Thinking Out Loud with Alan Shlemon - Apologetics Is Secondary to the Gospel

Episode Date: February 1, 2018

Alan responds to the challenge that his work is misguided because he cares more about apologetics than the Gospel. Download the mp3...

There are a few voices out there that say that my work is misguided because I care more about apologetics than I care about the gospel. And they say that I shouldn't be teaching on subjects like Islam or homosexuality and abortion. They say that if I start talking to a non-Christian, I shouldn't bring up apologetics, but rather tell them about the gospel. Well, I agree. I mean, that is, I agree the first thing we should focus on about the gospel. Well, I agree. I mean, that is, I agree. The first thing we should focus on is the gospel. I don't agree that I care more about apologetics or that my work is misguided. And let me try to explain what I mean by this.

Yes, the gospel is of utmost importance, right? I mean, we are commanded to proclaim the message of reconciliation to all people. That's what it teaches in 2 Corinthians 5, you know, 18 through 20 or so. That should be our primary goal, no doubt about that. Many times, however, people don't accept Christ and they express doubts, objections,

or other concerns with Christianity. And that's when apologetics comes in, right? The purpose at that point is to listen carefully to the person's concern and ask God to help you to be able to clarify the truth of them. Apologetics, therefore, is about removing obstacles that people have to the gospel. And that's why being acquainted with various objections, like the ones that I teach about and many others, is really helpful. with various objections like the ones that I teach about and many others is really helpful.

Notice then that I believe everything is secondary to the gospel. All apologetics is secondary, albeit still important, to the message of reconciliation that we're called to communicate to non-Christians. Now, how does this work out specifically in my teaching? And I just want to offer you a few examples on some of the topics that I teach on. So take the first example being Islam. Christians often will ask me how to cleverly discuss jihad or how to bring up problems with the Quran or talk about Muhammad's moral character with Muslims that they would know. And I discourage that, however. If they can start a conversation with a Muslim, I want them to present the gospel to that Muslim person.

Right? That's the more fundamental concern. Even if you convince the Muslim to abandon his view of jihad, or the Quran, or any other subject related to Islam, about Muhammad's treatment of women or whatever it might be, the Muslim's eternal destiny would still be in jeopardy even if he abandoned his views on those other things. And that's why focusing on the gospel is the best approach. If the Muslim accepts Christ, then all of his other views about Islam will subsequently change as well. Now having said that, if a conversation comes up about the Quran or Muhammad or some other Islamic topic, well, I still want believers to be trained to

navigate the discussion well. So apologetics is still critical, but again, it's secondary to the gospel. Here's another example. Since I talk a lot about homosexuality, I also train believers on apologetics pertaining to that subject. But my take-home message is this. Our hope for homosexuals is not heterosexuality, but holiness. We're not trying to make them straight, but we're trying to lead them straight to Jesus. The point of my training is not so that Christians bring up the morality of homosexuality or the wrongness of same-sex marriage in every conversation with a person who identifies as gay or lesbian. Rather, I want the Christian to present the gospel. Every person on the planet, including those in the LGBT community, are guilty before God

and desperately need a pardon. And that's what God is offering, and as ambassadors for Christ, that should be our primary message. Now, having knowledge of apologetic topics surrounding the subject of homosexuality is still important. Many men and women who identify as gay or lesbian reject the gospel for various reasons, and so having the ability to graciously address those reasons is still essential. And I'll just give you a third example on the subject of abortion. I think the same point applies to this topic as well. If you're talking to someone who you know is pro-choice, and you have the chance to take the conversation anywhere, well, I don't

recommend you bring up abortion. Although what a person thinks about abortion is important, no doubt, what she thinks about Jesus is more fundamental, right? I mean, again, even if you persuade her to be pro-life, her eternal destiny would still be in jeopardy if she hasn't accepted Christ. And that's why the gospel conversation should be primary. Besides, if she accepts Christ and becomes a believer, then it'll often naturally follow that she'll believe protecting unborn children is important. Now, if the topic of

abortion does come up, I'm not suggesting avoid it, right? I mean, of course, engage the person's ideas in a gracious manner. Remember, I'm a pro-life advocate. I'm deeply disturbed by abortion. And I train believers in the art of pro-life persuasion all the time. My point is that people's views on abortion are secondary to what they do with Jesus. And how you dialogue with them should reflect that priority and that order. My point in all this is not to downplay the importance of apologetics. Rather, it's to elevate the significance of the gospel and tie apologetics to evangelism.

Skillful ambassadors for Christ should know how to present the gospel and remove obstacles that get in the way of non-Christians accepting it.