Rational arguments supported by objective evidence has been the backbone of Christian apologetics. This is because, historically, most people accepted the existence of absolute truth, the authority of logic, and the efficacy of human reasoning. This is no longer the case. Since the mid-twentieth century, increasing numbers of non-Christians rely on feelings rather than facts and careful reasoning and often reject the notion of absolute truth in most areas of knowledge.

As a result of this shift in how people think—especially in the area of ethics and religion—some Christian apologists have moved away from evidential apologetic tactics to employ a more subjective apologetic approach, one that appeals to feelings and emotions rather than intellectual.

There are times when a subjective apologetic approach is appropriate. In today’s increasingly post-Christian, postmodern world, rational arguments and objective evidence are not always convincing. People often want nothing to do with appeals to facts and tend to make life decisions based primarily on how they feel about something.

How do we convince these individuals that Christianity is true? We establish a point of contact that reveals Christian truth-claims subjectively; that is, we provide “evidence” that appeals to their feeling and what they can experience as a Christian. This can be successful because Christianity is not only a historical and fact-based religion; it is also subjectively true. In other words, Christianity “works.” It meets a person’s deepest emotional and spiritual needs.

Non-Christians do not always need factual evidence and rational arguments to be convinced God exists and Christianity is the one true religion. We can demonstrate this through how we live, what we say, and our interaction with them. For unbelievers who make life decisions based on feelings and experiences, this approach can be a compelling testimony to the life-changing power of our faith.

In the next two blog posts, we’ll examine how to be effective apologists with non-Christians who rely on feelings rather than facts and rational reasoning for making life decisions, particularly in religious choices. Rather than appealing to objective evidence, logic, and persuasive reasoning, I will focus on the emotional side of a person’s personality rather than their cognitive side. I will suggest three ways we can do this. ©

Next week we’ll look at the first of three examples of subjective apologetic techniques.