An interview with Andy Bannister
Andy Bannister is director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity, a ministry based in Scotland, which communicates the transforming truth of who Jesus is and empowers Christians to do the same. Previously director of RZIM Canada, he holds a PhD in Islamic studies and is author of the book The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist (or the Terrible Consequences of Really Bad Arguments). In January, he will begin teaching a 12week online course at Wycliffe College (Toronto) titled Introduction to Christian Apologetics: The Art and Science of Christian Persuasion. Patricia Paddey conducted the following Q&A with Dr. Bannister, on the subject of apologetics.
For those who might be new to the notion of apologetics, what does the discipline of Christian apologetics encompass?
AB: Very simply, apologetics is all about giving a reason for the hope that we have (as 1 Peter 3:15 puts it).We live in an age where people increasingly have questions or objections to the Christian faith, and so if we’re to share the Good News of Jesus to a sceptical age, we need to be able to explain why we believe what we believe – and that’s apologetics. That’s the long answer. The short answer is that apologetics is simply persuasive evangelism. I often ask folks, “Would you like to engage in persuasive evangelism or unpersuasive evangelism?” Most people pick the first one – and that’s what apologetics is – persuasive evangelism.
When/where did Christian apologetics begin?
AB: In the New Testament. Look at Acts 19 where we find Paul in Ephesus reasoning and discussing with the Jews and Greeks for two years at the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus. As the Early Church then spread through the Greco-Roman world, we see
Christian writers, and thinkers and preachers engaging the ideas of the day, responding to challenges and explaining the faith afresh for new audiences. So apologetics is as old as the Church!
Why is it still important to study apologetics today?
AB: Because the moment somebody asks, “Why are you a Christian?” or “Why do you think that?” – or any question about the content of your faith – you’re going to need to be able to say something. Christians need apologetics to be able to persuade people, graciously and generously but rigorously, that Christianity is worth taking seriously.
How (and when) did you personally become interested in apologetics?
AB: It was through encountering Muslims on the streets of London in the late 1990s. My new Muslim friends asked me lots of questions and raised a ton of objections about my faith that I had no answers for. The search for answers quickly led to apologetics.
Can anyone learn to discuss their faith apologetically?
AB: Absolutely! One of the dangers of a technical word like apologetics is that it gives the impression that apologetics is only for those wired academically. But anybody can become a good apologist simply by finding the style that works for you. One of the basic tools I teach is how to ask good questions. Anybody can ask a question – my six-year-old does it brilliantly! Why are questions useful? Well, read the gospels and notice how often asking questions is one of Jesus’ main evangelistic methods – he asks great questions, often responding to questions with questions. With a little practice anybody can learn to do the same.
We live in an age where I find people are very open to spirituality and the big questions of life – while at the same time Christians seem increasingly afraid to speak up and talk about Jesus. But imagine if vastly more Christians felt able to talk to their friends, colleagues and neighbours in a natural, informed, friendly way about Jesus and the big questions of life.What amazing ways God might use us!
Learn more about Wycliffe College at: www.WycliffeCollege.ca