Defining Apologetics - building a foundation

Welllll, this was going to be a post on Christian Existentialism, but I have temporarily misplaced my stack of notes...
So, until then, here is something I put together for a presentation I did during my showing of Collision [Wilson v. Hitchens] ...a special thanks to my teacher, Mr. Tollefson, for teaching me and for the help of his notes from class this last year. :)

Apologetics comes from the greek word apologia, meaning "a verbal defense." It is used eight times in the new testament: Acts 22:1, 25:15, 1Cor 9:3, 2Cor 7:11, Phil. 1:7, 2Tim. 4:16, and 1Peter 3:15. Basically apologetics can be divided into two schools on thought today, Evidential (often called classical) and Presuppositional.

Evidential apologetics deals with evidence that God probably exists. It only uses evidence that both Christians and atheists can both agree on, that is to say that you need no presupposition that God exists.

Presuppositional apologetics deals with the presuppositions of those who oppose Christianity, because presuppositions affect how a person views evidence and reason. A presupposition is an assumption taken for granted. A Christian presuppositionalist presupposes God's existence and argues from that perspective to show validity to Christian theism.

Presuppositional are open to using the evidence that evidentialist use, but evidentialist don't presuppose God's existence in their arguments like presuppositionalists do.

1Peter 3:15 says "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

Apologetics according to 1Peter 3:15
FIRST: Set Christ in your hear at Lord - You are a Christian, rest in Him
then...
ALWAYS: Be prepared to give an answer - Study, study, study, and live it out
then...
WHEN QUESTIONED: give an answer to anybody and everyone who asked you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do so with gentleness and respect. -Share your faith and then give the reasons for it, disclaim theirs, but do so as a Christian example. Be consistent. You can't do this step without the foundation of the first.

Matthew 7:24-17

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

You have to stand on something in order to get anywhere. If your foundation is wrong, you'll be washed away. This is easy to argue. Take down people's foundations because none can stand up to yours as a Christian.

BIBLICAL APOLOGETICS is reasoning FROM the scriptures - not simply reasoning ABOUT the scriptures from man's reasoning.

The answers are revealed. Know them. Live them. Use them.

God's word sets us apart - John 17:17
We need the right building on the right foundation - Matthew 7
God's word changes people's hearts - Psalm 19
Sound reasoning begins by fearing God and obeying His word - Proverbs 7:1

God give us an order to argue.
Proverbs 26:4-5
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.

Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes."

"As a Christian, I believe this..." when somebody (the fool) is in folly.
......then if taken further.......
"Here is why that is wrong...." addressing the folly from Christianity.

God Bless,
The Brownish Spider - LeeAnna