Why another campus ministry? Ohio State University (OSU) is the largest campus in the country (60,000 students). Ratio Christi is a nationwide apologetics ministry at OSU. Ratio Christi seeks to encourage and strengthen the faith of students at secular institutions across the country through the use of intellectual investigation and apologetics—while also sharing the Messiah’s message and love to those that have yet to receive it. Of course I have heard the question, why another campus ministry?
Let me go ahead and offer some answers. Let’s first start by looking at the following comments:
“It is no longer enough for you Christians to believe something. We won’t accept simple belief. You have to be able to explain your beliefs and defend them to a growing number of skeptics who do not hold to your assumptions. Step up to the plate, or stop trying to present Christianity as a valid system.”
These were some comments made by a listener who phoned into a radio debate between a Christian and an atheist in the Spring of 2007.
Let me expand on the need for Ratio Christi with the following points: By the way, please don’t tell me I am begging the question by appealing to the Bible. There are enough posts on this blog that deal with the reliability of the Bible.
1. Apologetics Can Be Found All Throughout The Bible
When people hear the word “apologetics” some Christians assume that this is a specialized ministry that has been delegated to Christian apologists such as Ravi Zacharias or William Lane Craig. We must remember that the reason both of these men are involved in this endeavor is because they both know apologetics was practiced by Jesus and the early Church. Peter gives a verbal defense of the faith: 1 Peter 3:15:16 (J.N.T): “But treat the Messiah as holy as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you yet with humility and fear. Keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are spoken against, those who abuse the good behavior flowing from your union with the Messiah may be put to shame.”
Two key words that Peter that are central to what Peter is communicating-“apologia” and “logos”; (2) The Greek word for “reason” in this passage is “logos,” which is defined as a word, inward thought itself, a reckoning, or a regard; (3) Apologia comes from the English words apology and apologetic. The Greek term often speaks of a formal defense in a court of law. Paul used it to describe his defense in a courtroom situation (2 Tim. 4:16). Apologetics is a form of pre-evangelism. Peter is saying that we are called to give a rational explanation for our faith. Furthermore, we are called to explain our faith “with gentleness and reverence.”
Also, giving answers links doing pre-evangelism with making Christ Lord in our hearts. If He is really Lord, then we should be attempting to “destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and … taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). In other words, we should be trying to deal with the issues in our own minds and in the expressed thoughts of others that are preventing them from knowing God. That is what pre-evangelism is all about.
2. Christians Need An Integrated Faith
The God of the Bible is certainly a God of revelation. However, the Bible does command us to love God with our minds (Matt. 22:27), as well as love God with the rest of our being. We can’t forget the commandment, “’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28-30). Biblical faith involves a commitment of the whole person.The Hebrew word for heart is “leb,” or “lebad.” While the word “heart” is used as a metaphor to describe the physical organ, from a biblical standpoint, it is also the center or defining element of the entire person. It can be seen as the seat of the person’s intellectual, emotional, affective, and volitional life. In the New Testament, the word “heart” (Gr.kardia) came to stand for man’s entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements In other words, the disciple of Jesus is called to use good reason to discover truth (Isa.1:18; Matt. 22:27; 1 Pet. 3:15).
3. Apologetics: Is it “Reason Based” or “Faith Based”?
Response: This objection misunderstands the relationship between faith and reason. Apologetics is both a reason based and faith based ministry. It is not an either/or issue. Apologetics may serve as a valuable medium through which God can operate, but the mature apologist knows faith is never the product of historical facts or evidence alone. For example, in James 2:19, it says that the demons believe that God exists. But just because the demons think God exists, this doesn’t mean they have saving faith. Objectively speaking, apologetics or evidence for God may help someone believe that God exists. However, the individual still needs to place their trust in God. This can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15).
Furthermore, the person who points out this objection tends to be worried that apologetics will take the place of faith. In other words, if we offer reasons and evidence, God won’t be happy with us because what He can only be pleased by faith (Heb. 11:6). In response, in the Bible, the object of faith is sometimes described as resting in God Himself (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:24). And even as God is the object of faith, the author of the Gospel of John directs his audience to Jesus as being the object of faith as well (John 20:31).
But let’s look at Acts 17:1-4: “Paul went into the synagogue reasoning and giving evidence that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead.”
