Southern Seminary Magazine (Vol 90.1) The Light of Truth: Apologetics in the 21st Century
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Summer 2022. <strong>Vol</strong>. 90, No. 1.<br />
Copyright ©2022<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> Baptist<br />
<strong>The</strong>ological <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> Baptist <strong>The</strong>ological <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong><br />
from <strong>the</strong> editor<br />
JEFF ROBINSON<br />
Vice President<br />
<strong>of</strong> Communications:<br />
Dust<strong>in</strong> W. Benge<br />
Manag<strong>in</strong>g Editors:<br />
Jeff Rob<strong>in</strong>son and Stuart Hunt<br />
Creative Director: Stuart Hunt<br />
Production Manager: Evan Sams<br />
Graphic Designers: Benjam<strong>in</strong> Aho,<br />
Gareth Brady, Dust<strong>in</strong> Benge<br />
Photographer: Trevor Wheeker<br />
Contribut<strong>in</strong>g Writers: R. Albert<br />
Mohler, Jr., Kyle D. Claunch,<br />
Stephen J. Wellum, Andrew T.<br />
Walker, Dust<strong>in</strong> Bruce, Thomas R.<br />
Schre<strong>in</strong>er, Timothy K. Beougher,<br />
Timothy Paul Jones, Jeff Rob<strong>in</strong>son,<br />
Travis Hearne.<br />
Subscription Information:<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong> <strong>Magaz<strong>in</strong>e</strong><br />
is published by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong><br />
Baptist <strong>The</strong>ological <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong>,<br />
2825 Lex<strong>in</strong>gton<br />
Road, Louisville, KY 40280. <strong>The</strong><br />
magaz<strong>in</strong>e is distributed digitally<br />
at equip.sbts.edu/magaz<strong>in</strong>e. If you<br />
would like to request a hard copy,<br />
please reach out by email<strong>in</strong>g<br />
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Mail:<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> Baptist <strong>The</strong>ological<br />
<strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong>, 2825 Lex<strong>in</strong>gton Road,<br />
Louisville, KY 40280<br />
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@<strong>The</strong>SBTS<br />
@SBTS<br />
@<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong><strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong><br />
About <strong>the</strong> Cover:<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Storm on <strong>the</strong> Sea <strong>of</strong> Galilee”<br />
is a 1633 oil-on-canvas pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g<br />
by <strong>the</strong> Dutch Golden Age<br />
pa<strong>in</strong>ter Rembrandt van Rijn. It<br />
was previously <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Isabella<br />
Stewart Gardner Museum <strong>in</strong><br />
Boston but was stolen <strong>in</strong> 1990<br />
and rema<strong>in</strong>s miss<strong>in</strong>g. <strong>The</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g<br />
depicts <strong>the</strong> biblical story <strong>of</strong> Jesus<br />
calm<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> storm on <strong>the</strong> Sea<br />
<strong>of</strong> Galilee, specifically as it is<br />
described <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> fourth chapter<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gospel <strong>of</strong> Mark. It is Rembrandt’s<br />
only seascape.<br />
<strong>The</strong> door that led me <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> bookl<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
hallway <strong>of</strong> serious <strong>the</strong>ological<br />
study was apologetics. It began <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
mid-1990s. I was work<strong>in</strong>g as a newspaper<br />
journalist and had received some<br />
serious questions about my Christian<br />
faith as it relates to both reason and reality.<br />
In my Bible read<strong>in</strong>g, I had memorized<br />
1 Peter 3:15 and wanted to obey<br />
God’s Word and present a faithful,<br />
well-reasoned rendition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gospel<br />
to my <strong>in</strong>quisitive journalism colleagues.<br />
Some sharp bro<strong>the</strong>rs <strong>in</strong> my church<br />
turned my attention to books by Josh<br />
McDowell, Chuck Colson, and C. S.<br />
Lewis. <strong>The</strong>y <strong>in</strong>troduced me to R. C.<br />
Sproul and John Gerstner. Ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
friend po<strong>in</strong>ted me to Greg Bahnsen’s<br />
big book on presuppositionalism, and<br />
he gifted me John Frame’s book on Van<br />
Til. I read Aqu<strong>in</strong>as’s five pro<strong>of</strong>s for <strong>the</strong><br />
existence <strong>of</strong> God. <strong>The</strong>se were among <strong>the</strong><br />
first serious m<strong>in</strong>istry books I owned,<br />
and those apologists helped me over<br />
my fear <strong>of</strong> evangeliz<strong>in</strong>g lost but bright<br />
co-workers. It didn’t take long for me<br />
to realize that <strong>the</strong>y didn’t have good answers<br />
to life’s ultimate questions, but<br />
God’s Word did. That <strong>in</strong>tensive study<br />
also opened an entire universe to me<br />
with constellations named systematic<br />
and biblical <strong>the</strong>ology, church history<br />
and historical <strong>the</strong>ology, biblical exegesis<br />
and homiletics, philosophy and ethics.<br />
Eventually, God used <strong>the</strong> seeds apologetics<br />
had sown to grow up <strong>in</strong> me a<br />
full-blown call to m<strong>in</strong>istry and <strong>the</strong>n to<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong> as an eager student<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> God.<br />
It all began with apologetics.<br />
And, really, <strong>the</strong> fundamental task<br />
has never changed. Though I’ve been<br />
teach<strong>in</strong>g, preach<strong>in</strong>g, and writ<strong>in</strong>g about<br />
church history, <strong>the</strong>ology, pastoral m<strong>in</strong>istry,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Christian life, and much else<br />
for <strong>the</strong> past 25 years, all those th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
really boil down to one th<strong>in</strong>g: a defense<br />
and proclamation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> glorious,<br />
sav<strong>in</strong>g gospel <strong>of</strong> Jesus Christ. That’s <strong>the</strong><br />
foundational task for which <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong><br />
<strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong> equips us all.<br />
I tell both my students and congregation<br />
members that <strong>the</strong> goal <strong>of</strong> any discipl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
I’m teach<strong>in</strong>g is always, at its base,<br />
evangelism. And <strong>the</strong> skeleton that upholds<br />
full-orbed gospel proclamation is<br />
apologetics—always be<strong>in</strong>g ready to give<br />
an account for <strong>the</strong> hope that lies with<strong>in</strong><br />
us, communicat<strong>in</strong>g it with humility and<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> fear <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lord. In this new edition<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong> magaz<strong>in</strong>e,<br />
we <strong>in</strong>troduce readers to <strong>the</strong> discipl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
<strong>of</strong> apologetics.<br />
summer 2022<br />
1