Can Apologetics become a god? - No question unanswered?

[St. SteVen]

I have brushed up against this topic on occasion. Time to hit it head-on.

Christianity claims to have all the answers. In order to maintain that claim Apologetics were born.
And to be clear, a reasonable amount of Apologetics aren't a problem. A biblical basis for our faith.

But after I had matured in the faith (go ahead and laugh), I began to notice something about Apologetics.
Church attenders, and especially those who hadn't memorized all the Apologetics, wanted answers.
To pastor a church meant being the answer man (or woman). The flock wants answers.

And in some cases, it seemed that if a Pastor, or Bible commentator, didn't have an answer,
they made something up. Which left me in a strange place. A loss of trust in the ability of leadership.
It was never okay to say, "I don't know." The church response might be, "We need to find a new Pastor."

Discussion questions:
1) Is our faith built upon answers?
2) Are we saved by Apologetics?
3) Aren't doctrines man-made?
4) Have Apologetics ever failed you?
5) Can Apologetics become a god?


--- PARODY ---

Christian: We have all the answers.
Victim: Good; I haven't done today's crossword puzzle yet.
Christian: I didn't mean those sort of answers.
Victim: That's okay, I can do my own puzzle games.
Christian: I mean the really important answers to life.
Victim: Like how to get my keys out of a locked car?
Christian: No, like where you will spend eternity.
Victim: It seems to take an eternity to get my keys out of a locked car.
Christian: Aren't you concerned about your eternal destiny?
Victim: Not really. I'm concerned about getting my keys out of a locked car.
Christian: That is a temporal concern; I'm talking about eternity.
Victim: I'm late for an appointment. That's my main concern at the moment.
Christian: Shouldn't you be more concerned about your eternal destiny?
Victim: Oh good, the police just arrived to rescue me.
Christian: To rescue you from being locked out of your car?
Victim: No, to rescue me from you.

[

 

[St. SteVen]

I have brushed up against this topic on occasion. Time to hit it head-on.

Christianity claims to have all the answers. In order to maintain that claim Apologetics were born.
And to be clear, a reasonable amount of Apologetics aren't a problem. A biblical basis for our faith.

But after I had matured in the faith (go ahead and laugh), I began to notice something about Apologetics.
Church attenders, and especially those who hadn't memorized all the Apologetics, wanted answers.
To pastor a church meant being the answer man (or woman). The flock wants answers.

And in some cases, it seemed that if a Pastor, or Bible commentator, didn't have an answer,
they made something up. Which left me in a strange place. A loss of trust in the ability of leadership.
It was never okay to say, "I don't know."
The church response might be, "We need to find a new Pastor."

Discussion questions:
1) Is our faith built upon answers?
2) Are we saved by Apologetics?
3) Aren't doctrines man-made?
4) Have Apologetics ever failed you?
5) Can Apologetics become a god?


--- PARODY ---

Christian: We have all the answers.
Victim: Good; I haven't done today's crossword puzzle yet.
Christian: I didn't mean those sort of answers.
Victim: That's okay, I can do my own puzzle games.
Christian: I mean the really important answers to life.
Victim: Like how to get my keys out of a locked car?
Christian: No, like where you will spend eternity.
Victim: It seems to take an eternity to get my keys out of a locked car.
Christian: Aren't you concerned about your eternal destiny?
Victim: Not really. I'm concerned about getting my keys out of a locked car.
Christian: That is a temporal concern; I'm talking about eternity.
Victim: I'm late for an appointment. That's my main concern at the moment.
Christian: Shouldn't you be more concerned about your eternal destiny?
Victim: Oh good, the police just arrived to rescue me.
Christian: To rescue you from being locked out of your car?
Victim: No, to rescue me from you.

[

 

[Jericho]

1) Is our faith built upon answers?

No, otherwise, it wouldn't be faith.

2) Are we saved by Apologetics?

No.

3) Aren't doctrines man-made?

Yes, but then, I would consider apologetics to be a doctrine.

4) Have Apologetics ever failed you?

I can't say that it has.

5) Can Apologetics become a god?

I'm not sure how it could.

