what does it mean to be an apologist

Religious discipline of systematic defence of a position

This article is about the systematic defence of a religious position. For the Christian parody ring, see ApologetiX.

"Apologist" redirects here. For non-religious uses of apologetic and apologist, see Apology (disambiguation).

Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία , "speaking in defence") is the religious field of study of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse.^{[one] [2] [3]} Early on Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs confronting critics and recommended their organized religion to outsiders were called Christian apologists.^[four] In 21st-century usage, apologetics is often identified with debates over faith and theology.

Etymology [edit]

The term apologetics derives from the Ancient Greek give-and-take apologia (ἀπολογία).^[1] In the Classical Greek legal system, the prosecution delivered the kategoria (κατηγορία), the accusation or charge, and the defendant replied with an apologia, the defence.^[5] The apologia was a formal speech communication or explanation to reply to and rebut the charges. A famous example is Socrates' Apologia defense force, as chronicled in Plato's Apology.

In the Koine Greek of the New Attestation, the Apostle Paul employs the term apologia in his trial speech to Festus and Agrippa when he says "I make my defence" in Acts 26:2.^[six] A cognate form appears in Paul's Alphabetic character to the Philippians as he is "defending the gospel" in Philippians ane:vii,^[7] and in "giving an reply" in 1 Peter 3:fifteen.^[8]

Although the term apologetics has Western, primarily Christian origins and is most frequently associated with the defense force of Christianity, the term is sometimes used referring to the defense force of any religion in formal fence involving religion.

Apologetic positions [edit]

Baháʼí Faith [edit]

Many apologetic books have been written in defence of the history or teachings of the Baháʼí Faith. The organized religion'southward founders wrote several books presenting proofs of their religion; amid them are the Báb'due south Seven Proofs and Bahá'u'lláh'south Kitáb-i-Íqán.^[9] Later Baháʼí authors wrote prominent apologetic texts, such equally Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl's The Vivid Proof and Udo Schaefer et al.'s Making the Crooked Straight;.^[ten]

Buddhism [edit]

One of the earliest Buddhist atoning texts is The Questions of Male monarch Milinda, which deals with the Buddhist metaphysics such equally the "no-self" nature of the individual and characteristics such as of wisdom, perception, volition, feeling, consciousness and the soul. In the mid-19th century, encounters between Buddhists and Christians in Nihon prompted the formation of a Buddhist Propagation Lodge^{[ commendation needed ]}. In recent times, A. 50. De Silva, an Australian convert to Buddhism, has written a volume, Beyond Belief, providing Buddhist apologetic responses and a critique of Christian Fundamentalist doctrine.^[11] Gunapala Dharmasiri wrote an apologetic critique of the Christian concept of God from a Theravadan Buddhist perspective.^[12]

Christianity [edit]

Christian apologetics combines Christian theology, natural theology,^[xiii] and philosophy to present a rational ground for the Christian religion, to defend the faith against objections and misrepresentation.

Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries. In the Roman Empire, Christians were severely persecuted, and many charges were brought confronting them. J. David Cassel^[14] gives several examples: Tacitus wrote that Nero made charges that Christians started the burning of Rome.^[15] Other charges included cannibalism (due to a literal interpretation of the Eucharist) and incest (due to early Christians' practice of addressing each other as "blood brother" and "sis"). Paul the Campaigner, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and others oftentimes defended Christianity against charges that were brought to justify persecution.^[16]

Afterward apologists have focused on providing reasons to have diverse aspects of Christian belief. Christian apologists of many traditions, in common with Jews, Muslims, and some others, argue for the existence of a unique and personal God. Theodicy is one important aspect of such arguments, and Alvin Plantinga'south arguments have been highly influential in this expanse. Many prominent Christian apologists are scholarly philosophers or theologians, oft with additional doctoral piece of work in physics, cosmology, comparative religions, or other fields. Others take a more pop or pastoral approach. Some prominent modern apologists are Douglas Groothuis, Frederick Copleston, John Lennox, Walter R. Martin, Dinesh D'Souza, Douglas Wilson, Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, Francis Schaeffer, Greg Bahnsen, Edward John Carnell, James White, R.C. Sproul, Hank Hanegraaff, Alister McGrath, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Peter Kreeft, G. K. Chesterton, William Lane Craig, J. P. Moreland, Hugh Ross, David Bentley Hart, Gary Habermas, Norman Geisler, Scott Hahn and RC Kunst.^[17]

Notable apologists inside the Cosmic Church include Bishop Robert Barron,^[18] G. Yard. Chesterton,^[19] Dr. Scott Hahn, Trent Horn, Jimmy Akin, Patrick Madrid, Kenneth Hensley,^[xx] Karl Keating, Ronald Knox and Peter Kreeft.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801 – August xi, 1890) was an English language convert to Roman Catholicism, later made a cardinal, and beatified in 2010. In early life he was a major figure in the Oxford Movement to bring the Church of England back to its Catholic roots. Eventually his studies in history persuaded him to become a Roman Cosmic. When John Henry Newman entitled his spiritual autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua in 1864, he was playing upon both this connotation, and the more ordinarily understood meaning of an expression of contrition or regret.

