Apologetics 1: Introducing Christian Apologetics

Summary

In this lecture series for Regent College Vancouver, Aleister McGrath introduces and explores the field of Christian apologetics. McGrath shares his personal journey from atheism to Christianity and emphasizes the importance of apologetics in explaining and defending the Christian faith. He distinguishes between apologetics and evangelism, discussing their roles in clearing the ground for faith and inviting others to embrace Christianity. McGrath encourages developing a personal approach to apologetics while learning from influential figures like C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. The series aims to deepen understanding and appreciation of the Christian faith, addressing contemporary cultural contexts and challenges.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Aleister McGrath has been associated with Regent College Vancouver since 1992 and is delivering 15 lectures on Christian apologetics.
• 📜 The aim of the course is to introduce ideas, individuals, and approaches to apologetics to help students develop their own methods.
• ❌ McGrath does not intend to prescribe a single right or best way to practice apologetics.
• 🧠 Apologetics has become increasingly important in the 21st century, and McGrath emphasizes its relevance and necessity.
• 🔬 McGrath's personal journey from atheism to Christianity highlighted the importance of apologetics in understanding and defending faith.
• 🛤️ Effective apologetics involves explaining Christianity's vulnerabilities and clarifying misconceptions.
• 🔍 Understanding one's audience is crucial in apologetics to connect different themes of Christianity with people's unique needs and perspectives.
• 🛠️ Apologetics and evangelism are intertwined but distinct; apologetics prepares the ground for evangelism by removing obstacles to faith.
• 📚 Apologetics should involve cultural empathy, deep understanding of the gospel, and effective translation of Christian ideas into accessible language.
• 📝 Apologetics has historical precedence, with early Christian apologists like Peter and Paul addressing specific cultural contexts and concerns.

Q & A

What is the main objective of Aleister McGrath's course on Christian apologetics?

The main objective of the course is to introduce ideas, individuals, and approaches that help students develop their own distinct way of doing apologetics, rather than adopting a specific method.

Why does McGrath emphasize the importance of developing a personal approach to apologetics?

McGrath believes that each individual should develop an approach they feel confident with, rather than becoming clones of famous apologists like C.S. Lewis. This personalized approach helps in effectively communicating the Christian faith.

What are the two major apologetic themes highlighted by McGrath in his personal journey?

The two major themes are inviting people to reflect on the vulnerabilities of alternative belief systems and explaining what Christianity is all about.

How does McGrath view the relationship between apologetics and evangelism?

McGrath sees apologetics as preparing the ground for evangelism by removing roadblocks to faith and establishing the reasonableness of the gospel, while evangelism invites people to respond to the gospel.

What are the three main components of apologetics according to McGrath?

The three main components are: responding to questions and concerns about the Christian faith, explaining and communicating the importance and attractiveness of the Christian faith, and translating these themes using language and images accessible to the audience.

Why does McGrath stress the importance of understanding the audience in apologetics?

Understanding the audience helps in identifying which aspects of the Christian faith might resonate most with them, thereby making the communication more effective and meaningful.

What is McGrath's approach to using personal experience in apologetics?

McGrath believes in using personal experience to illustrate points, but he cautions against assuming that one's own experience is normative. Instead, he suggests weaving personal insights into a broader approach that includes various perspectives.

How does McGrath differentiate between justification and its common misunderstandings?

McGrath explains that justification in the Christian context is often misunderstood as either giving excuses or aligning text in a word processor. Instead, it should be translated and explained in terms that are faithful to its original meaning and intelligible to contemporary audiences.

What role does cultural empathy play in apologetics according to McGrath?

Cultural empathy involves recognizing and addressing the specific objections, misunderstandings, and sensitivities of the cultural context in which the Christian faith is being presented.

How does McGrath use C.S. Lewis's methods to improve communication of Christian ideas?

McGrath follows Lewis's advice to learn the language of the audience and translate theological concepts into everyday language, ensuring that the message is accessible and relatable to the audience.

Outlines

00:00

👋 Introduction and Objectives

Aleister McGrath introduces himself and the purpose of his lecture series for Regent College Vancouver. He emphasizes the aim of the course is to introduce ideas and approaches in Christian apologetics, not to prescribe a specific method. McGrath shares his extensive experience in the field and hopes to inspire participants to develop their own confident and personal approach to apologetics.

05:00

🤔 Importance of Apologetics

McGrath discusses why apologetics is crucial, both for personal ministry and the church. He shares his journey from atheism to Christianity, emphasizing how misunderstandings of both atheism and Christianity led him to appreciate the importance of apologetics. His personal story underscores the need to explain and defend the faith effectively.

10:01

🔍 Major Apologetic Themes

Two key themes in apologetics are highlighted: exposing the vulnerabilities of alternative belief systems and explaining the core of Christianity. McGrath stresses the effectiveness of clear explanations of faith and the importance of understanding one's audience. He also touches on the potential of different aspects of the Christian faith to resonate with various individuals.

