Category: Christ on Campus

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Christ on Campus

Christ on Campus: Fish Don’t Want to be Caught

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by Rev. Philip Young

It happens quite frequently when people find out that I do college ministry. They comment with words similar to this: “That’s awesome! What a tremendous opportunity!” I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment. But then comes the question, “How large is your group?” I tell them: “Three so far.” (We’ve been up to five and down to two.) The response? An uncomfortable “Oh.”

For some reason, many people think that college ministry should be easy. They have in their minds our Lord’s words to Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), and they believe that the college campus is the ideal setting to fish for men. It actually is, but that doesn’t mean that the fish jump into the boat any more than they do in any other setting in the world.

I’ve watched fellow pastors analyze LCMS campus ministry opportunities by looking at the size of the school. For example, the thinking is that since there are over 5,000 students at a particular school, surely we should be able to get our share of converts and have at least 50 (1 percent) in a college group. It doesn’t always work that way. In fact, not even all the LCMS students come to Lutheran student groups or attend church.

Regarding Christ’s words about fishing for men, a wise pastor once taught me that fish don’t want to be caught. Peter and Andrew were fishermen, and they knew this truth. That’s why they cast a net. The fish that they sought on a daily basis were happy to swim away, but the net brought them in.

Now what is it about colleges, especially public and private secular institutions, that would make students want to be caught by the Holy Spirit and renounce their Old Adam? I could make the case that colleges are the hardest places to fish with their deep, dark depths of evolutionary theory, atheism, sexual perversion, false religions and communism. But too much of that talk could make you think that fishing for Christ is dependent on the fishermen.

So often the “so-called” campus ministry experts say that you have to entice and lure students with free food and dynamic music and sports programs and exotic spring break destinations. Fish are smart! I’ve had the worm stripped clean from my hook tons of times. I’m happy to give out free pizza (as long as there is slice of pepperoni left for me), but pizza will not be the means for bringing in the catch for Christ.

The net that God gives his Church is the Means of Grace—the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament. Recall what Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). Our Lutheran Confessions say, “To obtain such faith [justifying, saving faith] God instituted the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit who produces faith, where and when he wills, in those who hear the gospel. It teaches that we have a gracious God, not through our merit but through Christ’s merit, when we so believe” (Augsburg Confession V 1-3). Therefore, sound teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Divine Service are to remain foremost in pastoral campus ministry efforts.

From one semester to the next, I don’t know what kind of catch God will bring in. From the Word, though, I do know the character of fish, whether in schools or out. There is nothing that the Holy Spirit will use to gather them other than His appointed means.

To all our campus ministry pastors, sponsor congregations, and students: Rejoice when even one is unwillingly caught in God’s net and hauled aboard!

Rev. Philip Young is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and he serves as the pastoral advisor to the Lutheran Student Fellowship group at Vanderbilt University.

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Christ on Campus

Christ on Campus: Evangel-less Christianity on Campus

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Craig A. Parton

The modern American university campus is a product of three centuries of secular culture. The roots of that secular culture are found in the earliest attempts within the university to engage in what was thought to be a “safe” biblical criticism aimed at the first books of the Old Testament. Radical surgery on the Old Testament was soon performed within the university on the New Testament, and the untethered campus man concluded that he did not need any word from God to give him either morals (found so obviously in nature and her laws) or an explanation for the origin of the species. The Bible was dead. God was dead. Man was free and had in hand a self-diagnosis of perfect health. This brief moment of delusional peace came to a decisive end with World War I. Man was now dead, too.

Culture and university life went from a total optimism in man’s ability to create his own meaning and to save himself, to utter pessimism and a retreat into despair. Painting, music, and literature, unleashed from any concept of being entrusted with gifts from God, degenerated into narcissistic efforts to shock the conscience. Good or bad did not matter because it was all about accepting the mantra on the university campus that all views (save for biblical Christianity) are equally valuable. Rushing into the vacuum came Eastern religious positions like Buddhism and Hinduism, pointing out that Christianity in particular had kept man from discovering inner divinity and his essential oneness with the cosmos.

