Did you know King Charles III, the current monarch, bears the title “Defender of the Faith”? This title was first conferred on Henry VIII in 1521 when England was still part of the Roman Catholic Church, by Pope Leo X. Known as Fidei Defensor in Latin, it was granted to Henry VIII in recognition of the theological treatise Defence of the Seven Sacraments which he authored, possibly working with Thomas More and Cardinal Wolsey.¹ Speaking of ourselves, have you been challenged about your faith, your Christian worldview, morals and values which you try to live by? Or perhaps, not challenged outright but have experienced doubts about the veracity of your faith? Can you be called a “Defender of the Faith”?

Growing up, when people questioned me about Christianity, I found myself struggling, on many occasions, to put together a coherent argument defending certain aspects of the Bible. Soon enough I realised that to ground my faith, I needed to go beyond knowing biblical narratives and parables.

That kickstarted my interest in apologetics—researching and learning more about intellectual defences of Christianity, so that I may learn to love the Lord not only with my heart, but also with my mind.

While apologetics has strengthened my faith, lay Christians around me seemed less enthusiastic, in spite of the Bible exhorting believers to “[c]ome now, and let us reason together …” (Isaiah 1:18 KJV). Some brushed it off, saying that apologetics was solely the domain of clergy and theologians.² Others even considered that apologetics makes Christianity seem overly confrontational and aggressive.

However, can we be effective ambassadors for Christ and salt and light for his kingdom when we cannot articulate the basis for our beliefs?

Before delving into my reflections on why learning apologetics is good, a bit of background: etymologically, the English word “apologetics” derives from the ancient Greek word apologia, which was what a defendant would say in response to the prosecution’s kategoria in the Classical Greek legal system.³ Today, an apologist is predominantly someone closely associated with Christianity and the defence of Christian theology.

Here are my five reasons for every Christian to study apologetics.

1. Apologetics grounds us solidly on the bedrock of Christian theology.

Our faith in the truth of Christianity must be built on facts which no one can dispute. Apologetics is the study of such facts which every Christian should undertake, to supplement theology taught in church. A key case study for me—especially after watching the movie The Case for Christ—is the Resurrection, upon which the entirety of Christian theology rests. James Dunn states that the Resurrection of Christ “command[s] almost universal assent” and “rank[s] so high on the ‘almost impossible to doubt or deny’ scale of historical facts”.⁴ Not only is Jesus’ death well-documented by non-Christian sources like the Jewish historian Josephus, the Talmud and the Roman historian Tacitus, what biblical authors assert has been backed up by modern medical science.⁵ Moreover, I found it striking that over 500 people saw Jesus simultaneously after he arose. I was excited to know that leading psychologists today have repudiated the theory that it was mass psychosis, and concluded that it must have really happened!⁶ It is also intriguing that the gospels record Mary Magdalene as the first to see the risen Christ, when women in those days were not regarded as suitable witnesses to testify in a court of law.⁷ Why would the gospels record the statement of an “untrustworthy” woman, unless it was true?

2. Apologetics is commanded by God, equipping us to go forth and make disciples of all nations.

God has given us the mandate to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defence to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NASB). As John Wesley put it in a letter to British anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce, unless God has raised us up for this very task, we will surely be “worn out” by opposition of men and devils.⁸ Sin still abides in this world. In Wilberforce’s day, the predominant social evil was slavery. Today, there are numerous other evils such as dangerous gender ideology, pervasiveness of drugs, sexual promiscuity, and a culture of overworking. We can surely expect to be grilled on our faith, moral compass and worldview. When I face questions about my faith, I draw comfort and hope from 2 Timothy 1:7, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Thus apologetics enables us to be always ready to share the reason for the hope we have, with power endued from on high and with love he dispenses.