Just stop and ask yourself this question: What if someone had stopped Paul and said, “Paul, you can’t go into the synagogue and reason with them. After all, they need faith.” I think Paul was more than aware that they needed to have faith.
However, he knew that they were going to have objections to Jesus being the Jewish Messiah. He needed to be able to respond to their objections. Likewise, if someone came to me and said they were having a hard time trusting in the credibility of Christianity because of the unreliability of the New Testament, I would not say, “Just have faith.” Instead, I would give them solid reasons for the trustworthiness of the New Testament.
Did you know in Acts 19:8-10, Luke says it was “Paul’s custom at Ephesus was to be engaged in “reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.” The Greek word translated “reasoning” is “dialegomenos.” Ardnt and Ginrich assign the meaning 1.To discuss, conduct a discussion of lectures which were likely to end in disputations. Here the word is conjoined the Greek word “peithen” which carries the force of “to convince.”
So a word to parents, Christians, and ministry leaders: WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO YOU AND ASKS YOU QUESTIONS, DON’T JUST TELL THEM, “YOU NEED TO HAVE FAITH.” That has been disastrous for the Church. SO PLEASE STOP DOING THAT! Many of us in the apologetic endeavor have seen hundreds of people walk away from the faith when they saw Christians couldn’t give them any answers.
Can we all agree that we see in Scripture that the God of Israel is a rational being, and the principles of good reason do flow from his very nature? It is evident that God calls on us to use our reason (Isa. 1:18; 1 Pet. 3:15; Matt. 22:36-37). God is a rational being, and He created us as rational beings. So we can agree that since humans are created in the image of God, reason is not opposed to revelation; it is part of it. Learning the rules of clear and correct reasoning play an integral part in our service to our Lord.
4. Apologetics and Evangelism Are Insperable
Why are Christians apathetic about apologetics? I think one reason is because many Christians are not interested in engaging the culture. And one of the primary reasons they are not sharing the Gospel is fear.Since Jesus commands His people to “make disciples of the nations” (Matt.28:19), the Christian who is not ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16), will desire to share it with his neighbor. Furthermore, can someone enter into the process of discipleship without hearing a verbal proclamation of the gospel? One of the largest obstacles in motivating people to obey the Great Commission is a fear of rejection, misunderstanding, or ridicule.
Perhaps we forget that the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7). The fear of being rejected by people does not come from God. And perhaps we forget that the primary role of the Holy Spirit is to magnify the person of Jesus (John 16:12-15).
5. Christians Need to Understand the Big Picture
Apologetics also plays a larger role than simply helping a person be more effective in personal evangelism. Apologetics can help shape the spiritual climate of a culture. Since Europe and Canada are deeply post-Christian, we need to heed this comment by apologist William Lane Craig. As Craig says, “For the value of apologetics extends far beyond one’s immediate evangelistic contact. It is the broader task of Christian apologetics to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the Gospel can be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women.”
Have you ever talked to missionaries who have been to Russia? They will tell you there is no point in trying to share the message of Christ to people who don’t even think humans have a soul (hence, they are materialists). The same goes for other parts of the world as well.
In his book Evangelism and the Early Church, author Michael Green notes that the early church advanced the gospel through the first four centuries because of three things: (1) The ability to engage in persuasive apologetics and outthink her opponents, (2) The transformed character and biblical compassion of believers, (3) The manifest power of the kingdom of God.
6. People Have Honest Questions
I can say from experience that I have seen hundreds of students who have honest questions about God and other issues related to spirituality. And I could share testimonies of those who have come to faith in our Lord through apologetic books and presentations. People are looking for Christians who actually care about what they believe and can give them some answers. As my friend Frank Turek says,”Christians don’t get brownie points for being ignorant.”
Anyone who engages in apologetics knows that no one can come to faith apart from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. But when someone has an objection to the faith, we can’t blame the Holy Spirit if He has nothing to recall to their minds.
One of the reasons the Holy Spirit was able to use Paul with a variety of audiences was because Paul had a vast knowledge of the Old Testament, as well as Jewish and Greek culture. If someone asks a question that you cannot answer, it allows you the privilege of doing research about a particular apologetic issue. Apologetics takes hard work. I will conclude with one question. When will you get started?
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