2. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
God has risen Christian apologist over the ages to address attacks from
outside the church, address heresy with in the church and to educate and
inform the church.
In the 2nd and 3rd centuries Christianity faced it’s most difficult challenges
from out side the church. Paganism and Religious Jews attacked it or attempted
to convert Gentiles to Jewish practices. Civil authorities persecuted it.
The most important 2nd century apologist was Justin Martyr (100-165). He
write “Dialogue with Trypho the Jew”. He used Messianic prophecies to prove
that Jesus is the messiah, In his two Apologies he appealed for civil toleration of
Christianity and that it was the true philosophy. He refuted common errors
and rumors( drank human blood and ate human flesh)
3. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
In the 3rd century we have two important Apologist Clement of Alexandria
and Orgien(185-254)
Clement of Alexandria wrote a number of Theological discourses and an
apologetic work call Protrepticus.A more persuasive and sophisticated work
addressing the same issues of the 2nd century apologists.
Origen’s lengthy work Contra Celsum is ranked as one of the classics of
apologetics. He refutes a popular philosopher Celsus stating that Jesus
Miracles were not done by Sorcery, offered an impressive historical defense
of the resurrection against an early hallucination theory and showed that the
miracle stories of paganism are far less credible than those of the Gospels
4. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
After the edict of Constantine in 313 we see the church’s ascendancy
throughout the empire. Apologist of the 4th and 5th century wrote with
pride on the progress and life changing effects of Christianity.They became
more systematic in their presentation of The gospel in contrast to competing
philosophies, most notably Neoplatonism.
The greatest apologist and theologian of this period and the first 1000 years
of christianity was Aurelius Augustine (354 -430). His early works addressed
the Manichean Philosophy. Later in life he took on a more complete Pauline
approach to Christianity. From this he developed the first philosophically
sophisticated, biblically sound and comprehensive Christian view of the world
and history.“The City of God” is widely regarded as one of the five or ten
most most important books in the history of Western thought.
5. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
In the thirteenth century Christian Europe was shaken by the
rediscovery and distribution of the philosophical works of Aristotle
The Spanish-Arab philosopher Averroes led this worldview
The growing influence of Averroist thought in European universities led
to a crisis for Christian thought. Some scholars at the universities were
embracing an uncritical Aristotelianism, while others, especially high-
ranking church officials, uncritically condemned anything Aristotelian.
Albert the Great was one of the earliest philosophers to rise to this
challenge, writing On the Unity of the Intellect against Averroes.
6. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
Following him came Thomas Aquinos (1225-1274) who would offer a response to
this challenge that would change the course of Christian Philosophy and
apologetics
He used Aristotelian categories and logic it refute the Greco-Arabic worldview .
In Summa Contra Gentiles he presented an apologetic against Averroism but also
offered a sweeping comprehensive Christian Philosophy in Aristotelian terms.
Suma Theologiae is a systematic theology designed to instruct students in
theology.
Aquinos is best know for his Five arguments for the existence of God. God’s
existence may be inferred from the nature of the world as changing, causative,
contingent, graduated, and ordered (the five ways)
7. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
Now we come to the Reformation.The Protestant Reformers primarily addressed the issue or
doctrine of Salvation. During the 14th and 15th centuries a philosophy called humanism had crept into
the church.This had led to some very strong legalistic actions by the church and greedy acts like the
selling of Indulgencies.
The doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ alone was the heart and soul of the ministry of
Martin Luther (1483-1546) who lit the torch of the Reformation with his Ninety Five Theses
protesting legalistic abuses in the church.
He emphasized the limitations of reason and rejected the traditional theological project of employing
logic and philosophy to explicate and defend the Christian faith.
Luther admitted that non-Christians can gain a “general” knowledge about God through reason,
discerning that a God exists, etc… However, reason is incapable of helping them know who the true
God is or how to be justified in his sight. Such knowledge is available only in the gospel, and can be
appropriated only by faith. Not only is reason unhelpful in gaining a saving knowledge of God, it is
actually an enemy of faith.
8. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
John Calvin (1509 - 1564) Chief Theologian of the Reformation, his apologetic labors were
directed against Roman Catholic criticisms of the Reformation Gospel.
Calvin held that faith is always reasonable.
Faith often seems unreasonable to us because our reason is blinded by sin and spiritual
deception.
God has given us his Word in Scripture, which is so much clearer and fuller in its
revelation, and, through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, God has also given us his
Spirit, who enables us to understand his Word.
Because God’s Word comes with his own divine, absolute authority, it cannot be subjected
to our reasoning or tests. Faith needs no rational justification and is more certain than
rationally justified knowledge, because it is based on God’s revelation in Scripture.
9. HISTORY OF APOLOGETICS
Source https://bible.org/seriespage/3-brief-history-apologetics
Over the centuries God Raises Apologist to defend the faith,
persuade the lost, correct and bring back those going astray and
lay down the path for future Apologist.
Apologetics didn’t stop in the Reformation but It gets a lot more
complicated after that. I encourage you to read the source.
11. THE FIVE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL
QUESTIONS IN LIFE
1. Origin:Where did we come from?
2. Identity:Who are we?
3. Meaning:Why are we here?
4. Morality: How should we live?
5. Destiny:Where are we going?
Geisler, Norman L.;Turek, Frank (2004-03-12). I Don't Have Enough Faith to
Be an Atheist (Foreword by David Limbaugh) (Kindle Locations 284-288).