Christians on campus were defenseless against the inroads of Eastern and New Age religious positions. Why? Instead of proclaiming the faith once delivered to the saints and defending it with the factual arguments honed over the centuries by apologists from Cyprian to Chesterton, Christians defaulted from defending the Gospel to being the Gospel. The casualties on campus have been the loss of apologetics, evangelism, and the Gospel itself.

Ignore Apologetics on Campus and You Get a Defense-less Christianity
The word “apologetics” comes from the Greek text of I Peter 3:15– “be ready always to give a defense (apologia) for the hope that is within you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” Two broadsides are delivered from this passage.

First, apologetics, or defending the faith, is biblically commanded. It is not optional to give a reason for the hope that is within us, nor is it relegated to the pastoral office or to a special class of “intellectual” Christians with a university degree. Second, sharing you (whether it is your heart or your testimony) is not biblical, let alone apostolic, apologetics. Instead, we are to give reasons for believing in Jesus’ perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection from the dead, and are to persuasively present the evidence that demands a verdict. We can see how Paul brilliantly did this before Herod Agrippa in Acts 26:26-28.

Apologetics is about giving reasons. It is not, therefore, simply a form of philosophy, nor is it a species of systematic theology, nor is it simply a subset of preaching, as if defending the faith is something only pastors do!

Apologetics is not only biblically commanded, it has a long and noble history. There was even a so-called “Age of the Apologists” in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries that developed a Hall of Fame of defenders of the faith (Cyprian, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Augustine to name but a few). Today, there is an impressive pedigree of trial lawyers that have investigated the truth claims of Christianity and found them utterly compelling. The Canadian Institute (www.ciltpp.com) has the finest array of resources for the college student on the defense of the faith today.

There is something to learn from the fact that the most effective apologists in the last century were not trained in formal theology at all (C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, Charles Williams, and J.R.R. Tolkien). One need not have a seminary education to be effective in the defense of the faith on the modern secular campus. In fact, an insulated theological education may end up impeding one in the apologetical task since theologians tend to maximize the assumptions that are to be accepted and minimize the evidence to be marshaled.

Lose Apologetics on Campus and You Get A Christ-less Christianity
We ignored apologetics on campus and lost what apologetics was defending. Well, what is it we are defending in apologetics? The Gospel, of course! Or, to be more specific, what C.S. Lewis of Oxford University called “Mere Christianity.” Think of the central propositions of the Apostles’ Creed, most especially that Jesus Christ, true God and man, died for the sins of the world and rose again to life.

But this is exactly where so many well-meaning Christians on campus miss the 3:10 train to Yuma. Because the Gospel is not the center and circumference of their theology (it is just one of many equally important doctrines), they end up with what is secondary in Scripture becoming primary while what is primary becomes secondary. Arguments are centered on, for example, what went on before time, or at the beginning of time, or what happens at the end of time. Speculation has the front seat, and facts get stuck in the back seat if they are there at all.

So apologetics is about the defense of the faith, and specifically of the Gospel. What then is the Gospel? Just this: Christ died for sinners and you qualify. The Gospel is all about what was done for you and in spite of you. We are the problem, not the solution. Any “apologetic” that is about your anything (except your sin) is decidedly not defending the Gospel.

In summary, when defending the faith in the dorm or in the classroom, every once in a while stop and ask: Is what I just talked about in the Apostles’ Creed or not? If not, a flare should go up that you are very likely headed in the wrong direction.

Christians on campus thought they could ignore apologetics with no harm to evangelism or the Gospel. Christians in the college square stopped contending, then stopped evangelizing, then stopped believing there was anything worth contending for or evangelizing about.

Defense-less Lutherans and Christ-less Liberals: A Campus Trainwreck
Our situation today on campus? A multiplicity of religious options are being presented, essentially all claiming to change one’s life, and none of them offer anything resembling persuasive factual evidence. The Christian at the modern university has the answers. In fact, offering evidence for belief is unique to Christian truth claims.1 Apologetics that focuses on the case for Christ is not antithetical to evangelism. In fact, such a defense of the faith is evangelism.

Instead of providing historical, scientific, and legal evidences on behalf of the Christian position, Christians on campus have jettisoned the apostolic admonition. Instead of learning the many convincing proofs referred to by Dr. Luke, they are way too busy learning the purpose-driven life while buying work out programs so that they can exercise like Jesus did.

