When i first started studying theology i became enamored by apologetics! Yes, rational argument for the existence of God and the logical (and thereby) rationale for embracing Christianity. i wanted to study and teach apologetics because i felt the surest way to convince others that Christianity was true was through reasoning.
Unfortunately i came to realize that apologetics is filled with a lot of opinionetics, and like the best politicians, the speeches are most persuasive not so much because of the truth of what is said, but because of what is left out. The Proverbs warn us of this, saying "One person's story seems right, until another comes along and questions him."
Apologetics was the attempt at using modernist rationale to destroy modernist rationale. It was an incredibly entertaining fight, but basically equivalent to shadow boxing.
Scott Bader-Saye describes apologetics as "the attempt to prove Christianity to modern skeptics, over witness, the attempt to live in such a way that God's true story becomes visible and attractive to the world."
i am of the opinion that while apologetics has its place, strong dependence upon it leads to arrogance. We begin to entertain ourselves by the thought that we are smart and others stupid. Our acrobatic arguments begin to look like 'common sense' to us though we ourselves can't truly bend our minds to it.
i believe character witness is the only truly effective tool we have. Yet this demands that we truly become more like Christ, which is no easy matter. Perhaps this is why the appeal of rational argument seems so appealing.