Crossway. Kindle Edition.
12. THREE BIG ACTS: CREATION, FALL
AND REDEMPTION
Genesis Answers these questions as explained in the source
material for this section
Cloud, Henry;Townsend, John (2009-05-18). How People
Grow:What the Bible Reveals About Personal Growth
Genesis also talks about God as creator and designer of this
universe.We will explore those thoughts next time I teach.
Get ready for a wild ride of scientific discovery from Einstein,
Hubble and so many more.
13. ACT ONE: CREATION BIG IDEA
ONE: GOD ISTHE SOURCE
God is more than just the creator of all things but also the
recreator of our lives
We have to understand it to mean that it includes his bringing
life to dead situations in our lives.
It is the theology of how one overcomes a depression or heals
a marriage or rescues a failing business career. In other words,
“How do I bring this marriage or this business career back to
life?” The Bible’s answer to all these questions is “God.”
God is the source of life. He is the source of growth as well.
14. ACT ONE: CREATION
BIG IDEATWO: RELATIONSHIPS
(Gen.2:18).Man was incomplete with God alone.So we see at the
outset that relationship was at the core of the way things were
created.
As the Bible says,“The man and his wife were both naked,and they
felt no shame” (v.25).
One of the aspects of genuine,healthy relatedness is that people
don’t hide their vulnerability from one another and are not ashamed
of who they are before each other.
But for now,the important thing to see is that relationship as it was
created to be was vulnerable and open,without duplicity and without
brokenness or breach
15. ACT ONE: CREATION
BIG IDEATHREE: GOD IS BOSS
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of
Eden to work it and take care of it.And the LORD God
commanded the man,“You are free to eat from any tree in the
garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely
die” (Gen. 2:15–17).
We were to live life, but to live it in submission to God, or we
would not have life at all. Life and submission to God were one
and the same.
16. ACT ONE: CREATION BIG IDEA
FOUR: GOD’S ROLE OUR ROLE
GOD’S ROLEWASTO BE IN CONTROL;OUR ROLEWASTO
YIELDTO GOD’S CONTROL OFTHEWORLDANDTO
CONTROL OUR SELF.
So many of people’s problems come from trying to control things
outside of their control,and when they try,they lose control of
themselves.It is no wonder that praying“the Serenity Prayer”*—
knowing the difference between what we can change and what we
cannot—leads to people regaining control of their lives.
God’s role is to be in control of the big picture,and our role is to be
in control of our self and our responsibilities.In short,to maintain
“self-control.”
17. ACT ONE: CREATION BIG IDEA
FOUR: GOD’S ROLE OUR ROLE
GOD’S ROLEWASTO BETHE SOURCE OR PROVIDER;OUR ROLEWASTO
DEPEND ONTHE SOURCE.
God originated life,and we were given life.Therefore we depended on God
for life and for all that we needed.God’s role was to provide;our role was to
receive.God gave breath;we took it in.God gave the garden;we lived in it and
ate from it.God gave us relationship;we received intimacy and relatedness.
Our role was designed to be a dependent one.He provides;we depend and
trust.
The role we must take in life is not only for dependency but also against self
sufficiency
What Does this mean to our Lives?
How have we seen this in our lives?
18. ACT ONE: CREATION
FOUR: GOD’S ROLE OUR ROLE
GOD WAS THE JUDGE OF LIFE;WE WERE TO EXPERIENCE
LIFE.
We were to experience all that God had given us in
pleasure, work, and relationship. Live it to all the limits, but
don’t try to become God and judge it.
19. ACT ONE: CREATION
FOUR: GOD’S ROLE OUR ROLE
GOD MADE THE RULES;WE WERE TO OBEY THEM.
The roles were clear. God designed life the way it was
supposed to be and the rules on how to live it.We were to
obey them. God did not consult us on setting up the rules
and the design of life.
20. ACTTWO:THE FALL
The Desire The Result
We are the source We depend on ourselves
We are the creator We exist unto ourselves
We have control of the world We try to control our world and each other,
losing control of ourselves
We become the judge of life We judge ourselves and each other and cease
to be able to experience ourselves and each other
We design life and the rules We live any way we want to
21. ACTTHREE: REDEMPTION
GOD IN CHRIST IS “reconciling” all things. He was, and is, bringing it
all back to the way it is supposed to be.
Return to the Source: In redemption, we come back to God as the
source of life.
Return to Relationship:To return to the created order means to get
back into relationship with God and with each other.
Return to the Order: Redemption is also a surrender to God as Lord.
As Jesus said, the first and the greatest commandment is to love God
first.
Return to the Order: Redemption is also a surrender to God as Lord.
Return to the Roles
22. TIPS FOR GROWERS
We become dependent and give up our independent stance before
God and others.We give up trying to control things we cannot control
and yield to and trust God’s control.Also,we regain control of what we
were created to control in the first place,which is ourselves.We regain
the fruit of“self-control.”We give up the role of playing judge with
ourselves and others by giving up judgmentalism,condemnation,wrath,
shaming,and so on so that we are free to experience ourselves and
others as we really are.So,by not being God,we are free to be who we
truly are and allow others to be who they truly are as well.We stop
redesigning life and making new rules and instead live the life God
designed us to live.In redemption we begin to do it God’s way.