15:02

🚧 Apologetics and Evangelism

The relationship between apologetics and evangelism is explored. McGrath explains that while distinct, apologetics prepares the ground for evangelism by addressing intellectual objections and making faith plausible. He draws on examples from scripture and personal anecdotes to illustrate the interconnected roles of apologetics and evangelism in the mission of the church.

20:02

🛤 Personalizing Apologetics

McGrath encourages developing a personal approach to apologetics while cautioning against assuming one's own experience is universal. He shares insights from his experiment of gathering diverse personal journeys to faith, highlighting the need to address the variety of ways people connect with Christianity. He advocates for a broad, inclusive approach that goes beyond personal experience.

25:05

🔍 The Christian Faith and Human Needs

The gospel's ability to address deep human needs is discussed, using Augustine and C.S. Lewis as examples. McGrath emphasizes that Christianity offers both diagnosis and healing for human brokenness. He introduces Anselm's prayer to illustrate the theological interpretation of human longing and how it draws people to God.

30:07

📚 Big Picture Apologetics

The concept of a 'big picture' approach to apologetics is introduced, with references to C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. McGrath explains how Christianity provides a coherent and transformative view of the world and human existence. He underscores the importance of presenting the Christian faith as an interconnected whole that illuminates life and reality.

35:07

🔄 Translating Theology

McGrath discusses the necessity of translating theological concepts into everyday language. Using C.S. Lewis as a model, he explains the importance of understanding the audience's language and experiences. McGrath provides practical advice on simplifying complex theological terms to ensure they are accessible and meaningful to contemporary audiences.

40:10

💬 Effective Communication

The need for effective communication of Christian ideas is reiterated. McGrath emphasizes the role of translation in making theological concepts understandable. He suggests practicing by writing short explanations of key terms and using relatable narratives and images. The importance of aligning explanations with the audience's cultural context is highlighted.

45:11

📖 Concluding Remarks

McGrath wraps up the lecture by stressing the importance of addressing common apologetic questions. He previews the next lecture's focus on making sense of the world from a Christian perspective, building on the idea of Christianity as a comprehensive worldview. He expresses his anticipation for the upcoming discussions and thanks the audience for their attention.

Keywords

💡Christian apologetics

Christian apologetics is the field of study concerned with the defense and explanation of the Christian faith. In the video, Alister McGrath introduces this series of lectures aimed at exploring various approaches to apologetics, highlighting the importance of understanding and communicating the faith effectively.

💡Intellectual journey

Intellectual journey refers to the process of exploring and evaluating different belief systems and ideas. McGrath shares his own intellectual journey from atheism to Christianity, emphasizing how this journey underscored the importance of apologetics in understanding and defending the faith.

💡Vulnerabilities of alternative belief systems

This concept involves examining and exposing the weaknesses or flaws in non-Christian belief systems. McGrath discusses how recognizing the vulnerabilities in atheism and other belief systems helped him appreciate the intellectual robustness of Christianity.

💡Explaining Christianity

Explaining Christianity refers to the process of clearly and effectively communicating the core beliefs and doctrines of the Christian faith. McGrath emphasizes the importance of making Christianity understandable to others, particularly those who may have misconceptions about it.

💡Cultural empathy

Cultural empathy involves understanding and addressing the specific concerns, sensitivities, and contexts of different cultural groups when presenting the Christian faith. McGrath highlights the need for apologists to be sensitive to the cultural backgrounds of their audiences.

💡Evangelism

Evangelism is the act of proclaiming the Christian gospel with the aim of inviting people to become followers of Jesus Christ. McGrath distinguishes between apologetics and evangelism, noting that while apologetics prepares the ground by making the faith reasonable, evangelism involves issuing a personal invitation to faith.

💡Translation of Christian ideas

Translation of Christian ideas refers to the process of expressing theological concepts in language and imagery that is accessible and meaningful to contemporary audiences. McGrath stresses the importance of translating abstract theological terms into everyday language to enhance understanding and communication.

💡Big picture

The big picture in Christian apologetics is the overarching narrative or framework that integrates various themes and doctrines of the faith. McGrath argues that presenting Christianity as a coherent and comprehensive worldview can help people see its relevance and transformative power.

💡Gentleness and respect

Gentleness and respect refer to the manner in which Christians are encouraged to engage with critics and questioners, as advised in 1 Peter 3:15. McGrath underscores that effective apologetics should be conducted graciously and considerately, aiming to open minds rather than antagonize.

💡Historical misrepresentations

Historical misrepresentations are inaccurate or distorted portrayals of Christianity's history and beliefs. McGrath points out that part of the apologist's task is to address and correct these misunderstandings, helping people to see the true nature and significance of the Christian faith.

Highlights

Aleister McGrath introduces the field of Christian apologetics through a series of 15 lectures at Regent College Vancouver.

The course aims to help individuals develop their own approach to apologetics rather than adopting a single prescribed method.

McGrath emphasizes the importance of understanding Christianity's intellectual vision and transformative potential.

Apologetics is presented as a way to engage with and address vulnerabilities in alternative belief systems.

McGrath shares his personal journey from atheism to Christianity, highlighting the role of apologetics in this transition.

Effective explanation of the Christian faith is emphasized as a key component of good apologetics.