Apologetics as Evangelism on Campus
It is not apologetics instead of evangelism. It is not apologetics versus evangelism. It is not apologetics without evangelism.

Apologetics on campus that centers on the authenticity and centrality of the death and resurrection of our Lord for the forgiveness of sins is apologetics as evangelism. It is the tool of apologetics that helps Christians to boldly give to others those reasons for the hope that is in them.

  • 1* For a superb summary of those evidences, see John Warwick Montgomery’s Tractatus Logico-Theologicus, 4th ed. (Bonn: Culture & Science Publ., 2009, available through the Canadian Institute for Law, Theology, and Public Policy), esp. Proposition 3 (“Historical, jurisprudential, and scientific standards of evidence offer the touchstone for resolving the religious 

predicament by establishing the truth claims of Christian proclamation.”), pp. 65-128. See also, R.C. Sproul, Reasons to Believe (Dallas: Regal Books, 1978), which deals with the ten most common objections raised on campus by unbelievers.

Craig Parton is a trial lawyer and partner in a law firm in Santa Barbara, California. He is the author of three books on the defense of the Christian position and is the United States Director of 
the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights 
(www.apologeticsacademy.eu) which conducts its annual summer study sessions in Strasbourg, France. He can be reached at cap@ppplaw.com.

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Christ on Campus

Christianity’s Answer to the Problem of Evil

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Rev. Ian Pacey

Introduction
Of all the questions Christians encounter as challenges to our fundamental beliefs, the problem of evil is without a doubt one of the most popular. Why do we suffer? Why do terrible things happen to my family and friends? Why do horrors like 9/11 or Auschwitz take place? Why are “natural” disasters allowed to bring forth death and destruction? If there is a God, why do these things happen?

The Question or “Problem” of Evil
Formally, the question or the problem of evil (the typical term) goes something like this: Christians, on the basis of Scripture, believe God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnibenevolent (all good). If God is omnipotent, He can do all things. If God is omniscient, He knows all things. If God is omnibenevolent, He desires to prevent all things that would frustrate or corrupt good. In other words, He would eliminate the very possibility of evil.

Let’s put this together: If God is who the Christians say He is, evil should not exist. Nevertheless, evil does exist. Therefore, as the argument goes, the God of Christianity does not. If there is any “deity” out there, because evil exists, he is not all powerful, or he does not know, or he does not care. In any case, He is not god as Christianity declares and He is not worthy of our concern.

Answer the Question!
As we begin, it is necessary to remember some ground rules. Too often, when we Christians are faced with this question and others like it, we often respond with nothing more than a challenge of whether those asking the question can even know good from evil. If the questioners cannot know good from evil, then they are in no position to ask the question. It is true that, without objective standards, the knowledge of good and evil is an utter impossibility. Nonetheless, this is not an acceptable answer. In fact, it is not an answer at all. What we need here is a real, truthful response to the problem of evil.

Defining Good and Evil
For Christians, the first part of our response is establishing basic, Biblical definitions. The claim we are countering is: The Christian view of God and evil cannot coexist. For this reason, we must first define what we mean by God and evil. Establishing the Christian view of God is fairly simple. For brevity’s sake, let’s go with something like the “supreme being.” When it comes to evil, things are a bit trickier. This is because evil is all too often identified as anything that causes pain. When it comes to evil, Christians do not narrowly define evil as what causes pain, but as any thought, word, and/or deed that is not in accord with God’s moral will.

Philosophical and Existential Problem of Evil
With God and evil defined, an answer can now be worked out. At the core, there are three basic points the Christian must make: 1. God is not the author of evil. He cannot go against His own will; 2. Evil exists because of human sin, or human desire to reject God’s will; and 3. The existence of evil does not necessarily preclude the existence of God. Man, not God, is responsible for evil. God could or does have reasons for allowing evil to happen.

Again, the charge skeptics make here is that it isn’t logical for God and evil to coexist. These three factors, taken as a whole, dismiss the logical problem of evil. The problem we now have is many who struggle with evil are not addressing it logically. Instead, they are working on the emotional or existential problem of evil. People in this situation see evil in the world and their gut level response is: “This cannot be right!”

