Why Apologetics Training is Needed in Local Churches

Defend the Faith

Apologetics is the Christian practice of defending the faith. Unfortunately, many Christians are unfamiliar with the term "apologetics" and its importance in the Church's history. This lack of awareness has made the Church vulnerable on many fronts, and as a result, numerous Christians are unable to effectively defend their Christian worldview, diminishing the impact of their testimony for Christ.

In this article, I want to make a case for why more local churches need to engage in apologetics and be intentional about making a place for it in a local ministry context. There is this idea that apologetics is an academic field of study that has little use in local churches. The truth is, this is a rather new phenomenon in the Church. The biblical narrative found throughout the New Testament and history of the early Church demonstrate that apologetics was crucial to the growth of the Church (Gal. 1:6-10; 1 John 4:1-6), and it was there, in the local context, that men and women of God preached against the heretical ideas of the time and instructed their listeners to do likewise.

The Rise of Anti-Intellectualism in the 19th Century

What the Church is facing today is the result of seeds sown over a century ago when anti-intellectualism took root. If we zoom out and look at the problems the Church at large is facing (declining church numbers, youth leaving the faith when they go off to college, etc.), it is easy to trace how the Church arrived here facing the Goliath of our generation. J.P. Moreland, in his book Love Your God with All Your Mind, does an excellent job of explaining the origin of anti-intellectualism in the Church. He points out how the Church before the time of the Great Revivals of the 1800s “prized the intellectual life.”[1] The Church produced some of the greatest philosophers in Western thought, and there was a time when ministers were considered intellectuals in a community and well-respected.[2] This is no longer the case. Christians are increasingly marginalized, censored, and looked at as a threat.

The Church no longer emphasizes the importance of growing the intellectual life and developing the soul, so we find ourselves falling behind the intellectual pace of the world. Consequently, the perception many have is the world has all the “brains” and the Church has all the ignorance. Of course, this isn’t true because the Church has produced some of the greatest thinkers and scientists in history, and there are very good reasons to believe in Christianity, but optics are important and how the world perceives us us important. Sadly, the world believes Christians are ignorant, science-denying radicals who should have no influence in our society.

The Church forgot about her rich intellectual heritage and drifted from the practice of serious apologetics and we are paying a price for it today. Look at college students as an example.

3 out of 4 high school students raised in Christian homes leave the faith when they attend college.​[3]

How is this possible? Why is it that these young Christians aren't being taught the rich intellectual history of the faith and how to defend their Christian worldview? How is that we can have so many Bible-teaching churches in this country and see this many young people walk away from Christ?

Greg Koukl answers this question in his book Tactics:

Faithful Christian authors have filled bookshelves with enough information to deal decisively with every imaginable challenge to classical Christianity. Still, many  Christians have an inferiority complex. Why? It might be because they have never been exposed to such excellent information. As a result, they are lacking the first skill of a good ambassador: knowledge.[4]

Prioritizing Apologetics: A Data-Driven Necessity for Local Churches

Let me give you some sobering data that ought to stir your spirit and ignite a sense of urgency to learn apologetics and teach apologetics in your church.

In the US, 1 in 3 adults aren’t affiliated with a religion.[5] These spiritual nomads are called “nones” not nuns. These are people who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religious identity.

Pew Research estimates that between the ages of 15 and 29, 31% of Americans who were raised as Christians become religiously unaffiliated – a group that includes atheists, agnostics or those who describe their faith as “nothing in particular.”[6]

·       3 in 5 young people disconnect from their church by the age of 15.[7]

·       Over 40% of millennials believe it’s wrong to evangelize.

·       Christians are dying off faster than they’re being born.

·       Our culture thinks science has all the answers and that science is incompatible with faith.

·       Christians are losing their “saltiness” and moral decay is ruining our society.

·       Our culture is becoming increasingly hostile toward our message and beliefs.

·       Universities have more influence in society than churches.

·       Many Christians don’t know how to respond to objections.

·       We have to push back against the myth that Christians don’t believe in science.

·       Christians are one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world.[8]

These patterns illustrate a pressing need to bolster educational initiatives, particularly in the sphere of church apologetics.

There are more reasons, to be sure, but if the data presented doesn't convince you of the importance of making a place for apologetics in Christian ministry, then what if I told you the Bible commands it? Peter, for example, commands Christians to “always be prepared to make a defense (Greek apologia) to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in us” (1 Peter 3:15).

“always be prepared to make a defense (Greek apologia) to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in us” (1 Peter 3:15).

The Apostle Paul, instructing Christians on how to deal with “outsiders,” tells us our

“speech should be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how we ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:5-6). In another place Paul tells Christians to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). These tasks were not handed off to the learned seminary students; rather, these instructions were given to the front-line churches that were immersed in the culture of their time.[9] Clearly, Christians were expected to defend the faith and to be intellectually “sharp” in order to engage with their culture.

It is evident from the data in this article that the Church faces a problem on two fronts–declining numbers and an increasingly hostile, secular culture. The answer is clearly not just more Bible teaching. Many churches have a high view of scripture and teach God’s Word, but the Bible teaching that is going on in many churches is clearly not enough to satisfy the intellectual challenges many are facing. What is missing? Apologetics. Church apologetics can fill this gap by actively engaging critical questions about faith and reinforcing believers' convictions. Programs that incorporate apologetics training can empower members to defend their faith confidently and intelligently.

Final Thoughts

The emergence of the “nones” and the steady rise in secularism present a pivotal challenge for the church today. As young people increasingly disengage from traditional religious structures, the need for effective apologetics training within local churches has never been more significant.

By nurturing a comprehensive understanding of faith that harmonizes with reason and science, churches can cultivate resilient believers prepared to meet the challenges of modern society.

As we equip the next generation with the tools necessary to articulate their beliefs, we take meaningful steps toward preserving the essence of faith in an ever-evolving world. Embracing apologetics as an integral component of church education can help stem the tide of disaffiliation and reaffirm the relevance of Christianity in today’s culture.

List of References

[1] J.P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), 10.

[2] Ibid.

[3] “What is Cross Examined?” Crossexamined.org, https://crossexamined.org/about/.

[4] Gregory Koukl, Tactics: A Gameplan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019), 33.

[5] “About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated,” Pew Research Center, December 14, 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/.

[6] “About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated,” Pew Research Center, December 14, 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/.

[7] “Six Reasons Young People Leave Church,” Barna, September, 27, 2011, https://www.barna.com/research/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/.

[8] “Harassment of Religious Groups Continues to be Reported in More Than 90% of Countries,” Pew Research Center, November 10, 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2020/11/10/harassment-of-religious-groups-continues-to-be-reported-in-more-than-90-of-countries/.

[9] Dayton Hartman and Michael McEwen, The Pastor as Apologist: Restoring Apologetics to the Local Church (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024), 19.