RC Talk - The Official Blogs of Ratio Christi Chapters

Pre-evangelism is what leads up to a person accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior.  It can take many forms.  While sometimes it’s not necessary (a person might place their faith in Christ the first time they hear the Gospel), Christians ought to be intentional about pre-evangelism.

Scripture gives us many examples of evangelism and pre-evangelism.  Let’s look at a few of them:

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If you were to ask me what are the main responsibilities of every Christian, I would have a few ideas at the top of my list.  The first would be the great commandments: Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul - and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40).  The second is the great commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

In the churches I was raised in, this passage was used to promote evangelism.  It wasn’t until later that I realized that this also taught that Christians are to make disciples - just like Jesus did.

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Last week for our meeting [University of Alabama Huntsville] we watched "Resurrection of Jesus" expert Dr. Gary Habermas on DVD giving a lecture on his minimal facts approach.

Given the content-packed nature of his lecture, I typed up detailed notes outlining his presentation.  Just in time for Resurrection Sunday (Easter), I'm linking the video we watched (it's available on youtube) along with my notes.  I encourage Christians to learn this approach and scrutinize it.  I encourage non-Christians to strutinize this and then learn this approach. ;-)

One of the great effects of this lecture is the evidence given for Jesus's divinity and resurrection being proclaimed from the beginning of the Christian movement.  This refutes views that Christianity evolved over time, the Paul made it all up, or that Jesus was "voted" to be deity at the council of Nicea.

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Correct False Teachings (Preserve Truth in the Church):

When false teachings are identified, they must be corrected.  Matthew 18:15-17 (you may want to review this passage on rebuking others and church discipline) may come into play here.  Here’s a good example of a well-intentioned person who had to be corrected:

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Not many people think of apologetics as a way to preserve the church.  It’s usually associated with pre-evangelism (which we will cover in an upcoming article), but as the previous article mentioned, Christians need to be cautioned that false teachings can sneak into the church.  Therefore we must consider the four components in which apologetics helps in preserving the church: identify false teachers; identify false teachings; correct false teachings; keep unity in the church.
 

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There are several purposes of apologetics and two of them are spiritual growth and discernment.  These two are linked together.  As you grow spiritually, you slowly gain discernment as well.  One of the benefits of studying apologetics is getting heavy doses of truth.  When you know the truth, it's very difficult for someone to trick you into believing a lie.

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All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.                           2 Timothy 3:16-17

Christians are instructed in Scripture to not only know why they believe what they believe, but to defend the faith with gentleness and respect.

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In most churches, “apologetics” is a foreign word.  Nobody has heard of it except those who have been to Bible College or seminary. 

One of the goals of Ratio Christi is to make apologetics known not only at the university, but also in the local church.  I’ve had students come up to me with an enthusiasm for apologetics and lament that when they try to talk to their friends at church, they just can’t seem to explain what apologetics is. 

To be honest, explaining what apologetics is can be hard to articulate. 

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The author of Hebrews reminds us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...” (Heb. 12:1-2)  This sobering statement reminds of two truths that we encounter every day: it’s easy to get distracted by the things in this life, and we are to keep our focus on living for Jesus.

Steve Shadrach is a campus minister in Arkansas.  He wrote a fantastic book on college ministry entitled, “The Fuel and the Flame.”  In it, he uses several examples of ordinary people who lived boldly for God.  I’ve selected a couple of excerpts that really helped shape my view of college ministry:

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In a few weeks, atheists will be gathering in Washington, DC to celebrate reason (www.ReasonRally.com).  They believe they have a corner on the market - that any reasonable and honest person will hold their position that God does not exist.

I would like to point out what I see as the elephant in the room.  While atheists purport to champion reason, reason contradicts the foundational principal of their worldview.

Let me elaborate.

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