On Apologetics – Understanding “Argument” as Truth

Greetings Dear Reader,

One thing that is a great challenge to Christian Apologetics is that there are Christians who are not honest in their apologetics.  There are two very important sides to this coin.  I feel that when we fail in either of them it hurts our image in the eyes of our detractors and it hurts our faith.

The first is that we are not always honest with our apologetics in terms of what we accept as evidence of our faith.  One of the glaring examples from my early days as a Christ follower was the Lost Day story that tries to explain account in the Book of Joshua.   There are several honest and good attempts to explain what happened but the only genuine answer I can give is that we do not know how it happened.

The point here is not to attempt to prove or disprove anything.  Instead I wish to cast an honest light on admitting that we have as a body told some awful lies to attempt to give credibility to our faith.  If we need to lie to prove our truths then of what value are our truths?  It is much more important that we speak the truth and hold fast to it than we convince others through deception and slight of mind.

The second truth that we seem to either be ashamed of or wish to circumvent is that we follow a God who demands that we have faith.  I have a dear friend who has told me that he will not believe in a God who requires faith.  We try to get around the need for faith when we offer false proof.  There is a place for good apologetics but in the end there is a singular truth that requires our attention.  If we try to evade faith then we are not honest in our apologetics.  “I do not know” is an acceptable answer for some things.

We cannot escape the truth that at some point we must make a step, stride, or leap of faith.  I cannot tell anyone else that I have proven the existence, power, or love of God.  All that I can do is give honest and reasonable account of the faith I have.  As a story teller I love to create fictions that reflect the truth of who God is.  As a follower of Christ my obligation is to always speak the truth in love. 

Having laid this foundation I can move on to the meager attempt to explain why I have faith in Jesus as a living God who became human for the sake of my reclamation.  I am commanded to “Speak the truth in love.”  Both must be present if we are to deliver apologetics in a way that is true to the faith we claim.

I do not have answers for everything.  I do not KNOW everything I wish I knew.  I do, however, have a reasonable faith.  Please feel free to question me as I unfold the reasons why.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."