Here's was my answer, in 52 Tips for Apologists:
As a learner myself, I am on the lookout for good advice for learning more. My advice to others would vary depending on how involved in apologetics someone wants to get. It is such a wide subject, dealing with theology, philosophy, history, textual criticism, science, culture, evangelism, etc. Everyone is going to have a different level or area of interest, so my advice here is for those who want to learn as much as they can on the subject. Here are the things that I would have told me when I first got interested in apologetics:
1. Be first a person of prayer with a goal to know the Lord.
2. Be a continual reader.
3. Know both sides of the issues.
4. Listen to as many good lectures as possible.
5. Listen to every debate you can get your hands on.
6. Learn from the best debaters.
7. Learn from the worst debaters. (what not to do)
8. Find a mentor if you can.
9. Apologetics is not a boxing match; it’s walking along side another in dialogue.
10. You’re not in it to win arguments; you are in it to win people.
11. Be mindful of your spiritual life above your apologetics studies.
12. Allow your apologetics studies to be worship unto the Lord.
13. Your wife doesn’t want to hear about your online debates.
14. Don’t talk about apologetics at the dinner table, unless you are with apologetics buddies.
15. Find like-minded friends to fellowship with and reflect on apologetic issues.
16. Get input and feedback from other apologists and mature Christian peers.
17. Pray for the people you are interacting with. If you don’t pray for them, what do you expect to accomplish?
18. Never respond to blog comments in an emotional state. Cool off first and pray.
19. Remember, you don’t have to win the whole world.
20. Study how Jesus interacted and communicated with people.
21. Remember that you have the truth.
22. Pray all the time.
23. Spend time with your family.
24. Enjoy worship at your church.
25. Get away from the apologetics stuff for a while regularly.
26. Avoid taking extreme views and ignoring other options.
27. Study logic and critical thinking; it will help you more than you can imagine.
28. Get into public speaking and learn communication skills. And learn to spell.
29. Always seek first to win the person.
30. You don’t have to respond to every possible objection.
31. Study theology alongside or before you get into apologetics.
32. Study and understand different apologetic methodologies and don’t defend your method to the death.
33. Read Pascal’s Pensées.
34. Read stuff that challenges you to think hard.
35. Be humble; you know so little.
36. Draw from the expertise of others.
37. Specialize if you can.
38. Understand the spiritual condition of those you are interacting with.
39. Understand the psychological reasons people have for holding their views.
40. Admit it when you are wrong.
41. Realize that there is no end to the subject; get in it for the long haul.
42. Don’t rush your studies.
43. Don’t be a hypocrite. Stay pure.
44. Poor character will destroy your apologetics.
45. An apologist is ultimately an evangelist; so first know how to share the Gospel well.
46. In evangelism, start with the Gospel and use apologetics only if the need arises.
47. Realize that not everyone at your church is going to be as excited about apologetics as you are.
48. Apologetics is about loving people; remove the love from your apologetic and you fail.
49. You don’t have to know every answer, just where to go to get the answers.
50. Apologetics can bolster faith and dispel doubt, but it cannot bend the will.
51. The results are up to the Lord.
52. At the end of the day, are you walking with Jesus?
What would you add?
14 comments:
I think you need to add a tip about prayer, Brian. :)
Otherwise, a nice list!
You'll have to excuse my hair-splitting, but with respect to point #37 I think we actually need more generalists than specialists. Though, obviously, we need both; specialization will certainly be needed for some people.
Still, other than my petty trivializing, this is wonderful advice for everybody, not just Apologists. Especially the part about mentoring!
Has it been three years already? : ) Thanks for the excellent reminders!
While being discerning, be open to hearing about totally impossible ideas...don't limit what god might have done to your understanding.
I love #13. I don't follow it, but I agree with it. However, it should probably be spouse since there quite a few female apologists now. A great list. Thanks for sharing this and for all your hard work at Apologetics315.
...And i have been a regular listener and visitor of Apologetics315 for two years :-) .
My advice for all apologists are simple -
1. If you have received freely, Please give it freely :-)
2. Apologists, when someone ask you question, please don't say, that's very easy, or avoid saying, if i were your professor, i would have failed you for asking that question (Literally, this was said to me by one apologist after his lecture in my university when i asked him a question) :-(
3. Learn from Brian Auten's way of doing Apologetic, yes, apologetics315. :-)
Thanks Brian for you good works. Thanks for sharing 52 tips for Apologist, its simply Great!
God bless you!
Achu
What a great list. I'm a newer reader here, so this is the first time I've seen this. Great advice. #13 is definitely true. I find #15 is difficult in the group of people I'm around - either they aren't interested at all or don't think it's a worthy subject. I agree with a previous commenter that this list would be great for any Christian, since, at some level, we're all apologists.
Amen, it is so good to hear an apologist talk about prayer, humility, walking with God, spending time with your family, not being hypocritical. If you can't do those things, does it really matter how "good" of an apologist you actually are?
Brian, thank you for your ministry. It is a blessing to me and I am sure I speak for a lot of people in saying that you help us on a regular basis. Whenever I need a quick answer or want to learn something I come here to see the material you have. Thank you and may God continue to bless this ministry as it has blessed me and others.
Re: #19,.....But...But...I want to win the whole world:):)!!!!
An opponent might suggest #21 and #35 are contradictory. You have the truth, but you know so little? I think they are not necessarily contradictory, but how would you explain it?
John,
I would say that one could have confidence that the Christian Gospel message is true, while humbly admitting that they know very little in many areas.
This should give them, then, a confidence in proclaiming and standing for the Gospel. But they should also have some humility in the fact that they may be uninformed, misinformed, or wrong in many areas where they are unlearned.
Agree with Erik. Thank you for a helpful list of tips. Will try to learn from it -including the ones on prayer!
What a great list, full of so many helpful and humbling reminders. Thanks Brian.
Great list! The way I say it is: The best defense of the Christian Faith is a faithful christian.
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