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Topics · Apologetics

Apologetics

Why this matters for following Jesus

Peter tells believers to be ready to give a reason for the hope they have, "with gentleness and respect", and Paul reasoned with people in synagogues, markets and courts. A disciple will meet honest questions about suffering, science, the reliability of the Gospels and the resurrection, and a loving, humble answer is part of telling others about Jesus.

Study path

  1. 1What apologetics is, and is notWitness

    How do I answer with gentleness and respect, and what are the limits of argument?

    1 Pet 3:15-16Acts 26Jude 31 Cor 1:18-25

  2. 2Paul at AthensWitness

    How do I speak to people who do not share my starting point?

    Acts 17:16-34Rom 1:18-232:14-15Ps 19:1-4

  3. 3The hardest questions: suffering, science, other religionsWitnessFollow

    How do I stay honest and kind with questions I cannot fully answer?

    JobIsa 1:18Rom 8:18-25Acts 17

  4. 4Living as an answerFollowWitness

    How do testimony and hospitality fit with argument?

    Col 4:5-6Titus 1:91 Pet 3:15-16

Living it out

Write down the one question about faith you find hardest, read an honest answer from two sides, and then share your hope with one person in a gentle way.

Telling others

Listen first, ask permission, give the reason for your hope and your testimony, and say "I don't know" when you do not.

Read for yourself

Classic writing on this topic, free to read. Older English can read differently from today’s, and each author writes from his own tradition, so read widely and test everything against Scripture.

Viewpoints from different traditions and profiles of the leading teachers on this topic are added after scholars review them. Suggest a topic or a correction.