1. Introducing Apologetics

From the earliest days those who called upon the name of the Lord needed to defend their reasons for not worshiping like their neighbors. Paul promoted the Christian faith in the face of militant opposition from Jewish leaders. Later, Christian teachers called apologists—men like Tertullian—argued that it was right to believe the gospel despite objections from heathen philosophers. Many others after them have carried on their tradition.

Who will defend and advance the Christian faith today when truth itself is ridiculed? God is calling you and me—all of his people—to practice the discipline of apologetics.

There are hurdles that keep us from fulfilling our calling to defend the faith. We might feel that apologetics is best left to the experts. But God expects every Christian to be "prepared to make a defense" of the faith. We might wonder if apologetics is appropriate. Some Christians think confrontation and contradiction are unloving. Many of us are fearful of offending people. Even more seriously we might lack confidence in the gospel. You can't defend what you don't believe. Thankfully, apologetics is not just for outsiders. It also equips God's people to give the answers others need.