Over the past 20 years we have seen many changes in the way people are responding to Christianity. We cannot evangelize like we did 20 or 30 years ago. Autonomy is reigning over our culture’s heart as they drive towards happiness and success. In one of our latest articles, “Atheism is the #1 Religion in America: Does God Really Need Us to Defend our Faith?” we point out why our country is in the condition that it is.

Needless to say, without apologetics and training on how we are to defend the faith we won’t have Christians around that know how to defend the faith. This task of reaching the lost isn’t just for intellectuals or the elite because Jesus has called us to go out into the world and boldly speak of the truth. We know that Jesus is the only way to God but we need to learn how to explain that to others who aren’t believers. Further, how can we teach others about Him if we don’t know how to convey this truth and how real Christ is?

Below are some questions and introductory information about defending the faith. I hope it piques your interest to start digging a little deeper into how to boldly speak to others about your faith in Jesus.

What is Defending the Faith?

Christian Apologetics is the defense of the faith and derives from the greek word apologia. While there are different methods most people envision two people debating over intellectual issues but it’s more than that. Debating is a form of persuasion but giving a reason why you are a Christian can happen at any place, even Starbucks.

There are different ways to state your reasons for your faith and that can be with your own personal life experience, scientific evidence, cosmological evidence, archaeology, morality or historical evidence (to name a few). There is ample amount of evidence that surrounds us and while a great portion comes from the bible itself there is also many pieces of exciting evidence for Christianity outside of the bible.

Did you know that we have records talking about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that are not just in the bible but are documented in other historical records?!

Why is every Christian Called to be a Christian Defender?

As Christians we are called to live boldly for God and that means speaking boldly about him. To be a Christian Defender means that you share about the hope of Jesus Christ just as 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to do. While there are different aspects to Christian defending such as science, moral reasoning, experiential, etc. it all points to the truth. It is our duty to speak his truth and it is his job to soften the hearts and minds of the people we speak to.

When we speak about the hope of Jesus especially when an unbeliever questions our faith, you are acting as a Christian Defender.
When you share your testimony of how the Lord saved you, you’re are acting as a Christian Defender.
When you present evidence for the existence of God as the divine creator of life or talk about historical facts about Jesus’ life and resurrection, you are acting as a Christian Defender. Most likely you have been defending the faith without realizing it.

Another question you may be wondering about is what makes a person qualified to defend the faith? When Jesus came to preach the good news he did not pick disciples or followers that were qualified in teaching or in education nor an elite status. He simply chose the willing! The men that he chose were not the scholars nor the rich. They were illiterate men who were struggling in life.

Why should Christians value Defending the Faith?

Christian Defending is crucial to Christianity because it explains life. Your reasoning with others won’t always mean that they will see this hope immediately. Your job as a Christian is only to speak boldly about this hope and trust that the Holy Spirit will open the eyes and hearts of those you are talking with.

By learning about defending the faith through reading the bible and conducting our own research of historical and scientific facts we can be better equipped as Christians to reach the lost and to strengthen our own faith. Socrates said it best when he stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” -1 Peter 3:15