Apologetics is described as both a means of deepening one's own faith and making it accessible to others.

McGrath underscores the importance of understanding the audience when presenting apologetic arguments.

The relationship between apologetics and evangelism is explored, with apologetics seen as preparing the ground for evangelism.

Christian apologetics aims to provide meaningful answers to ultimate questions about life, God, and suffering.

McGrath highlights the significance of explaining the Christian faith using accessible language and imagery.

He emphasizes the role of personal experience in shaping one's approach to apologetics, while cautioning against assuming it is normative.

McGrath encourages the development of a personalized apologetic approach that integrates one's own history and insights.

The concept of a 'big picture' in Christian apologetics is introduced, showing how Christianity offers a coherent view of the world.

McGrath highlights the need to translate theological concepts into everyday language to effectively communicate with a contemporary audience.

Transcripts

hello I'm Aleister McGrath and it's a

great pleasure to be able to speak for

Regent College Vancouver and my

association with Regent College goes

back to 1992 and it's a real privilege

to be able to continue this relationship

through the series of 15 lectures which

we'll introduce and explore the field of

Christian apologetics I'm sorry I can't

be with you in person I'm also sorry I

can't film this in an Oxford lecture

theater because of covert we just can't

do that

the my object in this course is not to

tell you what is the right or the best

way of doing apologetics and in fact I'm

not even going to suggest you use my own

approaches to apologetics my aim is

quite simple to introduce you to ideas

to individuals and to approaches that I

think will help you develop your own

distinct way of doing apologetics that's

a very important point I don't want to

turn you into a clone of C.S Lewis or

somebody else I want to stimulate your

thinking so that you can work out an

approach that you feel confident with

and confident about and you know you can

do this and I'm going to help you do it

I've been thinking about apologetic

issues for well not more than 40 years

and I hope that the series of 15

lectures will convey some of the lessons

that I have learned over that period

some of them I have to say were learned

with great difficulty but they were

important I hope you'll enjoy some of

the ideas and the approaches that I've

discovered and also I hope it will

persuade you that apologetics is really

interesting and that certainly has been

my experience

begin to think about why apologetics

matters

so here's the question why is

apologetics so interesting and so

important and some of you are watching

these presentations you know you already

have discovered this you'll realize that

apologetics actually is very important

to your own Ministry or indeed to the

life of the church but some people

watching these lectures may be doing so

because they want to know more about

this aspect of the Christian Life of the

mind I'm going to tell you it's become

increasingly important in the 21st

century and during this course of

lectures I'll be explaining exactly why

that is

now in my own case I came to appreciate

the importance of apologetics as a

result of my own personal Journey of

Faith and you probably know this already

but I was quite an aggressive atheist as

a teenager and I believed that

Christianity was both irrelevant and

irrational and it wasn't really

something I felt I could take seriously

as a thinking person and it also seemed

to me it had no obvious connection with

the realities of human life so as far as

I was concerned Christianity was just a

rather well frankly a rather

uninteresting moral code with some

rather curious theological beliefs

attached to it and I have to be honest

with you and say I couldn't really see

any point in it and I assumed frankly

that there was no future for it

now at that time I was studying the

Natural Sciences as a teenager in the

Methodist College Belfast and I hope to

win a scholarship to Oxford University

and eventually go on to become a

research scientist and back in those

days when I was a teenager it just

seemed really obvious that science and

Atheism were well they were the two

sides of the same coin they were

interconnected and it was natural as

someone who loved science that I

therefore should embrace atheism but

things turned out to be not quite as

simple as I had expected there were two

things really that happened to me I

think both of them really were quite

unexpected first of all I began to

experience dots about the intellectual

Integrity of my well frankly rather

dogmatic atheism I think I began to

realize I've never really understood

what Christianity was all about and in

effect I'd reject the caricature of

Christianity having failed to grasp its

intellectual vision and its

transformative potential

and so in the final months of 1971 which

I know is a very long time ago I I made

the decision to leave my atheism behind

and to embrace Christianity instead and

you know like C.S Lewis before me my own

intellectual Journey from atheism to

Christianity persuaded me of the

importance of apologetics you know I had

been an Atheist I became a Christian I

didn't really understand how

Christianity was so apologetics really

became important to me now my own

personal discovery of Christianity

highlighted the importance of two major

apologetic themes first of all

inviting people to reflect on the

vulnerabilities of alternative belief

systems and secondly explaining what

Christianity is all about let's talk

about the first of those when I was an

atheist I thought it was intellectually

watertight that I discovered it wasn't

and I also had misunderstood

Christianity and it wasn't until some

friends at Oxford explained to me what

it was really all about I actually could

move on and discover its depth and his

richness now I've often been astonished

at how careful explanation of the

Christian faith can actually be very

effective apologetically and you know

I'm sure that there are many who are

like me who rejected Christianity

without really understanding it in the

first place so here's one of the points

I want to stress now and you'll see the

