Six Enemies of Apologetic Engagement

The evangelical world today suffers from apologetic anemia. Despite the fact that holy Scripture calls believers to give a reason for the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15; see also Jude 3), we sadly lack a public voice for truth and reason in the marketplace of ideas. We do not have a strong intellectual presence in popular or academic culture (although some areas, such as philosophy, are more influenced by evangelicals than others). The reasons for this anemia are multidimensional and complex.

These are the six enemies, which the podcast addressed biblically.

1. Indifference
2. Irrationalism
3. Ignorance
4. Cowardice
5. Arrogance or intellectual vanity
6. Superficial techniques

Recommended Reading

1. Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind
2. Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics, 2nd (InterVarsity-Academic, 2022).
3. Douglas Groothuis web page: DouglasGroothuis.com
4. Os Guinness, Fit Bodies, Fat Minds (Baker, 1994).
5. Alan Jacobs, How to Think (Currency, 2017).
6. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind, 2nd ed. (NavPress, 1997; 2013). Both editions are worth having, since the second edition left out good material contained in the first.
7. Mark Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Eerdmans, 1994).
8. John Piper, Think (Crossway, 2010).

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of nineteen books, including Fire in the Streets (a critique of critical race theory or wokeness) and Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith.

Find more from Dr. Groothuis at www.DouglasGroothuis.com.

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