No Place for Truth

There has long been the need for apologetics to be part of the make-up of the Christian evangelistic armoury. In part the place of apologetics is defined by the conviction that there is truth and that the truth in question is absolute- and that the absolute truth is found in Jesus. The teaching of apologetics is becoming less and less pronounced today, however, to the extent that the last time I encountered someone meaningfully endorsing and offering exposure to apologetic content to me was ten years ago. Ten years complete with a theological education and all that is associated with that. The way that apologetics have seemingly 'dropped off the map' points to something deeper still. If apologetics is interested in arguing from a point of absolute truth then it is probably not a loss of conviction or confidence in regard to apologetics but rather conviction and confidence in regard to absolute truth.

David Wells in his book, 'No Place for Truth' descibes the fruit of the unapologetic culture around the church as being little more than 'secular religiosity' and 'secular evangelicalism.' This rings true as the shaping and moulding and spiritual formation seems to be rooted in the anti-absolute post-modernism of secular culture rather than a convictional and confessional Christianity that is absolute, certain and uncompromising on the key doctrines that comprise timeless truth. The result is that it is frowned upon to point people towards their doctrinal error in a clear and uncomplicated terms in the hope that it will wake them from their slumber and call them back to the truth about Jesus- the Gospel of grace.