steam recur throughout this course of

lectures effective explanation of our

faith is good apologetics

and of course there are other reasons

for discovering apologetics for a start

it's an invitation to go deeper into our

own faith a preaching both its

individual elements Each of which I have

to say is Rich and apologetic potential

as well as the bigger picture of which

they are part

and I'll be exploring these themes with

you during these lectures and actually

you'll find them to be really

interesting I I'll touch on one of those

points now if I may

um which is that you know the big

picture of Christianity is really

exciting that's what drew me to Faith

and we'll talk about that more in the

next lecture

now it's important I think to realize

that each aspect of the Christian faith

has apologetic potential and that

identifying and savoring this really

helps us to appreciate our faith all the

more so let me give you an example

as I'm sure you know a central theme of

the Christian Gospel is that Christ

brings healing and restoration and we

see this in Christ's Ministry but we

also of course see it in the rich Reigns

of visual images that new testament uses

to unpack and to unfold his significance

and for many Christian writers Christ is

one who brings healing Augustine saw him

as the Medicus The Physician who brings

healing to Human Nature

I think we need to understand that how

this aspect of the Christian

understanding of Salvation speaks

powerfully very powerfully to a world of

broken wounded and damaged people and

you know they're wondering where they

can find acceptance healing and

restoration that's a very important

point

and the point I'm going to underscore

now is this um why believe every aspect

of the Christian faith is important each

point engages with different people in

different ways certain aspects of

particular significance for some people

now perhaps there's only one element of

the Christian faith which may

particularly connect or listen to

somebody and lead them to want to

explore the gospel in full but what we

need to do is be aware that Christianity

is enormously rich with many aspects

which Each of which can speak deeply to

people that's one of the reasons why I

will emphasize particularly in a later

lecture the importance of understanding

your audience because one of the

questions you should be asking yourself

is this which of the many Rich themes of

the Christian Gospel might speak

particularly powerfully to this audience

or this person are I am speaking to I

need to figure out what the particular

appeal of each aspect of the Gospel

actually might be

let's now turn to look at a very

important preliminary question which is

the relation of apologetics and

evangelism

now apologizing evangelism can certainly

be distinguished in theory but actually

it's very hard to separate them and

practice

many people find it helpful think of

apologetics as really if you like

clearing the ground for evangelism just

like John the Baptist prepared the way

for the coming of Christ and if you like

I apologize is about removing roadblocks

to Faith that we might say it

apologetics aims to establish the the

plausibility the reasonableness of the

gospel of Christ for example by

developing an intellectual case based on

reason or cultural history for the

fallenness is influence of humanity or

by appealing to the experience of

spiritual longing which so many people

feel as a sign of alienation from God

and our true destiny in other words we

are we're lost we're alienated from God

but something can be done about it and

so the apology task is thus that of

preparing the way for the coming of

Christ just like someone might clear

rocks and other roadblocks from a

pathway

and so Christian apologetics and can be

understood as a serious and sustained

engagement with what the philosopher

Carl popper once called ultimate

questions and these questions might be

raised by an individual person or by a

wider audience and what you need to do

is to show how the Christian faith is

able to provide meaningful answers to

these ultimate questions

for example is there meaning in life

whereas God and the suffering of the

world is faith in God reasonable so

that's apologetics

but evangelism is different evangelism

invites people to respond to the gospel

where apologetics aims to secure consent

evangelism aims to secure commitment

now I'm sure many of this in this

lecture will know Deva Bosch is very

influential and widely accepted

definitions of evangelism which I think

actually is quite helpful here in

clarifying this distinction between

apologetics and evangelism so let me

read you this distinction see what you

make of this he writes

evangelism is the proclamation of

Salvation in Christ to those who do not

believe in him calling them to

repentance and conversion announcing

forgiveness of sins and inviting them to

becoming living members of Christ

Earthly community and to begin a life of

service to others in the power of the

Holy Spirit

now here's my point

there's a dividing line between

apologetics and evangelism but you know

it's fuzzy I think it's still helpful to

try and make some kind of distinction

between them apologetics for example is

conversational whereas evangelism is

Invitational

and while an apology conversation about

the Christian faith can easily lead to

an invitation to Faith it's much more

concerned with removing understanding or

perhaps explaining ideas and ex

exploring a personal relevance of faith

so here's a rough working definition of

evangelism

we might say evangelism is inviting

someone to become a Christian now

obviously there's more to it than that

but for the moment let's work with that

definition if that's right then

apologize could be seen as clearing the

ground for that invitation so it's more

likely to receive a positive response

so if you like evangelism is about

offering somebody bread and apologetics

therefore is about persuading people

that there is bread on offer in the

first place and that is good to eat that

bread in the second

now I think an example here might be

helpful just to make this point clearer

as I'm sure you know many of the

um gospels contain uh things that Christ

said which compare the kingdom of God to

a feast

for example think of Luke 14 15 to 24.