The True Answer to Evil: Jesus
For those struggling for an answer at the gut level, the one answer, the best answer the Christian has to offer, is Jesus! Jesus as revealed in His life, His death, His resurrection, and His eternal promises. Jesus as summarized by what we call the Gospel. It may sound trite. It may sound cliché. But, overuse and abuse notwithstanding, Jesus is the best answer; He is the ultimate answer to our struggle with evil.

With the coming of Jesus in the flesh, what we have is nothing less than God coming into our world and declaring His war against sin, death, and the devil; against all evil. Follow this up with our Lord’s life, death, and His resurrection, by which He paid the debt for sin, and the reality is an actual, true overcoming of evil in this world and in the world to come. Does this mean evil will cease to exist in this life? No, it is not quite that simple. Scripture is clear on that point. What we learn in Christ is the fact that God is not indifferent to our troubles. By becoming man, Jesus has entered into our suffering, and in His death and resurrection, He has removed both the power and the problem of evil forever.

Rev. Ian Pacey is an LCMS Campus Chaplain at the University of Arizona. He can be reached at revpacey@yahoo.com

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Christ on Campus

Rev. Mark Jasa: Getting to the Heart of the Matter

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Katie Micilcavage

For 47 years the University Lutheran Chapel has faithfully ministered to students at UCLA—from those who need their faith nourished to those who have no faith at all. And since August 2005, Rev. Mark Jasa has served as pastor there, bringing his unique life experience and apologetics skills to the table, sometimes literally.

In the beginning
Pastor Jasa was born into a Lutheran household and has fond memories of going through Little Visits With God with his parents. However, he was a skeptic at a young age. He recalls believing that everything was finite, that there was no infinite God and he feared, therefore, that perhaps he himself didn’t even truly exist.

In junior high Jasa came to the conclusion that all religions were basically the same, or as he put it, “You need to be good to get the good stuff.” He reasoned, why choose one? So, he chose nothing. By the time high school rolled around, he had developed a keen interest in biology. He felt his teachers clearly cared for him and invested time in him, so he had no reason to doubt what they said. Jasa operated under the assumption that evolution was true and God really wasn’t necessary.

In the back of his mind he recalled hearing a sermon wherein the pastor said, “God loves you in spite of yourself.” And he remembered the words in the liturgy, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…” (1 John 1:8). But he shoved those things aside and left the church for a time. No one seemed to have any good answers. It wasn’t personal. Not yet.

The turning point
In college at UCLA, this thinking was reinforced. Evolution=fact. Bible=lie. But a fear of death had begun to creep in and take hold. One day he was asked a question by a man named Cliff Knechtle, a Christian apologist who travels from college campus to college campus conversing with skeptics. “Is Hitler bad?” The question haunted Jasa. It dawned on him that of course he would have to say yes, but then that meant, logically, that there had to be a standard—a law. It was a watershed moment for Jasa, who vividly recalls that day when he said aloud, “I believe in God.”

However, it would be some time before the full impact of that truth settled in. He continued to grapple with these matters. There are things that are true. Right and wrong do exist. But how could he prove it? He was on a quest for truth, but not salvation yet.

During his investigations he began to see that Jesus as a Savior was unique. Reading through Isaiah 53, he saw that claim of the Bible began to take shape. Another benchmark: Jesus is God, but not necessarily my savior. In fact, for Jasa it all boiled down to: “Jesus is the one sending me to hell.” Clearly it was not good news yet.

Now it’s personal
Two Lutheran friends of Jasa would often take the time to engage him in many discussions and while he loved the interaction he was not personally convinced. His fear of death had continued to grow over the years. So one fateful day, these two friends took him to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, where Jasa heard the words that he says changed the course of his life: “The good news is outrageous forgiveness for undeserving sinners.” Jesus’ promises were coming from the mouth of Rev. William Cwirla. “He has an amazing way of telling you that the Gospel is for you,” Jasa explains. Now it was personal. Now it was for Mark Jasa.

