Apologetics Reflection

Critical thinking is described as unbiased, clear and factual thought process that helps any student with any decision-making process. Critical thinking is an essential tool that every student will need to master to continue academic success. There are multiple phases of critical thinking as described by Benjamin Bloom which include remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. The critical thinking process starts by remembering. If we can remember what we read and apply key facts we will be able to move forward to understand what decisions we need to make. From there we can then apply the facts to the decision we have to make and innovate, or create, as needed.

Christian gospel in many ways is perceived in this day and age are a lost word. People have the art of praying and staying faithful to the word of God. God provided us with all kinds of blessings and opportunities in life so that we can flourish and prosper. Also God took all our sin to the cross and forgave us for everything we done that was not right in his eyes. We need to also understand that there is only one God and we need to cherish it every day of our lives. Today’s culture perceives the Gospel almost the same was as old days but how man tries to rewrite the word to fits our society today, people believe that s God except so of things that are going on today

At the onset of the Christian faith, its followers faced a difficult period in which they had to deal with many internal and external forces of confusion about their new faith. With Christianity being a rather close subdivision of Judaism, the followers of Christianity are faced with the task of supporting their beliefs and practices deeming why they are justifiable. In this apologetic period, these Jewish Christians embark on the task of defending their church and the religion itself in order to establish its credibility and existence.

Apologetic became a theology, whose purpose is to defend Christianity through the use of logical and rational arguments supported by only that historical and scientific information that applies to their needs. It is the Christian Apologists responsibility that they are capable to explain logically why they have their particular religious beliefs.

I cannot start the construction of my theology of Apologetics without going back to the Apostle Peter’s call for all Christians in 1 Peter 3:15 to be ready all the time to give a defense for your faith in God. So God is informing us that we need to be developing strategies for our defense. I know this sounds weird, but as a football coach you always have a game plan when you step on the field. I think this is what God is telling us through Peter. As a coach on the defensive side of the ball I always look at what I can shut down or take away from my opponent’s offense. I will attempted to construct a defense by looking at the opponent’s (unbeliever’s) major offensive weapon and developing strategies I can

Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith is a formidable case in favor of Christian theism from the ground-up covering all major evidences along with responses to common objections. In chapter 17: “The Uniqueness of Humanity,” Groothuis develops the challenge that consciousness and cognition constitute for materialism and proposes arguments in favor of biblical substance dualism. The relationship between mind and brain remains a mystery explicable in a theistic worldview. Ironically, scientific descriptions of reality in terms of matter require and presuppose consciousness, given that scientists construct these descriptions! The conundrum for the materialist is that he/she has to be able to explain thoughts and truth via

The first purpose which the author mentioned was the need for a biblical approach to Apologetics. John Frame’s first purposes were stated, “A biblical apologetic targets unbelief wherever it may be found, strengthening the faith of Christians and calling unbelievers to repentance and faith in Christ. ”1 Frame began with a brief biblical definition and outline for Presuppositional Apologetics. First he referenced the biblical basis of Apologetics, I Peter 3:15-16, and then outlined, “1. Apologetics as proof:”2 Followed by “2. Apologetics as defense:”3

As someone who has always wanted to understand the Bible better and use scriptures within proper context, the last six months has really helped me to understand context; how to determine it, and how to apply it properly. Another important aspect I have learned, specifically via THEO 104, is defense of the reliability of scripture. Approximately 5000 Greek manuscripts exist, along with an additional 13,000 copies of portions of the New Testament, which stands in stark contrast to no other major historical writing has more than 200 manuscripts available, and most have less than a dozen; biblical scholars have determined that these manuscripts were copied with at least 95% accuracy (Towns, E., 2002). I now understand more fully what salvation is and what it entails. Rather than just saying something to the effect of “Salvation is forgiveness of sin and the path to eternal life,” I can discuss the faith experience, regeneration, and life-transformation more in depth, with more accuracy. With all that I have learned, it is quite impossible to narrow that education down specifically to one area in which I have acquired knowledge. Overall, I am in awe at how my eyes have been opened wider, and how my spirit has been spoken to. My worldview has not changed, it has expanded to include deeper truths and more accurate

Apologetics comes from the Greek word, ‘apologia’ meaning verbal defense. The Greek word is used in the verse, “Always be prepared to give an answer” (1 Peter 3:15) and in the negative, “men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). In Reformed terms, stated by Frame, it can be

Throughout history, mankind has searched for some kind of answers to life’s big questions. A large part of earth’s inhabitants believe in God and the Bible, yet not all religions teach the same even though they all claim to “read” the same book. Jehovah’s Witnesses are notorious for studying the Bible thoroughly and through there finding the happiness and the answers to the questions of life. Charles Taze Russell found that the teachings and logic of other religions were faulty, and sought out to systematically analyze the Bible in the way that it was written to be understood. Through the Russell and others, the Bible Student Movement began that gave way to great new things.

Apologetics is the art of persuasion and of biblical apologetics, in particular. It involves the Bible's own use of apologetic and persuasive arguments to defend the Christian faith.

“Apologetics is the branch of Christianity that deals with the defense and establishment of the Christian faith. Christian Apologetics is something every true believer should be involved in even if it is only a little.”

The Christian faith was forced to readjust the teachings of Jesus Christ to meet the updated needs of the world. In modern times, everything is less objective. It is assumed that “knowledge is certain, objective and good, and that such knowledge is obtainable.” Humans attempted to find knowledge during the enlightenment period. This crusade toward reason and truth was an individual concern. A typical modern-day Evangelical within the church would read the Bible for themselves to decipher what is fact. The church was no longer to claim to have the sole truth as information which can be accessed from numerous sources. Currently, the most significant difficulty the church faces is postmodernism.

At the end of 2016, “post-truth” officially became Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year, demonstrating an increasing rejection of objective truth by American culture. The spirit of relativism permeates our culture, invading American churches, and tainting the worldview of numerous Christians. Consequently, many professing Christians find the discipline of apologetics irrelevant to contemporary evangelism, spiritual maturity, and church edification. Contrary to this popular belief, our cultural landscape renders Christian apologetics increasingly important, as the apologist actively argues for the existence of objective truth, while presenting a rational case for the truthfulness of the Christian faith.

Before I started college, I had no idea what critical thinking was. Critical thinking is a method of thinking that emphasizes reflective, open minded, and rational analysis. I had never heard of such a thing before, but now I realize that it could be the key to success in anyone’s life. I have learned that we are a lot less than we can be, we have the capacity to be great, but our critical thinking is undeveloped.