In the landscape of contemporary Christianity, few disciplines have attracted as much zeal—and perhaps as much misunderstanding—as apologetics. Many believers eagerly don the armor of intellectual defense, ready to engage in rhetorical battle for the truth of their faith. Yet I wonder if, in our enthusiasm, we've sometimes misunderstood the heart of what apologetics should be.
As I reflect on the state of Christian apologetics today, I'm struck by a troubling pattern. The motivations that draw many believers into this field often create the very obstacles that prevent them from practicing apologetics as Jesus would. These observations are admittedly generalizations, but I believe they're accurate ones that merit our consideration.
Dallas Willard profoundly observed that if apologetics is to be truly Christian apologetics, it must be done as Jesus himself would do it. This seems obvious, yet it's often overlooked. Willard emphasized that Jesus never argued with people to win debates but engaged with them to offer understanding and transformation. He didn't merely defend propositions but embodied truth in relationship. For apologetics to be Christian, it must follow Christ's example—marked by gentleness, respect, and genuine love for the other. It must be more concerned with the person than with winning the point.[1] This Christ-centered approach transforms apologetics from an intellectual exercise into a ministry of reconciliation.
The Vision Problem: What Apologetics Is
For many Christians, apologetics is primarily understood as a persuasion ministry. The successful apologist, in this view, is one who wins arguments, silences objections, and convinces skeptics of Christianity's intellectual credibility. Success is measured by conversions, by minds changed, by debates won.
This vision misses something essential about the nature of apologetics as Jesus practiced it. In his profound work The Allure of Gentleness, Dallas Willard reminds us: "Apologetics is the effort to show that the Christian faith is true and reasonable... But we need to be clear that apologetics is a helping ministry. It serves the aim of showing that faith in Jesus is a reasonable response to reality."[2]
The correction we need is to recognize apologetics primarily as a helping ministry, not a conquering one. When Jesus engaged the woman at the well or Nicodemus, he wasn't simply trying to win an argument—he was helping people overcome the obstacles that kept them from encountering God. His interest wasn't in being right, but in being helpful.
The Motivation Problem: Why Apologetics Is Done
Closely related to our vision problem is a motivation problem. Many Christians are drawn to apologetics to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity over other belief systems. There's a subtle triumphalism in this approach, a desire to prove that "what we have is better" than what others believe. This comparison-based motivation often manifests as intellectual pride, as if Christianity were simply the most sophisticated option on the philosophical menu.
This motivation, however noble it might seem, misses the heart of the gospel. The good news isn't primarily that Christianity is superior to other worldviews—it's that Christ offers what humanity desperately needs. As Lesslie Newbigin insightfully noted, "The gospel is not just religious truth; it is truth about the whole of reality that claims to make sense of all human experience."[3]
The correction we need is to practice apologetics not from a position of superiority but from a recognition of necessity. People don't merely need better ideas; they need salvation, reconciliation, and transformation that only Christ can provide. Timothy Keller captures this necessity when he writes, "We must remember that the Christian faith is not just a better way to be good, but the only way to be free.”[4]
As Peter writes, we should "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). Notice that Peter doesn't instruct us to explain why our religion is superior, but to account for our hope. The motivation shifts from "what we have is better" to "people need what we have"—from comparative advantage to compassionate offering.
When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman, he didn't begin by criticizing Samaritan theology. Instead, he offered her living water. His motivation wasn't to win an argument about where to worship, but to address her deep spiritual thirst with the only water that could truly satisfy.
The Method Problem: How Apologetics Is Done
Perhaps the most concerning issue lies in our methods. Too often, apologetics is practiced pragmatically, with the ends justifying the means. If someone converts, we consider any rhetorical tactic fair game. We might oversimplify complex issues, avoid difficult questions, or even resort to emotional manipulation if it seems effective.
This pragmatic approach ignores the example of Jesus, who never separated the means from the end, the method from the message. The correction we need is to practice apologetics faithfully, intellectually, and personally.
Faithfully means we remain true to the character of Christ in how we engage others, speaking truth in love rather than wielding truth as a weapon. It means we embody the gentleness and respect that Peter calls for immediately after instructing us to be ready with an answer.
Intellectually means we respect the life of the mind—both our own and others'. We don't fear difficult questions or complex issues. We acknowledge uncertainty where appropriate, and we refuse to oversimplify for the sake of a neater argument.
Personally means we engage with whole persons, not just disembodied objections. We listen before speaking, understand before answering, and recognize that intellectual obstacles are often not the only barriers to faith. Os Guinness eloquently articulates this comprehensive approach: "Effective apologetics requires not just arguments, but an apologetic that includes the full scope of life: personhood in its physical, social, spiritual and cultural dimensions."[5]
Jesus modeled this approach perfectly. He was faithful to his mission without compromising his methods. He engaged intellectually, asking thoughtful questions and offering profound insights. And he treated each person as a unique individual, tailoring his approach to their specific needs.
The Heart of Apologetics
Apologetics should not be about justifying belief in Christian ideas as much as it should be about motivating commitment to Jesus Christ.
Ideas, however true, cannot save us. Propositions, however sound, cannot transform us. Only a person—the person of Jesus—can do that. And so our apologetics, like all our ministry, must ultimately point not to a system of thought but to a Savior.
The irony is that when we practice apologetics with this vision, motivation, and method—when we approach it as Jesus would—we may find it becomes more effective, not less. For people aren't ultimately convinced by arguments alone, but by arguments offered in love by people whose lives demonstrate the truth of what they proclaim.
As we engage in the vital work of defending the faith in our increasingly skeptical age, may we remember that our goal isn't to win debates but to help people. Not to prove Christianity's superiority but to offer Christ's hope. Not to justify belief in ideas but to invite commitment to a Person. For that, I believe, is apologetics the way Jesus would do it.
[1] Dallas Willard, The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus (New York: HarperOne, 2015), 14-15.
[2] Willard, The Allure of Gentleness, 7.
[3] Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 8.
[4] Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Dutton, 2008), 186.
[5] Os Guinness, Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 113.