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What do theologians talk about when they get together? Not always theology. At the recent annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, the opening address by Dr. J. P. Moreland was about the need for believers to understand philosophy in order to advance the kingdom of God.

For many of us, our contact with philosophy probably comes from Colossians 2:8 which says "See that no one take you captive through philosophy and empty deception." So why would any Christian want to have anything to do with philosophy?

Many Christians today feel that they and the church have been pushed to the edge of the cultural discussion: they feel marginalized. How did Christians in the past earn the right to be taken seriously in their culture? What did they do in the "good old days"?

Dr. Moreland spoke of John Wesley's requirements for a minister of the gospel. What was first on his list? A capacity for sound reasoning. And what should he study? "Logic, metaphysic, natural theology, and geometry!" Most seminary students today don't even take one course in philosophy, and yet we expect them to understand the times and know how to answer the philosophical skeptics who love to ridicule Christianity.

What did the great Church Father Augustine say in the fifth century? "We must show our scriptures not to be in conflict with whatever our critics can demonstrate about the nature of things from reliable sources." Philosophy was the main tool Augustine used in this task.

Philip Johnson, a distinguished law professor at the University of California-Berkeley, speaks and writes pointedly about the weaknesses of what he calls philosophical naturalism. This is the philosophy that undergirds not only evolution, but also much of the way our culture looks at all of life. It proclaims that science gives the only facts we can know are true, and if science cannot study something, then it isn't important. This is a deeply held philosophical position, and Dr. Johnson's arguments have been philosophical ones, but he has made them understandable to most of us. He has been an excellent example of using philosophy to show the weaknesses of a world view that attacks Christianity.

What can the church be doing to carry forward the task of "letting philosophy provide structure and sharpness to our discourse in the public square"? We need to integrate philosophy into the everyday work of the church. We can encourage our seminaries to hire at least one philosophy professor. We can make classes and institutes a part of the church's teaching ministry and attend them. We can set aside funds for students who want to study philosophy. We can bring Christian philosophers into the network of the church to both teach us and be a part of the body of Christ.

"As the history of the church has shown us, the broader development of the life of the mind is important for advancing the kingdom of God, and learning philosophy is crucial for developing a broader life of the mind."

So, perhaps each of us needs to think a little more and encourage those who lead us to teach us how to think carefully, logically, and clearly so that we can have accurate, well-thought-out answers when people challenge our Christian faith. As Peter says, God expects us to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).


Are you prepared?

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The Christian church has been sharing and defending God's truth for almost two millennia. During those two thousand years there have been many challenges to the faith. As we enter a new millennium it is still necessary to give serious consideration to how we can best defend the gospel with our theology intact. Dr. Thomas Oden, professor of theology at Drew University, recently addressed the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society by answering seven questions pertaining to how the faith can be defended theologically.

1. Is the willingness to suffer for truth intrinsic to the Christian understanding of the truth? Dr. Oden answers by stating that "No Christian teacher is worth listening to who is not willing to suffer if need be for the truth that is being taught." Thus if we are going to stand for the truth in the face of opposition, we must realize that it may include persecution, even physical persecution. This sobering truth is found throughout the New Testament. Its application continues today.

2. How is the concept of the "non-Christian" world best understood evangelically? "It can only point to a world which lives in despair," not realizing that the redeeming love of the Incarnate living God has been revealed. But as we live in the midst of such despair, we should be cautious to not take the world's fallenness more seriously than the world's redemption through Jesus Christ.

3. What is happening in the confessing evangelical movements within the North American mainline? The answer to this question can give us hope. The mainline denominations, which have progressively abandoned historic orthodoxy over the past thirty years, have begun to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit. The faithful remnant within these denominations are gaining momentum which can effect needed changes. Thus we should observe these movements and learn what God is doing as opposed to spending all our energies voicing "moral outrage and repeating negative grievances."

4. Is the history of exegesis recoverable after a century of reductionist historicism? Dr. Oden states that "the Holy Spirit has a history. When this history is systematically forgotten, it is incumbent upon evangelical guardianship to recover it by new rigorous historical effort." The wisdom of the past has been dormant much too long. It must be recovered. We need not continue to suffer from amnesia.

