Apologetic Debates

Recently our church has been going through spiritual warfare of epic dimensions.  One of the issues that has come up has been a relative of one of our people who has come back from seminary in Texas, enthusiastic about planting a new church in our area.  Being a churchplanter at heart and in practice I applaud the effort to bring people to Christ.  The big issue for us is that he and his wife have been pressuring this couple from our church to be part of his new house church.  A churchplanting principle I learned long ago was that you never ask someone to be part of your work who is already going to another church without first passing it by their pastor.  Which brings up the second point...this newly minted pastor is associated with a denomination that regards pretty much any other denomination as being non-Christian.  If you do not do things the way they do, then you are not following Christ in the right way, and your faith is without effect.

Years ago I discovered that I liked the subject of apologetics, which is the art and science of defending your faith and theology.  I had many discussion with people which helped me learn about my own faith, helped me memorize scripture and gave me lots to think about.  It also gave me lots of heartburn!  After many years of ministry I have learned a few things which are not usually taught at seminary.  One of those is that apologetics is wonderful for helping you to define your faith, but it is generally not productive in changing people's minds.  It is not a "mind" thing anyway, it has to do more with your "heart", and God the Holy Spirit is the only one who can do that.  we take on the responsibility, but it is not ours to take on.  All we get is heartburn.

Does this mean that I think apologetics is fruitless?  No.  But I do think that we have to focus on things which really make us think about the important issues, not on the fine details and niceties of theology.  Over many years I have come to recognize that if you can repeat and believe the Apostle's Creed and the Nicean Creed, then I should accept you as a Christian brother or sister.  There may be other things you believe along with those that I do not, but that is something between you and God.  Your church can be fancy or plain, you can incorporate some ritual or other, you can pray standing or sitting or prostrate, but to me you are a brother or sister.  If you negate something in the Creeds, or redefine them from what the early Christians understood...then no matter how orthodox you sound you are not a Christian, period.

Along with that comes another understanding.  I may look at a person whom I regard as a brother or sister in the faith, and they may add some detail to the Creeds which makes them regard me as an unbeliever.  This is not an easy truth, but one which I have come to accept.  The fact that I believe in free will, that I believe in entire sanctification, that I don't believe that baptism is a ritual that completes salvation (rather than being symbolic), use a different translation of the Bible than they do or that I don't do communion on some set schedule may cause someone to reject my claim to Christianity and to call me a "false teacher".    My claim is based on the historical Creeds of the faith, nothing more or less, but someone else may not have come to the same conclusion I have.

All that said, I stand with the Apostle Paul when he says, "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." (Phil 1:15-18 NIV)  If Christ is being preached, then I am satisfied.

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