3. Apologetics can be seen all around us in the natural world!

This is one of my favourite reasons! Apologetics is not just complex arguments. We can clearly see traces of God’s glory and clues of his love manifested in creation. Neither should Christians be drawn into the battle between science and religion, but we should see how each complements the other. Some scientists in the past acknowledged that God had ordained order in the world, with science being a discipline to learn about God’s rules for the world’s functioning. One example is the renowned English scientist Isaac Newton whose magnum opus Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica was published in 1687. What many either neglect or don’t know is that the preface to that work is Psalm 19:1,“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Newton recognised that earthly creation was designed by an intelligent being, not by some random forces of nature. To adopt his mindset, look for evidence of an intelligent designer, such as in the hexagonal shape of honeycombs which, mathematicians have established, ensures the least amount of beeswax is required to store the most amount of honey.⁹ How do bees know what humans took millennia to figure out? The only possible reason is that they were created by an intelligent God who spoke the world into existence.

4. Apologetics reinforces humility.

At least, this is the case for me. While studying why the Christian faith and worldview are better than others, I invariably learnt more about other worldviews and religions, and conclude that humility is extremely important as we strive to live together harmoniously with people of other faith backgrounds. 1 Peter 3:8 exhorts us to “have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind”. I have gained a deeper understanding and appreciate the importance others attach to their different faiths. With humility, we can patiently listen to their rationale for believing what they do. I believe that the goal of apologetics is not to win people over to the Lord by argument alone, but to help them see God clearly. When sharing the gospel, we often hear how important it is to relate to others. Unless we can engage with people thoughtfully and offer rational grounds for considering Christianity, we will be doing a disservice to the very people we are called to serve and be a light to.¹⁰

5. Apologetics helps strengthen the church and is one of the best ways to prevent heresy.

Christianity has faced core challenges from inception until today. Even in the 1st century AD, heretics challenged key ideas about God’s character, the nature of salvation and scriptural reliability among other things. Some of the first Christian apologists such as Justin Martyr helped defend the faith from both internal and external challenges but the challenges remain just as great today, if not greater. Through it all, Jude’s admonition remains relevant: “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.“ (Jude 3). Apologetics is one means we “contend for the faith”; it helps to reinforce biblical truths, confront dangerous falsehoods and answer doubts.

To me, the study of apologetics, which is essentially the study of the basis for our beliefs, is truly worthwhile for all Christians, for more than simply an intellectual quest to satisfy the mind, it is a weapon to defend our faith. As C S Lewis put it, “If Christianity is false, it’s of zero importance. But if it’s true, there’s nothing more important in the entire universe.“¹¹

¹ “Why Is the King Known as Defender of the Faith?,” The Church of England, April 29, 2023, https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/stories-blogs-and-features/why-king-known-defender-faith.

² Subby Szterszky, “Apologetics for Everyone: Some Notes on Defending the Faith,” Focus on the Family Canada, 2020, https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/apologetics-for-everyone-some-notes-on-defending-the-faith.

³ Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie. A Greek – English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.

⁴ Dunn, James. 2003. Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 339.

⁵ William D. Edwards, Wesley J. Gabel, and Floyd E. Hosmer, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” JAMA 255, no. 11 (March 21, 1986): 1455–63, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1986.03370110077025.

⁶ Gary R. Habermas, “Hallucination Theories to Explain Jesus’ Resurrection?,” bethinking, accessed December 21, 2023, https://www.bethinking.org/did-jesus-rise-from-the-dead/hallucination-theories-to-explain-jesus-resurrection.

⁷ Mishnah Shevuot 4:1 (https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shevuot.4.1?lang=bi)

⁸ John Pollock, Wilberforce (London: Constable and Company, 1977), p. 105.

⁹ Stacy George, “Why Are Honeycomb Cells Hexagonal?,” Science Friday, September 1, 2017, https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/why-do-bees-build-hexagonal-honeycomb-cells/.

¹⁰ David Wilber, “5 Reasons Christians Should Study Apologetics,” David Wilber, accessed December 21, 2023, https://davidwilber.com/articles/five-reasons-christians-should-study-apologetics.

¹¹ Adam R. Holz, “The Case for Christ,” Plugged In, accessed December 21, 2023, https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/case-for-christ/.