The pursuit of truth. Indubitably, men and women from different cultures, languages and races have attempted to proper define and understand the reality of this life. This philosophical endeavor is not new and have been comprehensively discussed over the centuries. Intuitively, every human being asks himself about the origin and meaning of this brief life, as well as the destiny of humankind. Was Winston Churchill who once said, “the most valuable thing in the world is the truth, so valuable that it has often been barricaded by a bodyguard of lies.”1 If the truth is important, the defense of it is vital. Apologetics exists to defend the truth from these bodyguards of objections.
The word apologetics derives, as Bielby explains, from the Greek word apologia, which has been translated as a “defense”2. According to Bielby, “apologetics is, in the simplest possible terms, the attempt to defend a particular belief or system of beliefs against objections”.3 For the Christians, says Groothuis,
…show more content…
Either one is a Christian or not, questions are permeating the mind, waiting for a consistent and coherent answer. It is also true that, in this age and time, the truth needs to be reinforced as of utmost importance. One would be wrong to assume this is only a problem outside of the Christian faith. In this “post-truth” society, the defense of the Christian faith among Christians has also become vital. This internal discussion concerning the Cristian faith is called internal apologetics because, says Beilby, “it takes place with those inside of or internal to Christianity”.5 The goal “is to reinforce faith, to remove intellectual barriers, to help clarify issues and in so doing dispel doubts.”6 On the other hand, when engaging into other “conversation with skeptics or agnostics, those outside of or external to Christianity, is called external