apologize can be thought of explaining

people there really is going to be a

feast it invites them to reflect on what

they might find there the the food the

drink the company wouldn't it be really

nice to be invited if only this were

true

that's a very important point because as

the great French apologist Pascal once

pointed out we must and I quote make

good people wish that the Christian

faith were true and then show them that

it is

I hope you can see the importance of

what Pascal is saying Pascal is saying

we ought to help people to long for what

the Christian faith promises and then

show them that the Christian faith is

indeed true and reliable the desire for

something provides the motivation to

check it out

but evangelism is different let's think

about evangelism evangelism but issuing

a personal invitation

you are invited to the feast please come

so again apologize lays the groundwork

that invitation but evangelism actually

offers it

both these are essential for the mission

of the church

apologetic establishes and proclaims the

plausibility and desirability of the

Gospel

but evangelism summons people to enter

into it and share in its benefits

so again apologetics isn't evangelism in

fact it's inadequate without evangelism

but apologetics has its own distinct and

important role to play in the Christian

community's engagement with the world

and also it's helpful in encouraging and

deepening the faith of Believers because

it encourages us not to accept a

superficial Faith but to go deeper into

what we believe again apologizes like

John the Baptist

preparing the way for the coming of

Christ it's about reassuring people that

Faith makes sense that makes a

difference to life but evangelism is

about inviting someone to enter a feast

now some of you may feel that you're

called to be an evangelist and others

apologists and some actually both

one of my best friends over many years

was Michael Green who served as

professor of evangelism of Regent

College in the late 1980s and early

1990s some of you may know him I'm sure

many of you will have read his books or

watched videos of him

and although Michael was a very

effective Evangelistic preacher I have

to say he was actually also very good at

apologetics and he managed to weave

these both together seamlessly seemed to

me in his ministry and Michael's

personal integration of evangelism

apologetics led him to publish several

apologies he works during his time at

Regent perhaps most notably was Jesus

who he said he was which came out in

1989 and who is this Jesus 1990.

