Apologia: Christianity for the Tough-Minded
In the third chapter of I Peter we are told that we must “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is within you…” Proclaiming the Gospel and defending its truth claim is not an optional exercise for Christians. The fact is, however, that in the post-Christian world we live in, most Christians feel completely unequipped to make a defense of their faith with friends, family and co-workers. The thought of having a discussion with someone lost in unbelief and perhaps hostile toward the church and her doctrine is usually enough to make the faithful weak in the knees.
In an attempt to remedy this fact, Pastor Edward Killian of Faith Lutheran Church, Waterloo, IA, will begin a series of lectures in October that will aim at training anyone who is interested to defend the Christian truth claim. The Apologia Lectures (apologia being the Greek word for “reasoned defense”) are intended to establish an understanding of the cultural mindset in which we are immersed, and to demonstrate the ways in which we can destroy the intellectual, emotional and cultural barriers that stand between modern man and the proclamation of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins.
These lectures will be entirely different from regular Bible studies or preaching. In the coming months, Pastor Killian will present historical, philosophical and legal argumentation that will equip the Christian to engage in discussion with tough-minded skeptics. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. That means that only by preaching Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins can anyone have faith. It is our hope that the Apologia Lectures will give you tools to combat the lies, misinformation and human reason that block the unbeliever from hearing that life-saving story.
If you are interested in being better equipped to defend the Christian truth claim, we urge you to come. Salvation comes from Christ alone. Let us prepare to engage the nations with the truth about the one true God.
Who: Open to all at no charge
When: first Sundays at 5:00 p.m. beginning October 3
Where: Valley Lutheran School, Greenhill and Rownd, Cedar Falls
