Numbers Four & Five: Find Out the Real Problem & Never Create a Problem Yourself

Find Out The Real Problem

Sometimes unbelievers will raise issues against Christianity that do not mirror their real concerns. People may feel more comfortable discussing a popular argument, such as evolution, rather than what’s really bothering them. Or perhaps the real issue is not helped by apologetic at all. A bad experience in church has turned many people away from Christianity.

Whatever the issues, Christian apologists must identify them and respond accordingly. Sometimes we may have to deal with peripheral concerns and non-apologetic matters before discovering the real obstacle to faith.

Objections to Christianity fall into one of three categories: emotional, willful, or intellectual. Emotion issues, such as anger at God or a bad experience with a hypocritical Christian, are not solved through apologetics. These people need to have personal friendships with mature, committed Christians. They need to experience Christian love and observe Christian faith in action.

What about people who willfully reject Christianity despite our best efforts at proclaiming the Gospel? These people are committed to unbelief. Their minds are made up, and they don’t want to be bothered with the facts. Usually, the best we can do in these cases is to pray that God will open their hearts and minds to truth and provide us with future opportunities to share.

Finally, to the person with intellectual obstacles, we apply apologetics. If we fail to identify their real issues and respond only to the peripheral ones or use the wrong approach, we will never convince unbelievers that Christianity is true. We must identify whatever the obstacle is that stands between an unbeliever and faith in Jesus Christ and respond accordingly.

Never Create a Problem Yourself

Studying apologetics can be so affirming to one’s faith that it can lead to a new zeal for evangelism. The impulse may be to confront everyone you know and challenge their misbeliefs about Christianity—especially people who may have tripped you up in the past.

However, remember rule number one: “Gospel first, apologetics second.” Apologetics is an avenue of evangelism, not an excuse to argue. It’s a means to an end (the Gospel)—not the end itself. It would be foolish, for example, to corner an unbeliever and make a statement like, “I bet you reject Christianity because you think the Bible is unreliable,” and then start attacking an assumption you created yourself. The person’s problem may not be related to the Bible at all. Perhaps the death of a loved one has caused her to reject God. In this case, apologetics is not even appropriate. Christian love and understanding may be all that is needed. Or perhaps someone is convinced that all Christians are intolerant and narrow-minded. In this case, your attack will only strengthen their unbelief—not remove it!

The rule is: Let the unbeliever raise objections. Apologetics is a pre-evangelism, not a way to win arguments.