and both these works are Evangelistic

but they are clearly informed by

apologetic questions the kind of

questions Michael encountered on

missions during his time at Regent

College I have to say he was able to

engage those questions in a very Winsome

and accessible manner I think we can

learn not just from the content of what

he said but the way in which he said it

now you're going to need to think about

how you understand the relationship

between financials and apologetics

because there's no definitive answer and

you'll also I think need to think about

how you might go about developing your

own way of understanding and doing

apologetics

so let me say a little more about this

now one of my objectives in this course

of lectures is to encourage you to

develop your own distinct approach to

apologetics now of course we can learn

lots from other people from well C.S

Lewis from Dorothea says from lots of

people Tim Keller

but one of the things I want to say is

you need to develop your own approach

you can make use of writers like these

and develop your own way of explaining

and defending the Christian faith and

this will reflect your own history and

your own identity

but if I may I want to introduce a note

of caution right now at this very early

stage in this lecture course

you mustn't assume that your own

experience is normative now what do I

mean by that well what I mean basically

is that you know you're important but

you are not the same as everyone else

let me tell you about a little

experiment I've done at several points

in the past what I do is gather a group

of people together and ask them to talk

about their own Journey of Faith and

after a while I'd ask each of these who

discovered Christianity after example a

period of unbelief or alternative belief

to reflect on what it was that Drew them

to Christianity what wasn't about the

Christian Gospel that seemed to speak to

them and made them want to make more

about Christianity

now I don't know whether this will

surprise you or not but actually on each

occasion I received a wide range of

answers to that question different

things Drew different people to Faith

for some it was the joy of forgiveness

of sins Brothers it was discovering

there was meaning in life and you know

you might like to reflect on what Drew

you to Faith

if that's how your personal Journey

developed of course in my own case it

was the realization

that Christianity made sense of the

world and myself far more sense than my

teenage atheism now here's the point I

want you to note there's a danger that

we make our own experience and history

the point of reference for our

apologetics what I mean by that is we

assume everyone's just like us for

example I might take the view that's

incense making was such an important

aspect of my own conversion well it must

be true for everyone

but you see it's not and if I were to

think that I would unwisely make that

theme of making sense of things the

central focus of my apologetic writing

and speaking now they make yeah I have

no doubt this would indeed connect up

with some people

but you see there are many more who just

couldn't relate to that apologetic

approach I hope you can see the point

I'm trying to make

your approach reflects who you are but

you need to go wider than that

but let me reassure you this is a

problem that's very easily dealt with

you can weave your own history your own

insights your own experience into your

apologetic Ministry without imposing

your own agenda or your own history on

your audience

now my own case I'll often speak about

the difference that Faith makes to

people and the Deep human needs that the

gospel first of all identifies and then

goes on to meet and you know I would

give myself as an example of someone who

longed to make sense of things and found

in the Christian faith a lens that

brought things into Focus that enabled

me to make sense

of what often seemed to be a puzzling

and meaningless world so I've woven

myself into my talk but you see I don't

stop there I don't limit the talk to my

own experience because I would go on to

list other ways in which the gospel

connects up with people and transform

them going Way Beyond my own experience

and my own history

so you know I've mentioned things like

the hope that Christianity brings the

good news of being forgiven the

astonishing Insight that we are loved by

God

I tell my oldest people like C.S Lewis

and what he found Drew him to Faith and

you know you can add to that list and

you can tell of individuals who are

examples of people who are drawn to

Christianity for some specific reason

and how they found that satisfies their

hearts desire

I hope that that's a helpful point for

me to make because what I want to say is

you can use your own experience and

history and you can weave this into a

broader approach which includes you but

is not limited to you and I will be

looking at multiple people in these 15

lectures and I hope that some of the

people I mentioned will be useful to you

as you develop your own approach because

one of my tasks here is to introduce you

to people and ideas who can expand and

extend your own appreciation of the

Christian faith

so who we're looking at was that there

are lots of people in these lectures

we'll be looking at people like C.S

Lewis

GK Chesterton Marilyn Robinson

dorothel Sayers and J.R.R talking and

these are all fascinating in their own

right as writers and yet you know they

enable us to see how we might be able to

use their ideas as we develop our own

approaches to apologetics and you know

you'll come across other interesting

writers ones I won't have time to

mention in these lectures and you can

add them to that list and weave their

themes their ideas into your own

distinct apologetic approach

but some of you may want to raise a

question about some of the points I've

just been exploring you'll say well look

surely Christianity is about telling the

truth not just some kind of therapy

now that's a good question so let's look

at that point

one of the most significant truths of

the New Testament is that Christianity

meets our deepest needs it calms our

deepest fears it in effect deals with

our deepest hungers

to pick up some themes from John's

gospel for example Christ is the Living

Water who quenches our thirst and the

bread of life who satisfies our hunger

and you see the key Point here is the

gospel offers us both a diagnosis and

then healing it tells us what is wrong

with us it tells us what we really need

no matter how difficult and painful that

this may be for us to accept and then it

meets that need and you might find

helpful think of Christ as a physician

who holds up a mirror to our souls so we

can see that we are broken and wounded

and then Christ heals those wounds

as we invite him in

now let me give you an example which I

think you might find helpful here I want

to introduce you to a Prayer by a writer

of the 11th century you may have come

across before if not he really is worth

exploring this is Anselm of Canterbury

here's his prayer Lord give me what you

have made me want I praise and thank you

for the desire you have inspired perfect

what you have become and Grant me what

you have made me long for

now I want you to notice that Anselm

begins this Prayer by identifying a need

a desire something that we want but

notice he immediately offers

theological interpretation of this need

because God has created that need in

order to draw us to him sure we often

attach ourselves to lesser Goods rather

than to the Supreme good for which we

were created

and for Anson the point is that this

sense of longing is not something that

you be suppressed or ignored it is a

homing Instinct implanted within us

power Creator it's a clue to who we are

and what we are meant to be which we

achieve by coming home to God

now we can find the theme in the

writings of lots of um theologians and

apologists you might think for example

of Augustine of Hippo you might think of

Pascal and of course you might think of

C.S Lewis

and all of them argue that God creates

this sense of emptiness within us in

order to help us grasp that only God can

satisfy our deepest longings for example