At this point Jasa knew that he wanted to be a pastor but he still lacked direction. At the urging of Rev. Cwirla and another pastor, he spent time as a missionary in Japan. He started putting more apologetics pieces together, reading Francis Pieper’s Christian Dogmatics and Josh McDowell’s Evidence that Demands a Verdict. He wanted to know how to be an effective apologist. He wanted to get to the heart of the matter.

What he began to notice was that in all of the world’s religions, there aren’t promises—only demands. Joseph Smith doesn’t make promises. Mary Eddy Baker doesn’t make promises. Mohammed definitely doesn’t make promises. But Jesus does…over and over and over again.

After Japan, Jasa went to Concordia seminary in St. Louis and served his vicarage at Humboldt State University in California. He recalls an incident after working with a student there, who claimed, “Mark Jasa has convinced me that God exists.” Jasa could only think, “I have failed!” Of course it was gratifying to lead someone to that point but he wanted to be able to clearly communicate the truth of the Good News—the promises. Lutheran attorney Craig Parton explained to him that the Lutheran doctrine of Law and Gospel, as well as Christ’s resurrection, are the keys to effective apologetics. Jasa took this and ran with it.

The harvest is ripe
In August of 2005, Jasa was installed as the pastor at the University Lutheran Chapel at UCLA. It was here where all of those pieces he had been gathering together formed a wonderful portfolio that would be utilized and tested in the most satisfying ways. His ministry there involves two worship services a week, Bible studies, fellowship and three days of evangelism on campus. He also gives lectures on various apologetic-oriented topics. Jasa has gained a reputation for posting unique and sometimes provocative signs, e.g. “Religion is for the weak,” in plain view on his ministry table that prompt people to stop and ask questions…all part of the plan, of course.

Jasa says that his preferred apologetics methods are ones anyone can use. He explains that, for the most part, we can approach apologetics with intellectual arguments or existential arguments (someone’s experiences). He likes to employ either or both, on a case by case basis. For example, talking to someone who feels guilty (existential) may drive that person to know the truth (intellectual). Jasa says we often try to include information/facts that aren’t necessary. He makes it a point to ask himself, “What does he or she need?” Then he leads them to the truth. This is an application of God’s Law and Gospel. He encourages anyone defending the faith not to focus on the existence of God, although it is okay to talk about that with someone if they bring it up. Also, he advises you not to spend hours trying to prove evolution is false. This will take you away from the heart of the matter. Instead, make sure you have your facts straight on the resurrection. He notes that the Josh McDowell book mentioned earlier, as well as John Warwick Montgomery’s book History, Law and Christianity are must reads in this regard.

Jasa says to keep in mind that there are certain things nearly everyone can accept. One of them is, “I have chosen to hurt others and have contributed to the way the world is.” Also, most people are afraid of death, so it is important to bring them back to that point. Finally, it’s okay to concede a point with someone, particularly if it is taking you away from the truth you are leading them toward. For example, if someone tells you the Trinity is a crazy idea, tell them they’re right, but on judgment day what do they think will happen?

“It’s a delight to be able to do what I do—whether I’m in the pulpit proclaiming Christ to our members or talking to atheists and telling them that Jesus is really free. Being a Lutheran is the easiest thing in the whole world because all you have to do is tell people what is true.”

Rev. Mark Jasa can be reached at markjasa@gmail.com You can read more about the LCMS ministry at UCLA at www.ulcbruins.org.

Katie Micilcavage is the editor of Higher Things Magazine and the mother of two active teens in Gilbert, Arizona. In her spare time she is an elementary teacher. She can be reached at katie.micilcavage@higherthings.org

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Christ on Campus

Confessions of a Former Evangelical

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By Tamara Ockree

I had the great misfortune as a child of not being raised Lutheran. It wasn’t that I was raised by atheists, wolves, or anything like that. In fact, I was raised by Christian parents. We attended a non-denominational Christian church every Sunday, and I was taught a number of wonderful things about the Bible. I knew very early on that Jesus is our Savior, that He is the only Son of God, and that He died for our sins. I was encouraged to read the Bible on a regular basis and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

I was, however, taught some incorrect things by my church. I was taught that, although Jesus’ death was sufficient for my salvation, I needed to be sufficiently thankful for His death. The best way to show Jesus how thankful I was for Him dying on the cross was to sin less and be baptized.