Christian apologists use a variety of philosophical and formal approaches, including ontological, cosmological, and teleological arguments.^[21] The Christian presuppositionalist approach to apologetics utilizes the transcendental argument for the existence of God.^[22]

Tertullian was a notable early Christian apologist. He was built-in, lived and died in Carthage. He is sometimes known as the "Father of the Latin Church". He introduced the term Trinity (Latin trinitas) to the Christian vocabulary^[23] and too probably^{[ commendation needed ]} the formula "three Persons, 1 Substance" every bit the Latin "tres Personae, una Substantia" (itself from the Koine Greek "treis Hypostaseis, Homoousios"), and too the terms Vetus Testamentum (Old Testament) and Novum Testamentum (New Testament).

Latter-twenty-four hours Saints [edit]

There are notable Latter-day Saint apologists who focus on the defense of Mormonism, including early church leaders such as Parley P. Pratt, John Taylor, B. H. Roberts, James E. Talmage and more modernistic figures such equally Hugh Nibley, Daniel C. Peterson, John L. Sorenson, John Gee, Orson Scott Card, and Jeff Lindsay.

Several well-known Mormon apologetic organizations, such as the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (a grouping of scholars at Brigham Immature University) and FairMormon (an contained, Mormon-run, not-for-profit grouping), accept been formed to defend the doctrines and history of the Latter Day Saint movement in general and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in particular.

Deism [edit]

Deism is a form of theism in which God created the universe and established rationally comprehensible moral and natural laws simply no longer intervenes in human affairs. Deism is a natural religion where conventionalities in God is based on application of reason and evidence observed in the designs and laws institute in nature.^[12] The World Order of Deists maintains a web site presenting deist apologetics that demonstrate the existence of God based on testify and reason, absent divine revelation.

Hinduism [edit]

Hindu apologetics began developing during the British colonial menstruation. A number of Indian intellectuals had become critical of the British tendency to devalue the Hindu religious tradition. Every bit a event, these Indian intellectuals, as well equally a scattering of British Indologists, were galvanized to examine the roots of the faith as well equally to study its vast arcana and corpus in an analytical fashion. This endeavor drove the deciphering and preservation of Sanskrit. Many translations of Hindu texts were produced which made them accessible to a broader reading audition.

A range of Indian philosophers, including Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo Ghose, have written rational explanations regarding the values of the Hindu religious tradition. More modern proponents such as the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have too tried to correlate contempo developments from quantum physics and consciousness research with Hindu concepts. The late Reverend Pandurang Shastri Athavale has given a plethora of discourses regarding the symbolism and rational basis for many principles in the Vedic tradition. In his book The Cradle of Civilization, David Frawley, an American who has embraced the Vedic tradition, has characterized the ancient texts of the Hindu heritage as being like "pyramids of the spirit".

Islam [edit]

'Ilm al-Kalām, literally "science of discourse",^[24] commonly foreshortened to kalam and sometimes called Islamic scholastic theology, is an Islamic undertaking built-in out of the need to found and defend the tenets of Islamic faith against skeptics and detractors.^[25] A scholar of kalam is referred to every bit a mutakallim (plural mutakallimūn) every bit distinguished from philosophers, jurists, and scientists.^[26]

Judaism [edit]

Jewish apologetic literature can exist traced back as far as Aristobulus of Paneas, though some discern it in the works of Demetrius the chronographer (tertiary century BCE) traces of the style of "questions" and "solutions" typical of the genre. Aristobulus was a Jewish philosopher of Alexandria and the author of an apologetic work addressed to Ptolemy VI Philometor. Josephus's Contra Apion is a wide-ranging defense of Judaism against many charges laid against Judaism at that time, as too are some of the works of Philo of Alexandria.^{[27] [28]}

In response to modern Christian missionaries, and congregations that "are designed to appear Jewish, but are actually fundamentalist Christian churches, which utilize traditional Jewish symbols to lure the about vulnerable of our Jewish people into their ranks",^[29] Jews for Judaism is the largest counter-missionary organization in existence, today. Kiruv Organization (Mizrachi), founded by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, and Outreach Judaism, founded by Rabbi Tovia Vocalist, are other prominent international organizations that respond "directly to the bug raised by missionaries and cults, by exploring Judaism in contradistinction to fundamentalist Christianity."^{[30] [31]}

Pantheism [edit]

Some pantheists accept formed organizations such as the Globe Pantheist Movement and the Universal Pantheist Society to promote and defend the belief in pantheism.^[32]

Native Americans [edit]

In a famous speech communication chosen "Red Jacket on Organized religion for the White Man and the Red" in 1805, Seneca chief Scarlet Jacket gave an apologetic for Native American faith.^[33]

In literature [edit]

