EVIDENTIAL APOLOGETICS

Michael V. Galarneau Jr.
Introduction to Apologetics APOL 500
September 9, 2012
Contents

Introduction 1

Summary of Evidential Apologetics 1

Critique of Evidential Apologetics 2

Proponents of Evidential Apologetics 3

Conclusion 3

Bibliography 4

Introduction Apologetics has a long history within Christianity. The term, itself, comes from the Greek word apologia which is found in 1 Peter 3:15 giving apologetics a biblical origin. Peter’s call for believers to “make a defense (apologia)” is the heart of Christian Apologetics. The idea is that, in the face of unbelief and persecution, Christians need to be ready to defend or argue for their belief in Christ. Put a little more plainly, apologetics is “defending Christianity in the context of an unbelieving and skeptical world.” Apologetics comes in many forms or styles that can by generally categorized as one of two differing styles: positive apologetics (“presents the truth of Christ”) or polemics (“proclaims the errors of all other systems”). Within the two styles of apologetics, there are many different approaches to or uses of them. This paper will focus on just one of the many Apologetic Methods: Evidentialism, with the purpose of providing an analysis of the evidential approach to apologetics.
Summary of Evidential Apologetics Evidential Apologetics is a form of positive apologetics that is actually a sub-genre of the Classical Apologetics approach to defending the faith. Further, W. G. Phillips claims that “all evidentialists are axiopists,” Axiopists approach apologetics with the idea that “God has structured reality in such a way that all His creatures can know truth.” Essentially, this apologetic method attempts to present evidence to the truth of Christianity. This is done under the assumption that, as the growing evidence mounts, listeners can only come to one reasonable conclusion concerning the truth. The point that sets Evidential Apologetics apart from Classical Apologetics is the principle that the apologist starts from. Classical Apologists are attempting to prove the existence of God, whereas Evidential Apologists do not feel that is necessary.
Critique of Evidential Apologetics The strength and weakness of Evidential Apologetics relies heavily on the strength and weakness of the evidence presented. If the evidence has strong, undisputable backing, then that makes the argument using such evidence strong and undisputable as well. “Logic and reason are the main weapons in the evidentialist’s arsenal.” It is assumed that the use of these two weapons will overcome any doubt in the listener’s mind, thus confirming Evidential Apologetic’s axiopistic nature. The major down fall that we see is the state of the human mind. Scripture seems to indicate that the unregenerate mind is unable to comprehend Spiritual Truth. The thought here is that no matter the amount or strength of the evidence for Christ, the unsaved person is not capable of coming to a reasonable conclusion about that evidence. In a sense, because they do not already accept Christ, they will always find some fault with the evidence.

Proponents of Evidential Apologetics The following is a list of three of the more “well-known” persons associated with Evidential Apologetics: 1. Thomas Aquinas: “Considered by most to be the greatest philosopher and theologian of the medieval church.” He typically used four sources or evidences for his approach to apologetics: the Scriptures, Roman Catholic theologians, Augustine, and Aristotle. 2. Joseph Butler: “He is considered to be among the greatest exponents of natural theology since the Reformation.” Butler used the idea of probability as a basis for his apologetic method – reason leads to the best option based on evidence, and reason leads to the acceptance of that option. 3. Norman Geisler: Considered “one of the most prolific Christian apologists in history.” Geisler’s focus is on natural theology to prove his apologetic stance.
Conclusion
This brief analysis of Evidential Apologetics possibly only scratches the surface of the subject as a whole. It is hoped that after reading this paper, one has achieved at least a minimal understanding of what is meant by the term Evidential Apologetics. The list of proponents should give a good starting point for further study of the topic.

Bibliography
Caner, Ergun. “Apologetics, Types of.” In The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, edited by
Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner, 64-67. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2008.

___________. “Lecture Four: The Major Methodologies of Apologetics: Three Major Models.”
Lecture, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, August 24, 2009.

Hindson, Ed. “Apologetics, Biblical.” In The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, edited by Ed
Hindson and Ergun Caner, 28-31. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2008.

Phillips, W. G. “Apologetics.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Edition, edited by
Walter A. Elwell, 82-85. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.

Sawyer, M. James. The Survivor’s Guide to Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2006.

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Hindson, Ed. “Apologetics, Biblical,” in The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, ed. Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2008. 28.
[ 2 ]. Caner, Ergun. “Apologetics, Types of,” in The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, ed. Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2008. 64.
[ 3 ]. Ibid.
[ 4 ]. Ibid, 65.
[ 5 ]. Phillips, W. G. “Apologetics,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Edition, ed. Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001. 83.
[ 6 ]. Ibid, 84.
[ 7 ]. Caner, Ergun. “Apologetics, Types of.” 64-65.
[ 8 ]. Ibid, 65.
[ 9 ]. Phillips, W. G. “Apologetics.” 84.
[ 10 ]. Sawyer, M. James. The Survivor’s Guide to Theology. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2006.) 476-477.
[ 11 ]. Caner, Ergun, “Lecture Four: The Major Methodologies of Apologetics: Three Major Models” (lecture, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, August 24, 2009).
[ 12 ]. Sawyer, M. James, The Survivor’s Guide to Theology. 490.
[ 13 ]. Caner, Ergun, “Lecture Four: The Major Methodologies of Apologetics: Three Major Models”
[ 14 ]. Ibid.