will fall flat and be called out. However, those who live with this respect for all image bearers will inevitably receive some grace from those unbelievers because they notice the common ground and love that is given.

          All in all, the goal here was not academic but more geared towards the general task of apologetics. Pride is something that can easily grasp those who are seeking out the intellectual aspects of anything. Since knowledge is growing and confidence is shaping it is easy to think highly of oneself. Always keep the right perspective of thankfulness and give those answers out of intellectual respect and a heart of gentleness. God Bless.