The Church as an Apologetic

When churches take seriously our calling as countercultural communities, we start to do the work of cultural apologetics without even thinking about it. 

You may not think that you are smart enough to engage in an intellectual debate about the existence of God and the truth of Scripture. That is how we envision apologetics - a gladiator contest between two well-studied individuals with differing worldviews. We hope our hero comes out the winner!

But we engage in apologetics as we love one another in the body of Christ and the local church. We engage in apologetics as we hand out candy and gospel tracts at the high school trunker-treat. We engage in apologetics when we wrap our arms around visitors and struggling members in our church. 

Here are the five church-apologetics measures listed by Bob Thume in his article that you can access by clicking --> here <--:

1. Preaching That Engages Doubt

2. Hospitality That Welcomes the Outsider

3. Worship That Shows the Arc of the Gospel

4. Community That Rejoices in Repentance and Faith

5. Atmosphere of Resilient Hope

Because a gospel-loving church is full of human beings, it’ll also be full of death and dementia and divorce and Down syndrome. These things come for us, just as they come for all the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. ... The church’s hope is an apologetic.