Southern Seminary Magazine (Vol 90.1) The Light of Truth: Apologetics in the 21st Century

pillars and bridges
method and strategy by which we go about proclaiming
the gospel. For this reason, the task of apologetics and
evangelism is the same, namely, to bring the truth of the
gospel to bear on the lives of unbelievers who stand under
divine judgment for their suppression and denial of
the truth. Just as apologetics seeks to “destroy arguments
and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge
of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”
(2 Cor. 10:5), evangelism seeks the same goal. In other
words, in apologetics, our strategy is to compare and
contrast the worldview thinking of the Christian with the
non-Christian, seeking to demonstrate that it is only the
Christian view that stands.
In evangelism, our strategy is no different.
In fact, presuppositional apologetics helps us carry out
our task of evangelism in a more precise manner. As we
share Christ with non-Christians, we remind them that
they are God’s fallen creatures and image-bearers who
stand under his judgment due to their denial of him as
their Creator and Lord. Our message is that apart from
Christ and building their thought and lives on him, their
worldviews are reduced to foolishness. Why? Because in
their refusal to fear God, in their refusal to build their
lives on the triune God and his self-revelation, their
thinking is unable to account for the basic truths of the
world on their own terms.
Thus, apart from coming to Christ in repentance and
faith as their only Lord and Savior, their thought and lives
have no solid foundation on which to be built; instead, they
will discover that their views are built simply on quicksand.
This is why the only solution for the non-Christian
is to repent of their rejection of the truth and to turn to
their Creator and Lord, and to receive in God’s gracious
promise of Christ the forgiveness of their sins, the work of
the Spirit to unite them to Christ, and to be transformed
after the pattern of Christ’s glorified humanity. Then, forevermore,
they will fulfill the purpose of their existence in
a new creation—to know, glorify, worship, and obey God.
Organically Related
In this way, presuppositional apologetics and evangelism
are organically related, and even more, presuppositionalism
is necessary to a sound defense and proclamation
of the gospel.
Although we can distinguish between the domain of
apologetics and evangelism, both carry out the theological
task of knowing the glory of the triune God and applying
Scripture to every area of life.
Additionally, both apologetics and evangelism seek
to fulfill the biblical mandate to “always be prepared to
make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for
the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15) and to “destroy arguments
raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5)
by proclaiming the glory of the triune God in the face of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
After all, as Paul reminds us, in our apologetics and
evangelism, it is Christ “we proclaim, warning everyone
and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may
present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Why?
Because in contrast to worldviews grounded in “empty
deceit and human tradition” (Col. 2:8), in Christ alone is
true wisdom (Col. 2:9).
May what God has joined together never be separated
as we fulfill our calling as the church to know, proclaim,
and defend that Jesus is Lord.
Stephen J. Wellum is Professor of Christian Theology and
Editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.
22 the southern baptist theological seminary