5. At what point will we learn to kick the post out of ultramodernity? Perhaps you have heard the term postmodernism. Dr. Oden makes a distinction between this word and ultramodernity by asserting that postmodern describes the orthodox person who has gone through the nightmare of modernity only to awaken in the "central tradition of classical Christianity." Ultramodernity best describes the ravings of the "academic avant garde." "The period after modernity is a required course for evangelicals who attest the risen Lord amid a dying culture."

6. Where is the Holy Spirit leading evangelical apologetics? After suffering through the demise of Western thought, the Christian community is now being led back to a study of the word of God made known in history.

7. Will the church endure? Dr. Oden believes that even though the church has always struggled with apostasy and always will, "the church as body of Christ will be preserved till the end of time."

These seven questions and Dr. Oden's answers certainly provide food for thought. The apologetic task is great and sometimes threatening. But God is still at work among His people.

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Today as never before, Christians are being called upon to give reasons for the hope that is within them. Often in the evangelistic context seekers raise questions about the validity of the gospel message. Removing intellectual objections will not make one a Christian; a change of heart wrought by the Spirit is also necessary. But though intellectual activity is insufficient to bring another to Christ, it does not follow that it is also unnecessary. In this essay we will examine the place and purpose of apologetics in the sharing of our faith with others.

The word "apologetics" never actually appears in the Bible. But there is a verse which contains its meaning:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man who asketh you the reason for the hope that is within you with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15).

The Greek word apologia means "answer," or "reasonable defense." It does not mean to apologize, nor does it mean just to engage in intellectual dialogue. It means to provide reasonable answers to honest questions and to do it with humility, respect, and reverence.

The verse thus suggests that the manner in which one does apologetics is as important as the words expressed. And Peter tells us in this passage that Christians are to be ready always with answers for those who inquire of us concerning our faith. Most Christians have a great deal of study ahead of them before this verse will be a practical reality in their evangelistic efforts.

Another question that often comes up in a discussion about the merits and place of apologetics is, "What is the relationship of the mind to evangelism?" "Does the mind play any part in the process?" "What about the effects of the fall?" "Isn't man dead in trespasses and sins?" "Doesn't the Bible say we are to know nothing among men except Jesus Christ and Him crucified?" "Why do we have to get involved at all in apologetics if the Spirit is the One Who actually brings about the New Birth?"

I think you will agree that today there are many Christians who are firmly convinced that answering the intellectual questions of unbelievers is an ineffectual waste of time. They feel that any involvement of the mind in the gospel interchange smacks too much of human effort and really just dilutes the Spirit's work.

But Christianity thrives on intelligence, not ignorance. If a real Reformation is to accompany the revival for which many of us pray, it must be something of the mind as well as the heart. It was Jesus who said, "Come and see." He invites our scrutiny and investigation both before and after conversion.

We are to love God with the mind as well as the heart and the soul. In fact, the early church was powerful and successful because it out-thought and out-loved the ancient world. We are not doing either very well today.

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Most Christians today seem to prefer experiencing Christianity to thinking about or explaining it. But consider these verses:

Matthew 13:23: "But he who received the seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit." They all heard it, but only the "good soil" comprehended it.

Acts 8:30: "When the Spirit prompted Philip to join himself to the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch (who was reading Isaiah 53), he asked, `Do you understand what you are reading?' The eunuch replied, `How can I except some man should guide me?'"

Acts 18:4: Paul at Corinth was "reasoning in the synagogue every sabbath and trying to persuade the Jews and Greeks."

Acts 19:8: Paul at Ephesus "entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God."

Romans 10:17: "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Again the emphasis is on hearing with perception.

2 Corinthians 5:11: "We persuade men," says Paul. Vine's Expository Dictionary describes this Greek word like this: "to apply persuasion, to prevail upon or win over, bringing about a change of mind by the influence of reason or moral considerations."

All of these words--persuasion, dialogue, discourse, dispute, argue, present evidence, reason with--are vehicles of communication and are at the heart of Paul's classical evangelistic model. Can there be saving faith without understanding? Can there be understanding without reasoning? The Bible would appear to say no. Paul urges believers in 2 Timothy 2:15 to study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not to be ashamed.

J. Gresham Machen, a great Christian scholar, said the following words in 1912 to a group of young men at Princeton Seminary:


If these words were true in 1912, how much more are they needed today?

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