Plato'south Apology may be read as both a religious and literary apology; however, more specifically literary examples may be found in the prefaces and dedications, which proceed many Early Modernistic plays, novels, and poems. Eighteenth century authors such every bit Colley Cibber, Frances Burney, and William Congreve, to proper name merely a few, prefaced the majority of their poetic piece of work with such apologies. In addition to the desire to defend their work, the apologetic preface often suggests the author's effort to humble his- or herself earlier the audience.^[34]

Run across also [edit]

• Christian apologetics
• Dawah
• Existence of God
• Kalam
• List of apologetic works

References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b} "ἀπολογία". Blue Letter Bible-Dictionary . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
2. ^ "Apologetics". The Appearance . Retrieved 24 September 2016.
3. ^ "apologetics". Merriam-Webster Dictionary . Retrieved five Oct 2016.
4. ^ Cross, F. L., ed. (2005). "Apologists". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. New York: Oxford University Press.
5. ^ Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English language Dictionary, κατηγορία and ἀπολογία ^{[ permanent expressionless link ]}
6. ^ "Acts 26:2". Blue Letter Bible. xix September 2016.
7. ^ "Phl one:seven". Blue Letter Bible. 19 September 2016.
8. ^ "1Pe three:fifteen". Bluish Letter Bible. 19 September 2016.
9. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "apologetics". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 39–40. ISBN1-85168-184-1.
10. ^ "Making the Crooked Straight, by Udo Schaefer, Nicola Towfigh, and Ulrich Gollmer". bahai-library.com.
11. ^ De Silva, A. L. (1994). Beyond Belief, a Buddhist Critique of Fundamentalist Christianity (PDF). Iii Gems Publications, ebook link at Buddha Dharma Education Clan Incorporated, as well. ISBN978-0-6462-1211-1.
12. ^ Dharmasiri, Gunapala (1974). A Buddhist critique of the Christian concept of God : a critique of the concept of God in contemporary Christian theology and philosophy of religion from the bespeak of view of early Buddhism. Colombo : Lake House Investments – via WorldCat.
13. ^ Brent, James. "Natural Theology". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
14. ^ J. David Cassel. "Defending the Cannibals: How Christians responded to the sometimes strange accusations of their critics." "Defending the Cannibals". Archived from the original on 2011-08-21. Retrieved 2012-09-08 .
15. ^ Tacitus, Annals Xv.44
16. ^ "Why Early Christians Were Despised". Christianity Today (Church building history timeline) . Retrieved 21 September 2016.
17. ^ Cosmic Education Resource Eye: The Scott Hahn Conversion Story Archived July eighteen, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
18. ^ "Folio Not Found - Word On Burn". Archived from the original on 2015-02-08. Retrieved 2015-02-09 .
19. ^ Chesterton, G K (2008). The Everlasting Homo. Radford: Wilder Publications. p. 180. ISBN978-1604592467.
20. ^ "Kenneth Hensley - Catholic Apologetics Academy".
21. ^ Coulter, Paul (2011-05-10). "An Introduction to Christian Apologetics". Bethinking . Retrieved 21 September 2016.
22. ^ Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief John Frame-Joseph Torres - P&R Publishing - 2015 p. 67f
23. ^ A History of Christian Thought, Paul Tillich, Touchstone Books, 1972. ISBN 0-671-21426-viii (p. 43)
24. ^ Winter, Tim J. "Introduction." Introduction. The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge Upward, 2008. 4–five. Print.
25. ^ Madeleine Pelner Cosman, Linda Gale Jones, Handbook to Life in the Medieval Globe, p 391. ISBN 1438109075
26. ^ Clinton Bennett, The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies, p 119. ISBN 1441127887.
27. ^ John Granger Cook (2000) The Interpretation of the New Testament in Greco-Roman paganism p.4., Mohr Siebeck Verlag, Tuebingen, Deutschland
28. ^ "APOLOGISTS". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906.
29. ^ Simon Schoon, "Noachides and Converts to Judaism", in Jan N. Bremmer, Wout Jac. van Bekkum, Arie L. Molendijk. Cultures of Conversions, Peeters Publishers, 2006, ISBN 978-90-429-1753-eight, p. 125.
30. ^ About United states of america, Outreach Judaism website. Accessed Jan ix, 2011.
31. ^ J. Gordon Melton, "The Modern Anti-Cult Motility in Historical Perspective", in Jeffrey Kaplan, Heléne Lööw. The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Historic period of Globalization, Rowman Altamira, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7591-0204-0, p. 285, annotation iv.
32. ^ "The Pantheist Credo". World Pantheist Movement.
33. ^ "Red Jacket on the Religion of the White Man and the Ruby-red by Ruby-red Jacket. America: I. (1761-1837). Vol. VIII. Bryan, William Jennings, ed. 1906. The World'due south Famous Orations". bartleby.com.
34. ^ "Apology". Britannica Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved xiv July 2011.

External links [edit]

• Media related to Apologetics at Wikimedia Eatables

brookswhill1945.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics

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