I don't think Christianity has ever claimed to have ALL the answers to every single question. We have some answers, especially to the big questions: Who are we, why are we here, etc. But some things are unknowable. For those things, we can give a plausible explanation, and I would distinguish that from merely making something up.

 

[Windmill Charge]

Is our faith built upon answers?

Christianity is based upon historical facts found in the Bible.

Love the parody :)
But questions like why are we here, what is the meaning of life, what about evil and injustice?

Is eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! An adequate response to injustice and suffering?


Are theologies man made? Of course they are. They are men's attempt to rationally explain God and how God interacts with men.

 

[St. SteVen]

For those things, we can give a plausible explanation, and I would distinguish that from merely making something up.

Here's an example of one.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - The unforgivable sin?

I reject the standard doctrine that states that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (the unforgivable sin) is unbelief. The scripture in question does not support that conclusion. As I understand it, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to attribute the works of God to Beelzebub. (Satan) Matthew...

www.christianityboard.com

[

 

[Gottservant]

We can be tempted to waste time, and to count the knowledge of God as all important.

We can be tempted to serve time too much, and to disregard specific truths of the Word of God.

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling"!

 

[Lambano]

It was never okay to say, "I don't know.

I guess I've been blessed to have had pastors who could say about the Bible or spiritual matters, "I don't know - but we can talk about it."

 

[St. SteVen]

I guess I've been blessed to have had pastors who could say about the Bible or spiritual matters, "I don't know - but we can talk about it."

Blessed indeed.
I saw a disturbing trend in evangelicalism.
The position was that we had this 100 percent figured out.
There were no unanswered questions.
In some cases that required making up answers.

[

 

[quietthinker]

Can Apologetics become a god? - No question unanswered?​

I'm certain if men can turn frogs and calves into gods, apologetics, intellectualism and money are first cabs off the rank!

 

[Lambano]

Blessed indeed.
I saw a disturbing trend in evangelicalism.
The position was that we had this 100 percent figured out.
There were no unanswered questions.
In some cases that required making up answers.

[

I used to listen to John MacArthur on the Christian radio station during morning drive time. Man, he had it all figured out. He knew his sh....tuff. Everybody on that station knew their stuff. The guy with the Q&A show had all the As to every Q. I wanted to be like that. So I bought a bunch of books on theology and apologetics...

Then I had a pastor who admitted during a small-group Bible study, "I don't know exactly what Jesus meant in John 14:6", which is absolutely the wrong verse for a pastor to admit they weren't sure about. Especially in the immediate aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, when people wanted strong leadership and clarity that we were God's people and in the right, and those people over there were in the wrong. Another time, a different subject, I don't remember what it was, I pointed out a place where different Biblical authors had conflicting directions for a certain situation. Instead of denying that the Bible had contradictions (like I see over and over in here), my pastor's advice for such situations was to choose whenever possible to let love guide my interpretation and actions. I remember that, though I don't think it's always possible.

Of course we fired that pastor. Pastors are leaders, and leaders can't admit they "don't know". They need to be confident and decisive. As one of my books put it,

"A good leader makes decisions quickly. If they happen to be the right decisions, so much the better."

 

[Lambano]

I saw a disturbing trend in evangelicalism.
The position was that we had this 100 percent figured out.
There were no unanswered questions.
In some cases that required making up answers.

Have you ever done door-to-door evangelism? I have. The operational model is the Fuller Brush Salesman. You're peddling Jesus, and you have a very short time to get your foot in the door and "make the sale". You HAVE to have all the answers.

 

[Lambano]

Have you ever done door-to-door evangelism? I have. The operational model is the Fuller Brush Salesman. You're peddling Jesus, and you have a very short time to get your foot in the door and "make the sale". You HAVE to have all the answers.

Funny thing, though. I had all the apologetics books, but I never got to use that knowledge. My partner, who didn't have formal apologetics training but had a love for Jesus that showed, she did most of the talking. Nobody asked any of those questions.

 

[St. SteVen]

Have you ever done door-to-door evangelism? I have. The operational model is the Fuller Brush Salesman. You're peddling Jesus, and you have a very short time to get your foot in the door and "make the sale". You HAVE to have all the answers.