Lewis

speaks about this deep longing in terms

of joy and she's God as both its source

and its goal do you know this lines from

Lewis's surprised by joy as he describes

his conversion I think a really

interesting and let me read them to you

now

I was now approaching the source from

which those arrows of Joy had been shot

at me ever since childhood I had hoped

at the heart of reality might be of such

a kind that we can best symbolize it as

a place instead I found it to be a

person

so here's my point the Christian faith

gives us a truthful framework through

which we can see ourselves it helps us

to realize that we have been created by

God in order to relate to God and this

truth has deep experiential implications

we'll never be satisfied until we relate

to God and you know maybe you know this

very famous prayer of Augustine of Hippo

which I think makes this point very

nicely listen to this

you have created us for yourself

and our heart is restless until it Finds

Its rest in you

now for me Christianity offers a big

picture which allows us to make sense of

our world and ourselves and this means

that politics can engage experience it

can also engage with the world of the

imagination as J.R.R tolki in particular

points out and actually apologies can

also make connections with beauty as I

will explore with you in a later lecture

now I've introduced the idea of a big

picture and I think I need to explore

this more thoroughly as I personally

find this to be very helpful

apologetically

now the two writers I associate most

with the idea of a big picture approach

to apologetics our GK test them and C.S

Lewis

and these are both remarkable writers

they have a deep sense of how the

Christian faith connects with human

existence at the deepest levels

and significantly both ReDiscover their

Christian faith and in that process of

rediscovery they came to appreciate its

imaginative and its rational power and

its appeal and for both of these writers

apologetics is about helping people to

see how the Christian faith as a whole

illuminates a situation and enables its

transformation by grace

I want you to notice my emphasis on the

Christian faith as a whole and you know

that is important while our faith

unfolds many remarkable themes like

creation and the transformation

redirection and renewal of human

existence that we call Salvation it's

also important to appreciate these are

not isolated theological compartments as

if they were some kind of collection of

boxes or files they're more like threads

each of them is valuable and distinct in

itself but listen to this

but they can be woven together into a

greater whole a bigger picture

and that's the point because for many

people it's the big picture that emerges

from the Christian faith which is of

special importance here's my point

Christianity offers us a coherent view

of ourselves and our world as we come to

realize how all things are held together

in Christ which is a very important

theme of the letter to the Colossians as

you probably already know

now C.S Lewis in particular highlights

how once this Christian big picture is

grasp things which otherwise seem to

make a little sense become intelligible

and meaningful

for example to pick up on the theme we

touched on a few moments ago the

seemingly pointless Human Experience of

yearning for something that would really

satisfy us makes perfect sense within

the Christian framework and it points to

the Fulfillment of that desire in Christ

I'll talk more about that approach in a

later lecture

so let me now turn to the question of

how we understand apologetics in more

detail what are its tasks what do we

think we are doing in practicing

apologetics

not only can see them immediately that

for some people the word apologetics

seems very strange perhaps too easily

leading us to think in terms of saying

sorry

now I'm sure we need to try and figure

out a better way of talking about

apologetics but actually the broader

meaning of a term as you will know comes

from the Greek word apologia which means

a defense actually that's really what it

is trying to defend the Christian Faith

by explaining what is and dealing with

objections that people have

I think that this term apologetics does

make a lot more sense when we reflect on

the meaning of that Greek word apologia

because as I was saying this is used in

New Testament times to mean a defense if

you like a recent case proving the

innocence of an accused person in a

courtroom or a demonstration of the

correctness of an argument or a belief

in a philosopher's Academy

and we find this term apologia used in

First Peter 3 15 which many see as a

classic biblical statement of the nature

and importance of apologetics

so let me read this to you and see what

you make of it

in your hearts set us apart Christ as

lord always be prepared to give an

answer apologia to everyone who asks you

to give the reason for the hope you have

but do this with gentleness and respect

I think it's important to realize here

that Peter's letter is addressed to

Christians in the region of the Roman

Empire then known as Asia minors now of

course called turkey

and Peter's concerned here the Christian

ideas are being misunderstood or

misrepresented and he urges his readers

to set the record straight but to do

this graciously and considerately and he

encourages his readers to engage their

critics and their questioners explaining

the basis and the content of their faith

with gentleness and respect that's

important for Peter apologized is indeed

about defending truth but again you do

it gently and respectfully the object of

apologetics is not to antagonize or

humiliate those who are outside the

church but rather to help open their

eyes and their minds to the reliability

the reality and the relevance of the

Christian faith

now the New Testament itself I think

it's very important to appreciate

contains several important accounts of

early Christian apologetics

most notably of course in the Acts of

the Apostles for example Peter's famous

sermon on the day of Pentecost Acts 2

argues that Jesus is the culmination of

the hopes of Israel a very important

point if you're a Jew

but Paul's equally famous sermon to the

philosophers of Athens in Acts 17 argues

that Jesus is the culmination of the

Long human quest for wisdom which of

course appealed to Greeks

and I'll consider these two important

passages in much more detail in lecture

13 because in that lecture I want to

focus on both Peter and Paul engage

these specific audiences in ways that

are adapted to their beliefs and their

concerns

now one of the points I'm emphasizing

here is that apologetics should not be

seen as something as reactive and

defensive there's more to it than that

so let me if I may tease out what I

think are the three main components

of apologetics

here they are

The Three core apology tasks in my view

are first

to respond to questions and concerns

that people raise about the Christian

faith and we see these as an opportunity

for discussion rather than a threat

second

trying to explain and communicate what

is so fundamentally important attractive

about the Christian faith at the

rational relational and imaginative

levels

and third aiming to explain these and

other themes of Faith using language and

images that are accessible that connect

up with our audiences

now we'll be exploring and exemplifying

these themes throughout these lectures

but I think it's very important to

appreciate that the Christian churches

had to face these three apologetic tasks

through ART its history we haven't

suddenly discovered them they've always

been there and Christians have always

engaged them every period in Christian

history has witnessed the fear that the

church was entering unknown situations

people were worried it was confronted

with difficulties and challenges for

which there was no precedent in the past

and yet a close reading of Christian

history suggests that the apologists of

the past were able to rise to those

challenges

and they've passed on to us as their

successors resources that we will find

valuable in engaging the situation we

face today

so I very briefly outlined those three

