To me, there are three primary elements of a new kind of apologetic that move apologetics in a post-Christian context from rational argument and logical reasoning to a way of life. The three primary elements are: (1) personal holiness, (2) embodied practice, and (3) trusted guidance.
I worry about leaving behind rational argument as an aspect of evangelism. Should we beat someone over the head with tons of information and demand that they repent? Not unless we are under clear instruction from God to do so, which means in general, the answer is no. But people do want and need to know that our beliefs correlate to reality, and when people ask honest questions, we as Christians need to be ready with honest, intelligent answers. Here's the response I wrote:
I appreciate this discussion, and it's a very important one to have in our "post Christian" culture. Chris is on the right track here. In our culture, more and more people are asking "Is it livable?" before they ask, "Is it true?" However, to say that "there are three primary elements of a new kind of apologetic that move apologetics in a post-Christian context from rational argument and logical reasoning to a way of life" discounts the need to know whether something is true. At some point, a new believer or a seeker will want to know whether the reality of Jesus and his work on the cross is something that can be counted on. To give an illustration: when I met my wife, Jennifer, we became close friends and then began dating. At the start, I was essentially asking the questions along the "Is this livable?" line. I wanted to know that a relationship with her resulted in good things. Did she make me happy? Yes. Was she a good influence on me? Yes, she was and is a faithful follower of Christ who gives sacrificially of herself. As time went on and we moved towards marriage, I needed to ask questions along the "Is this true?" line. Will she be faithful? You bet. Will she be a good mother to our children? No question.
A faithful follower of Jesus or an amazing church community that truly loves in Jesus' name can and should be a powerful apologetic. However, it cannot be the only apologetic. No matter how our culture changes, there will always be a need to show how the claims of Jesus--however displayed in a community of believers or an individual Christian--correlate to reality. Is there a need for a "newbie" to "hear the story," as Scot puts it? You bet. Do non-believers need to see that Jesus can live inside a person and reveal some of his Kingdom through miraculous change and unfettered love? There's no question. But when a believer or a seeker asks an honest question, we need to be prepared with an honest answer (1 Peter 3:15-16).
