THE TASK OF APOLOGETICS: NATURE AND NECESSITY
by John Azie Kaivin T. Pascual

        During the times of the ancient believers and followers of Christ, they faced persecutions and trials of many kinds including false accusations. Jesus Himself faced accusations from the Pharisees and their followers. In page 27 of Greg Bahnsen’s book he enumerated the false accusations.

 

        In this modern times, is it still possible for us to experience false accusations?

 

        Christian persecution is experienced from the world because of identification with Christ. Some were even accused that the Bible cannot be the supreme authority of Truth for some people believed that these are not Words of God but words made and written by merely humans.

 

        As followers of Christ, we can expect that people will sometimes make false accusations against us, but hear Jesus’ encouragement: “Blessed are you when people falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” No matter what others say about us, we rely on God’s Word “Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your percepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.”

        What is the task of apologetics in false accusations?

        Apologetics could be a means of showing concern to the unbelievers who have distorted truths. We can use different types of apologetics depending on the level of a person we are dealing with. There are different kinds of people that we will meet whose truth may differ from us. Once we put ourselves on the shoes of others we will be able to understand them deeper as we enter their hearts, they will be open to receive the Message. The key is to know where they are, so we can freely share the Message. We could do apologetics in a way that they could be enlightened.

        We can follow how Jesus dealt with accusations. Jesus was accused of blasphemy. Jesus responded with a question in response to the accusations and questions of Pharisees. Rather than reacting to accusations emotionally, well-directed questions can defuse anger and force people to think about their actions and words. He also uses Scriptures. He shows greater understanding of Scriptures. He also uses analogy in dealing with accusations. His statements conveys general truth. He is using words with kindness and words of rebuke showing that He knows how to deal with different kinds of people with various personalities and needs. He communicated differently. Ethics plays a very important role in communication. Just like Jesus we must be an effective communicator of His Message. Arguing can make the matter worst. We must remember that the task of apologetics is not to argue.

        Our purpose in apologetics must be the same as the purpose of Jesus: to do the will of the Father and to do things by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The reason why it is important to follow the way of Jesus in dealing with accusations is because His method gives us important guidelines for managing conflict. Jesus style of communication especially when dealing with accusation is totally different from the world’s way. He did not compromise His principles and the Truth He stood for. He did not dominate the situation just to win the argument. He expressed His feelings of frustrations, sadness and even anger but did not vent out His feelings.

        We can follow the methods of Christ in dealing with accusations for there was none on earth wiser, gentler and more humble than Christ.