main tasks of apologetics I think you

probably appreciate it if I went through

each of them in more detail so let me do

that right now

first of all apologetics is about

developing cultural empathy well I mean

by that is that apologetics recognizes

the sensitivities and difficulties that

the Christian faith Encounters in any

specific cultural context

and sometimes this may take the form of

addressing specific objections to

Christianity or potential

misunderstandings or historic

misrepresentations which may stand in

the way of your audience responding to

the gospel

and so I think the best apologists are

going to be people who know a cultural

situation very well and can understand

its sensitivities its concerns and its

anxieties and here's the point these

sensitivities and concerns are going to

vary one location and audience to

another we need to be sensitive to local

issues that's the first point here's the

second

apologetics is about developing

Evangelical depth in other words

apologetics rests on the deep

understanding and appreciation of the

Christian Gospel which both generates

the motivation to communicate the faith

in the first place and then informs the

way in which we do this in the second

the best apologist in my view is likely

to be someone who is deeply steeped in

the Christian faith and is able to

discern how which riches can be

Faithfully communicated within a

specific cultural context

that was the second point and here's the

Third

ly apologetics is about effective

translation of the Christian faith into

the cultural vernacular now what do I

mean by that

well the Christian faith is

traditionally expressed using a wide

range of abstract conceptual terms and

these I'm afraid of becoming

increasingly disconnected from

contemporary Western culture

think of theological terms like well

justification salvation sin

these I'm afraid are now likely to be

misunderstood and what often happens is

that people kind of way equate them with

the nearest cultural equivalent

and what we need to do is translate or

transpose these ideas we need to reform

enact them in terms of narratives or

images that are able to connect up with

a wider audience

retaining their Evangelical Roots but

remaining sensitive to the situation of

any specific audience that you are

engaging

now as our discussion in later lectures

going to focus on the first two of these

three aspects apologetics it might be

good too helpful to talk about the third

right now that's the need to translate

Christian ideas into everyday language

it's important and we need to do this

so let's turn to consider this looking

at someone who has proved himself to be

a master of this art and of course I'm

thinking about C.S Lewis

nowadays we tend to think of Lewis uh

natural Communicator someone who was

able to express Christian ideas in very

accessible and engaging forms using

highly visual language but actually he

had to learn that skill

I don't know if you've ever read his

first book The Pilgrim's regress which

came out in 1933 no maybe I'm being

harsh here but actually I find it

difficult to read it's not easy and

today unfortunately one of his least

read books but you know he worked hard

on his style and his approach and Lewis

learned the hard way and it shows and

Lewis summarized some of the lessons he

learned in a lecture of 1945 on the

theme of Christian apologetics it's a

very important lecture

and in this lecture Lewis stresses the

importance of two points and here they

are

first finding out how ordinary people

speak the language they use and you do

this through observation and encounter

and second you reflect on how religious

ideas could be translated using terms

and images that lay within your

audience's experience and comfort zones

let me give you Lewis's own statement of

the these points here here's Lewis on

the first point he writes

we must learn the language of our

audience and let me say the outset it

has no use at all laying down a priori

in other words in advance what the plain

man does or doesn't understand

you have to find out by experience

now Lewis's point I think is very simple

listen before speaking again listen

before speaking listen to the language

that your audience uses and then you

adapt to it express things in ways that

are going to make sense to them that's

important and here's Lewis on the second

point

you must translate every bit of your

theology into the vernacular I've come

to conclude conviction if you cannot

translate your thoughts into uneducated

language then your thoughts were

confused

power to translate

it's a test to having really understood

one's own meaning

now I think that's a very good point

does that make sense to you Lewis is

telling us to translate our theological

language very often a specialist

language into the everyday language of

our audience he says this is essential

to effective communication but you want

you to notice he also sees this as a

good way of testing whether you really

understand Christianity yourself

no I think he's right let me tell you

what I've learned from Lewis's lecture

and see what you think about it

so this is me

my question is going to be how would you

do this

when I talk about Christianity I find

myself using lots of technical terms

like well Incarnation or Redemption sin

salvation and you know how to be able to

explain each of those in non-technical

terms

so how did I do that well here's what I

would do I would set myself a task I

would aim to explain each of thy these

ideas in a short paragraph no more

how would you do that you might find it

helpful to write down a short list of

words that you find you keep on using

when you're talking about your faith and

then ask how to explain these in simple

terms to your audience I think you can

do that and I assure you it will be

helpful

now here's an example of one of those

words

there's Romans 5 1 where Paul declares

that

through since we've been justified

through faith we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ and for

Paul it's very exciting it's clearly a

statement of a central theme of the

Christian Gospel here's my point it will

not be understood by contemporary

audiences in fact Paul's Central notion

of justification might well be

misunderstood in one of two ways I think

you know what they are first it might be

misunderstood like this

I provided a justification of my actions

to my employer in other words about

showing we're right it's about giving

excuses or secondly might be

misunderstood as the alignment of the

text against the right hand margin of a

word processor it's about straightening

up a ragged text

well you know those are both very common

understandings of justification but I

hope you'll agree with me that neither

of these really illuminates Paul's

meaning in Romans 5 1.

I think it could be argued that both

those misunderstandings will simply

mislead people

you've got to translate that word

justification and others like it into

accessible English and explain what they

really mean you need to take Paul's idea

of justification I need to explain in

terms of faithful to his original

attention and intelligible to

contemporary audiences and you know

that's our role it's a privilege and

it's important

we need to explain those ideas and

translate them into language that our

audience can handle

now it's time to wrap up and coming to

the end of my time I need to close for

example why it's called life suffering

how can I make sense of the Trinity or

here's another one will my pets go to

heaven when they die these are all

apology questions familiar to any pastor

and I think you'll agree they need to be

answered

well that's the end of this first

lecture which is sketch the background

two Christian apologetics and in the

next lecture I'll be talking about a

major theme in apologetics how we can

make sense of our world and human

situation from a Christian perspective

now I'll be developing the idea of

Christianity as a big picture I touched

on this idea in this lecture and I want

to show you how this has really helpful

apologetically and I look forward to

doing that very soon indeed thank so

much for listening