I was taught that in order to be baptized, I had to make a decision to follow Jesus and that this decision was only to be made for the right reasons. When I was 9 years old I made this decision, and I am being honest with you when I tell you that it wasn’t exactly for the “right” reasons that my church believed it to be. I decided to get baptized because I wanted to have communion and my church wouldn’t let you commune until you were baptized. My church didn’t use wine at communion because, like good evangelicals, we knew that drinking alcohol of any kind automatically called into question your Christianity. Instead, we had delicious grape juice and my 9-year-old self wanted in on the action.

As I got older it seemed more evident to me that my baptism must somehow be invalid. After all, as a 9-year-old I had promised to become an obedient child of God, and yet here I was as an adult still sinning. It seemed like sin was everywhere in my life. My sinning wasn’t decreasing at all and I certainly wasn’t getting better. I started to wonder if I was even saved at all. Could Jesus really forgive me for my sins when I had so obviously broken my promise to Him that I made in my baptism? I contemplated asking the pastor to baptize me again…maybe if I meant it this time I would do better and sin less.

I began to just go through the motions of being a Christian. I went to church, helped out where I could, smiled, laughed, and never let on that I was worried that I wasn’t even a Christian. I lived in constant terror of the end times. I was certain that Jesus would find me lacking and banish me to the fires of hell. I was in deep spiritual trouble and I had no idea to whom I could turn for help.

In 2003, I married Ben. He was raised Lutheran and understood that he was a sinner, freely forgiven in the gospel of Christ. In jealousy I scoffed at his beliefs. I told him that if he was really a Christian then he would certainly try harder to act like one. He drank beer, for crying out loud! How could someone think they were a Christian, yet place themselves in the peril that alcohol would surely lead to. Ben didn’t continue to carry the burden of his sins the way I did. He repented of his sins and let them go. He had assurance in his baptism and he truly believed that he had no reason to fear Judgment Day.

A couple of years after Ben and I were married, I took a confirmation class at his Lutheran church. In this confirmation class I learned that I had a lot of misinformation regarding what the Bible said about faith, sin, forgiveness and eternal life. I learned that baptism wasn’t some act of obedience that I had given to God, but was instead the free gift of salvation that He had given to me. I learned that we can never be perfect and that is why we need Jesus Christ. If somehow I could stop sinning, then there would be no need for a savior. I found out that I am simultaneously a saint and a sinner and it is only in death and the life to come that I will truly be made perfect. God knows that our flesh is weak, He knows that we are sinful, and He knows that we need Jesus. Through my Lutheran catechesis I learned these things were true and I was given a sense of peace and calm that I had never experienced. No longer did I fear the grave—no longer did I worry that on that last day Jesus would say to me “I did not know you”.

I am a little jealous of those of you who were raised Lutheran. You have been taught God’s true word and have taken comfort in the assurance the gospel gives, that Jesus died for your sins—all of them. You have been taught that there is nothing required of you for salvation, that the Holy Spirit was given to you in your baptism, and that there are no struggles that you endure that Christ does not endure with you. I am jealous because you’ve had this knowledge all along and I had to wait so long for it. Yes, I am jealous, but I take solace that this sin, too, has been forgiven because of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Now that I am a Lutheran, I can say with all certainty, “Come Lord Jesus!”

Tamara Ockree is the wife of Benjamin Ockree, who is a 2nd year seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is the mother of two little baptized children of God and works at Walther Library on the campus of the seminary. She can be contacted at tamara.ockree@ctsfw.edu.

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Christ on Campus

Christ on Campus: Have you Apologized Lately? The Law and Gospel of Christian Apologetics

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by Rev. Ian Pacey

Going to college this year? How is your Christian apology? In daily conversation, the word apology almost always means an expression of regret for some misdeed. However, the term as used in Holy Scripture means to provide an answer, a reasoned response, or a defense. The intent here is to provide the briefest of overviews. The Higher Things Magazine spring 2012 issue will be featuring an entire array of articles on the subject of apologetics and it will be there that we delve into more specifics.

