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

“THE LORD HAS PROMISED TO BUILD HIS
CHURCH AND THAT WILL INCLUDE MANY
FROM AMONG GEN Z. BUT AS THOSE CALLED
TO MAKE A DEFENSE REGARDING THE
HOPE WITHIN US, WE MUST BE STRATEGIC
IN MEETING THE QUESTIONS OF GEN Z
WITH THE ANSWERS OF SCRIPTURE IN THE
HOPE OF THE GOSPEL.”
the Christian faith would have been unthinkable among
any previous generation of Americans.
While the effects of secularization on the rising generation
should concern the entire church, those who work
in student and college ministry face these challenges daily.
The Lord has promised to build his church and that
will include many from among Gen Z. But as those called
to make a defense regarding the hope within us, we must
be strategic in meeting the questions of Gen Z with the
answers of Scripture in the hope of the gospel.
The conversation related to how best reach the most
secular generation in history (so far) is just beginning,
but I would like to put forward four recommendations
based on the current research, my own experience, and
conversations with ministry leaders across the country.
1. Emphasize the goodness of God and the
Christian faith. For young men and women catechized
by a secular culture, religion—and Christianity in particular—is
now seen as not only pointless, but often as
dangerous. The blame for oppression, conflict, and strife
often gets laid at the feet of Christianity, particularly in
its institutional form. Engaging Gen Z with the gospel
may require not just making a case for why Christian
belief is plausible, but contending against a fear that embracing
Christianity would be to engage in a religious
form of self-harm.
Against such suspicions, apologists to Gen Z must emphasize
that the God revealed in Scripture “abounds in
goodness” (Exod. 34:6) and that “the earth is full of the
goodness of the Lord” (Ps. 33:5).
The Christian gospel recognizes the brokenness of the
world but presents a story of a good God sending his only
Son to redeem sinful humanity. We can be honest about
the failings of those who have born the name of Christ,
recognizing that “there is no one good but God alone”
(Mark 10:18) and pointing Gen Z to the spotless Lamb
who died for the sins of the world.
2. Distinguish between rational objections
and emotional barriers to faith. The discipline of
apologetics possesses a long track record of presenting
thoughtful and well-reasoned arguments for the plausibility
of Christian belief. While an emphasis on the rationality
of Christianity will be necessary until Christ
returns, the barriers to faith present among Gen Z are
often more emotional than rational.
The rising generation often perceives Christianity to be
out of touch and in opposition to the expressive individualism
of the secular culture. In our efforts to reach the
next generation, we must be wise to distinguish when a
student has a sincere intellectual objection to some point
of Christian doctrine and when a student worries that
some belief would require them to maintain a belief that
contrasts with their feelings.
3. Present Gen Z with a thick view of Christianity. As
we engage with the most secular generation in history,
the temptation can be to minimize the points of disagreement
between the Christian faith and the secular world.
While this reaction is understandable, those apologists
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