ArticleBlog | Reason for hope HOW TO PREACH APOLOGETICALLY
Reason for hope HOW TO PREACH APOLOGETICALLY
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 10.12.15
In many ways it was a very good sermon on the account in Joshua of the fall of the walls of Jericho. The preacher explained the text well, related the events to salvation history and gave an encouraging application. Jesus is our Joshua. He is our deliverer. The walls of opposition to the gospel are sure to be destroyed if we are on the Lord’s side.
But something was not right. With the violent campaigns of ISIS making headline news through the week leading up to this Sunday, how could we have a sermon on the fall of Jericho without tackling the obvious objection: Does God promote jihad or holy war? And given the frequent claims of mainstream television documentaries, is it not the case that the ancient ruins of Jericho had already collapsed long before the supposed time of Joshua? The sermon may have been eloquent and biblical but it was not persuasive to the changing culture in which we live.
AN APOLOGY FOR PREACHING
Apologetics is the practice of dealing with objections and presenting the case for the faith. In a very well-known verse by Peter we read, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer [apologia] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’ (1 Peter 3:15). Peter is not describing a Christian specialism or an unusual task.
