Apologist

Definition and Meaning

An apologist is a person who argues that the Christian faith is true and reasonable and who responds to criticisms and misunderstandings of it. The term comes from the Greek apologia, which originally meant a defendant's speech in his own defense before a court. Although apologia is the root of the English word "apology," it has nothing to do with expressing regret. The theological discipline devoted to the systematic study of the defense of the faith is called apologetics. In histories of the church, these figures are also called "defenders of the faith" or "Apologetic Fathers."

Biblical and Historical Background

The passage most often cited as the basis for apologetics is 1 Peter 3:15, which urges believers to be ready to answer anyone who asks the reason for their hope: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." The word translated "answer" here is apologia. The account in Acts 17, in which Paul explains the gospel to Greek philosophers at the Areopagus in Athens, is also frequently cited as a model of apologetics.

In the narrower sense, "Apologists" refers to writers of the second-century early church. At that time, Christians in the Roman Empire were suspected of being atheists or a group that threatened the social order. These writers addressed emperors and the educated classes, explaining the faith and engaging with Greek philosophy. Representative figures include Justin Martyr, Aristides, Athenagoras, and Tertullian. Later works such as Augustine's The City of God and the twentieth-century writings of C. S. Lewis are regarded as classics of apologetics.

Practice in the Korean Church

In the Korean church, apologetics is pursued mainly through apologetics courses at graduate schools of theology, translated and locally written books on the faith, and lectures and seminars held by campus ministry organizations. Frequently addressed topics include the existence of God, the reliability of the Bible, the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, the problem of evil and suffering, creation and evolution, and religious pluralism. In local churches, the term "apologetics" is also applied to training in how to talk with nonbelievers and to instruction in responding to the teachings of heretical groups.

Apologetic methods differ in emphasis according to theological tradition. Presuppositional apologetics is reported to be especially influential in Presbyterian seminaries of Reformed orientation. Associated with Cornelius Van Til and others, presuppositional apologetics takes the authority of Scripture as the starting point of argument. Within the broader evangelical movement, classical and evidentialist approaches, which emphasize historical evidence and philosophical argument, are also widely used. These differences, however, do not correspond exactly to denominational boundaries, and several approaches are often used side by side within a single denomination.