The key biblical verse for apologetics is 1 Peter 3.15.
It says: ‘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.’ (NIV) Most of us are probably familiar with the words and realise the challenge of giving reasonable answers (an ‘apology’ in Greek) for our faith. But Peter’s words carry other challenges too. There is the challenge to be full of gentleness and respect. There is no encouragement to quarrel or be arrogant. No call to be rude or dismissive. Apologists are at their best when they are courteous and dignified.
Do they ask questions?
However, there is a further challenge in the verse which I think is even more urgent in my experience of church life. Peter is describing apologetics as responsive. It is giving an answer in response to a question that an unbeliever asks us. Here is a pressing challenge. Do we have friends who are not Christians and are we in situations where our faith is being questioned?
It is no good having an exhaustive knowledge of the Bible and a fantastic ability to handle objections if we never meet non-Christians. We might still engage in preaching sermons or public events but are we responding to genuine questions that those without faith are asking?
I think this is a serious weakness in our evangelical church life. We create programmes with the best of intentions that actually remove us from opportunities to share our faith. The church needs to be intentional in making sure that we live provocative lives among unbelieving friends who will actually ask us ‘the reason for the hope that we have’.
Get out there
This is not easy. We all live busy lives. Some are naturally more able to do this than others. For me I need to actively ensure I create the opportunities. A secular workplace, clubs and societies, or serving on a local council, are obvious places to meet people outside of work and share our faith.
I would add a couple of specific examples that have helped me. Both have been fruitful avenues for men’s ministry. Of course, they are also relevant to women, but it seems to me that woman more naturally meet to talk. With men this is less natural and other avenues need to be considered.
While playing football often brings men together it can be harder to get opportunities to talk unless you make the most of a road trip to a match or commiserating afterwards in a bar. The two best examples for me are mountaintop walks and table top games.
Walking
The former can bring men together by joining as a team to accomplish something like the Three Peaks challenge for charity. Men rise to the challenge of a more arduous walk and, if it is for a charitable cause there is an extra incentive. And walking is a great opportunity for talking. A few hours into conquering Ben Nevis and lightweight banter can easily turn to subjects of much greater depth.
Board games
My second example is board and card games. I don’t mean Monopoly (a tired and dull game to most) nor poker (let’s keep money out of it). But there are a wealth of simple but thoughtful games now (Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Ticket to Ride) that men can play without embarrassment and that create the space where they can talk. We have a regular meeting at a local pub where, as the evening wears on, conversations often turn from problems at work or family to the existence of God and the hope of the gospel.
Instead of asking when did you last share the gospel maybe you could ask when were you last asked about the gospel? What are we doing to provoke the questions to which apologetics is the response? If it’s been a while then maybe it is time to be intentional about creating space for the opportunities to arise.