The best known use of apology comes to us in 1 Peter 3:15 which reads, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense [an “apology”] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…”

In these words, God calls Christians to be prepared to make an apology or defense whenever the appropriate circumstances arise. So how is this done? It is one thing to know what we have been called to do. It is another to know how to do it.

The Best Response: the Gospel
The best response to the question concerning the hope we Christians have is nothing less than the Biblically revealed truth concerning human sin (the Law) and the forgiveness of sin for Jesus’ sake (the Gospel). It really is that simple. Why do Christians have hope? Christians have hope because Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has atoned for the sins of the world!

As we all know, not everybody who hears the Law and the Gospel believes immediately or ever, for that matter. Fundamentally, all unbelief is the result of human sin. In practice, the reason for unbelief is as different as the people who do not believe. Some may not believe because they have been taught some falsehood. Others may not believe because they have personally created falsehoods to distance themselves from God. In both cases, the only way to help the unbeliever dig out the error is to dialogue with them; to be willing to answer and ask questions of those who reject Christian truth claims.

Questions for Christians
Most questions for Christians from unbelievers fall into three major categories:

  1. The Existence of God. The Christian claims that God exists. God’s Word teaches this fundamental truth. Of course, the unbeliever rejects the Word. Purely for the sake of discussion, is there any way the Christian can talk about the existence of God without citing the Scriptures? The answer is yes. The Christian may talk about natural law, the idea of a first cause, or use other philosophical arguments, depending on the person with whom they are speaking. Most importantly, we can speak of Jesus (whom we know as true God) and how His tomb was empty, a fact that can be demonstrated without relying solely on the Bible’s testimony!
  2. The Reliability of the Old and New Testaments. When speaking of the Holy Scriptures, Christians use the words inerrancy, inspiration, and others. These terms reflect the origin and the truthfulness of God’s Word. By definition, the unbeliever rejects these concepts. However, when it comes the main criticism against the Bible, very often an unbeliever will set forth the idea that the words of the Bible are not the words of the original authors and/or the original authors are not those normally associated with the individual books. For example, Mark did not write Mark. Is there any way of undoing these views that poison the unbeliever’s view of the Bible? Again, the answer is yes. In fact, there is a science, called textual criticism, that is devoted to the question of text authorship and transmission. When put to the test, the Holy Scriptures pass with flying colors! Not only that, the Scriptures are validated because Jesus rose from the dead!
  3. The Problem of Evil. This argument has thousands of variations. Many atheists/agnostics consider the problem of evil to be the best argument against the truthfulness of Christianity. The idea goes like this: Christians believe God is both all powerful and the greatest good. If these two things are true, then evil should not exist. Nevertheless, evil does exist. Thus, God is not all powerful or not good. In either case, He is not a God worth trusting. In a purely formal sense, this challenge is easily undone. God can do things or allow for things which we may not understand while maintaining His omnipotence and His maximum goodness. We can see this demonstrated in the experience of Job in the Scriptures. More importantly, though, we see the problem of evil answered in Jesus, who suffered evil to rescue us from evil forever!

Questions for Unbelievers
At this point, in addition to responding to questions, Christians need to be able to ask serious, probing questions of the unbeliever. For example, in response to the question of God’s existence, Christians might bring up the question of why anything exists. In some cases, people believe the universe sprang up from nothing (practically a miracle). In other cases, people suggest an eternally existing universe (so the issue is not eternal existence, but what or who exists eternally). There are many important questions to be asked in the area of ethics. Most people believe in the existence of good. How do we know what is good (or evil) without God? The number of questions can make your head spin.

Putting it all together
A full apologetic for the truthfulness of the Christian Faith, in support of the Gospel, needs to have both questions and answers at work. In both the answering and asking of questions (as Law), the power of false belief is undermined. We know that the Law does not bring anyone to the Faith. Nevertheless, the work of the Law is the divinely created forerunner to hearing and believing the Good News of forgiveness in Jesus Christ which, in the end, is the goal of all of our apologies.

Rev. Ian Stewart Pacey was born and raised in Orange County, California. He holds degrees from U.C.L.A. (B.A.), Concordia Theological Seminary (M. Div.), and Drew University (M. Phil.). Rev. Pacey serves as campus pastor at the University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona.