If you are a Christian and have ever wondered if you should study Apologetics, here are three compelling reasons why you should.
Reason 1 – People are becoming more skeptical as the culture is becoming more confusing.
New Yorkers are by nature skeptical people. What do I mean by skeptical?
We are not easily convinced. If you’re from New York, you’re possibly already getting skeptical of this blog and you haven’t even finished reading it yet. I’m getting skeptical myself and I’m writing it. Please, read on.
As is turns out, New Yorkers are not the only skeptical people when it comes to religion and faith in God. Pew Research Center lists the following 5 key findings about the changing U.S Religious Landscape.1
- Christians are declining, both as a share of the U.S population and in total number.
- Within, Christianity, the biggest declines have been in the mainline Protestant tradition and among Catholics.
- The decline of Christians in the U.S has corresponded with the continued rise in the share of Americans with no religious affiliation (religious “nones”).
- There are clear differences between certain demographic groups when it comes to religious affiliation.
- The share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths, such as Islam and Hinduism, has grown modestly.
If you are a Christian and became upset with what you just read, then at least you know you have good comprehension skills. STUDY APOLOGETICS!
Reason 2 – Young people are slipping through the cracks and do not truly understand what they believe making them more open to dismiss what they “thought was true”.
Brett has developed a groundbreaking approach to mission trips, creating a one-of-a-kind training experience that immerses participants in real-life apologetics, theology, and evangelism. He orchestrates interactive trips to Berkeley, California, and to various parts of Utah where participants are equipped to engage atheists, Mormons, university students, and other non-believers. http://www.str.org/training/speakers/brett-kunkle
Reason 3 – Apologetics is a way of acknowledging and answering some difficult questions.
Questions that relate to our Christian beliefs can at times make us feel doubt or uncertainty.
Example One – Category Science
You begin to attend university for the first time only to find out that as a human being your DNA shows that you are related to the common banana, therefor, you have in your distant past evolved from a banana.
Which of the following answers best represents you?
A – All this talk about Bananas has made me hungry. (follow this link – https://welcome.weightwatchers.com)
B– What exactly did you just say to me? Who are you calling a banana? (Relocate to New York)
C- How do you know that having similar DNA doesn’t mean that we were created by the same creator? Why assume that we evolved at all, being that evolution does not show up in the fossil record and we have no explanation for the first life?
If you answered A, go get something to eat and start studying apologetics.
If you answered B, calm down, study apologetics.
If you answered C, Keep studying apologetics.
In Summary,
By the careful study of Apologetics we can become more effective for Jesus in our culture.
Remember:
1– People are becoming more skeptical not less skeptical
2– Young Christians are slipping through the cracks, and falling away.
3– We must learn how to acknowledge and answer tough questions.
N.Mitchell – New York Apologetics
1-http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/12/5-key-findings-u-s-religious-landscape/