1. Gospel first, apologetics second. Always try
to start a witnessing encounter with the Gospel. The job of apologetics is to
pave the way for a presentation of the Gospel. It is pre-evangelism. It is
wrong to assume that every unbeliever harbors intellectual objections to
Christianity. Hence not every evangelistic situation will require an
apologetics defense.
2. Stay with the essentials. Most non-Christians
know little about the Bible or what Christians believe - and what they think
they know is often in error. When sharing the Gospel, avoid theological
subjects that will be confusing to unbelievers, like eschatology or
predestination. Confirm the message of the Gospel by sharing your personal
testimony demonstrating the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit in your
own life.
3. Remember your goal. The goal of apologetics is
to overcome intellectual obstacles to Christianity so that unbelievers are
willing to consider the Gospel. Apologetics is not theology. You don't have to
give the definitive theological answer to any issue, only an appropriate
answer that can be defended scripturally.
4. Never give people a problem. Never force
apologetics on someone or create illegitimate reasons to use it. The impulse
is to go out and confront everyone you know and challenge their misbeliefs.
Apologetics are not an excuse to argue. Often Christian love and understanding
may be all that is needed.
5. Find out the real problem. Sometimes
unbelievers will raise issues against Christianity that do not mirror their
real concerns. They may feel more comfortable discussing a popular argument
rather than what's really bothering them. Whatever the issues, you must
identify them and respond accordingly.
6. Avoid distractions. Apologetics deals with
intellectual obstacles, not moral issues. For example, that a man and woman
are living together out of wedlock should not prevent you from sharing Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior. Nor should it interfere with a discussion of
apologetics. God will deal with the moral issues once a person sees his or her
need to become a Christian.
7. Apply evangelistic and missionary techniques.
The ultimate goal of apologetics is evangelistic. The purpose is to bring
people as quickly and as efficiently as possible to the point where they
renounce their non-Christian worldviews and accept Jesus as Lord. It also
involves seeking unbelievers on their own turf.
8. Know what unbelievers believe. Be as a
missionary who before going into a foreign culture learns as much as possible
about their religious beliefs, language, social customs, ethical behavior,
cultural taboos, and so on.
9. Don't be intimidated. Most non-Christians have
little knowledge of the Bible and few have read even a portion of it. They
seldom ask sophisticated questions or need in-depth answers. If you do
encounter questions you can't answer or arguments you can't refute, admit it.
10. Keep the right attitude. Don't be
self-righteous or pushy. Try to create an environment that encourages the work
of the Holy Spirit.
Ten Commandments of Apologetics