Yes, I have done door-to-door evangelism. Here in America and in Canada and England on a summer missions trip.
In fact I was celebrated as the first to get a conversion on that missions trip. It was a divine encounter at a bus stop.

Here in America our door-to-door campaign at an apartment complex resulted in a church plant.

And yes, we were trained and equipped. Some of the encounters were very good.

In recent history I have taken a more God-directed approach. Using Kevin Dedmon's Treasure Hunt,
or God speaking to me directly to talk to someone specific.

My best friend is an agnostic that I am bringing along slowly.

[

 

[Lambano]

Yes, I have done door-to-door evangelism. Here in America and in Canada and England on a summer missions trip.
In fact I was celebrated as the first to get a conversion on that missions trip. It was a divine encounter at a bus stop.

Did you ever run into a situation during door-to-door evangelism where formal apologetics training was needed?

I'm three-quarters convinced that apologetics is more for believers who start having doubts. But I could be convinced otherwise.

 

[St. SteVen]

Funny thing, though. I had all the apologetics books, but I never got to use that knowledge. My partner, who didn't have formal apologetics training but had a love for Jesus that showed, she did most of the talking. Nobody asked any of those questions.

Probably what bothers me the most is the smug attitude that comes with thinking you have all the answers.
And the accompanying view toward "the lost". A superiority complex.

Accept my message or I will shake the dust off my shoes as I walk away. (you're toast)

[

 

[Lambano]

Probably what bothers me the most is the smug attitude that comes with thinking you have all the answers.
And the accompanying view toward "the lost". A superiority complex.

 

[St. SteVen]

Did you ever run into a situation during door-to-door evangelism where formal apologetics training was needed?

Yes.
If people had questions, we were ready with answers.
But I was never big on arm-twisting, or corner people theological.

I'm three-quarters convinced that apologetics is more for believers who start having doubts. But I could be convinced otherwise.

There's something to that.
But the main reason was to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
Within two years a converted person should be a "soul-winner".
That's the goal.

[

 

[St. SteVen]

Yes.
If people had questions, we were ready with answers.
But I was never big on arm-twisting, or corner people theological.


There's something to that.
But the main reason was to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
Within two years a converted person should be a "soul-winner".
That's the goal.

Interesting to me that the "we have all the answers" position sets the church up for defectors.
When you are told that it is 100 percent, when you learn even one thing that isn't... (poof)
The deep feeling of betrayal creates a level of bitterness and anger against the church...
or in many cases, against God. How unfortunate. (sigh)

[

 

[Lambano]

Interesting to me that the "we have all the answers" position sets the church up for defectors.
When you are told that it is 100 percent, when you learn even one thing that isn't... (poof)
The deep feeling of betrayal creates a level of bitterness and anger against the church...
or in many cases, against God. How unfortunate. (sigh)

[

I've read about that and had an interesting discussion with brother @Matthias about the all-or-nothing mindset. We are being set up for failure.

I recall one of the apologetics books saying something to the effect of, "These two verses aren't 'contradictions'; they're 'antimonies'". I thought "antimony" was one of the elements on the Periodic Table. Another author whom I really did respect said, "The law of non-contradiction is 'Aristotelian logic', which doesn't apply to the Bible, which was written by Jewish authors with a Hebrew mindset." Okay, so you've just admitted the Bible is illogical, yet we use "Aristotelian logic" in our arguments, so that argument just committed suicide.

I call "BS".

 

[St. SteVen]

I recall one of the apologetics books saying something to the effect of, "These two verses aren't 'contradictions'; they're 'antimonies'". I thought "antimony" was one of the elements on the Periodic Table. Another author whom I really did respect said, "The law of non-contradiction is 'Aristotelian logic', which doesn't apply to the Bible, which was written by Jewish authors with a Hebrew mindset." Okay, so you've just admitted the Bible is illogical, yet we use "Aristotelian logic" in our arguments, so that argument just committed suicide.

Yes.
A very sad commentary on the church that marches behind the flag of TRUTH.

I wish that they were more focused on the testimonies of those who have had a life-changing encounter with God.

[