{"id":1984,"date":"2016-12-15T16:14:37","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T21:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2016-12-15T16:14:37","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T21:14:37","slug":"some-resources-on-apologetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/some-resources-on-apologetics\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Resources on Apologetics"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just finished reading two separate books on \u201cApologetics.\u201d\u00a0 Before going any further I probably should provide a definition of what \u201capologetics\u201d is.\u00a0 Patrick Madrid in his book How to Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith<\/em> (Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington, IN. 2016) writes, \u201cApologetics is a practical way of using logic and facts to help others lift their eyes from base, inconsequential distractions and gaze upward to contemplate the truth in all its beauty\u201d (14).\u00a0 He goes on to say, \u201cApologetics accomplishes this task by offering those who will listen rational explanations and defense of the truth, the highest and most important of all including the truths that God exists, He loves you\u201d (14).<\/p>\n

To put it in my own words, \u201capologetics\u201d is not about presuming we are always right and others should take what we say in matters of faith just because we say so.\u00a0 Apologetics calls us to use logic and reason to show that the teachings of our faith make sense (cf. Madrid, 19).<\/p>\n

Madrid goes on in his book to talk about the tools of logic and how they can be used to help reach out to people who do not believe in any notion of God.\u00a0 This comes in a chapter on \u201cNatural Apologetics\u201d.\u00a0 He then offers a chapter on \u201cChristian Apologetics\u201d leading to a chapter specific to \u201cCatholic Apologetics\u201d and why we believe in the Real Presence and our understanding of Mary.\u00a0 In all of this he reminds us, \u201cDon\u2019t allow yourself to slip into the mode of thinking that you are the \u201corthodoxy police\u201d or imagine it\u2019s your duty to root out theological error wherever you can find it\u201d (57).<\/p>\n

As I was saying before, our goal in Apologetics is to help them see that we have sound reasons for our faith.<\/p>\n

Madrid offers some good insight into what Apologetics is and how to go about it.\u00a0 Yet I realize that many of you aren\u2019t looking to be apologists.\u00a0 You just want to be able to talk with others and answer their questions.<\/p>\n

Here I turn to the second book I just read, How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice: Civic Responses to Catholic Hot-Button Issues (Revised and Updated)<\/em> by Austen Ivereigh and Kathryn Jean Lopez (Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington, IN. 2015).<\/p>\n

They discuss how \u201cThe Church\u2019s role in news stories is usually that of an institution that coerces, oppresses, and imposes, while on the other side are ranked the vulnerable individual and victims\u2019 groups of many kinds\u2026 Only by reframing can we escape those roles\u201d (20).\u00a0 Here they offer a method of discussing our faith that is consistent throughout their book.\u00a0 To \u201creframe\u201d is to change the perspective at how we look at the issues.\u00a0 Many people look at what we are against<\/strong> as Catholics.\u00a0 Ivereigh and Lopez help us to change the discussion to what we are for<\/strong>.\u00a0 This turns the discussion to a more positive perspective and helps us show what our faith and Catholic Church is all about.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to try to\u00a0summarize their entire book.\u00a0 Instead, if you are interested in learning more about what our Catholic Church says (and how to share it with others) on sexuality, contraception, religious freedom, marriage, abortion, the sex abuse scandal, assisted suicide, and the role of women, I am going to encourage you to read the book for yourself.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Before concluding I want to share ten principles Ivereigh and Lopez offer on pages 22-26.\u00a0 What I offer now quotes their lists of the ten principles and their first sentence on each (they offer much more if you read the book):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t get mad.\u00a0 Reframe<\/em>.\u00a0 To recap: Rather than consider the arguments you are going to face, consider the value(s) they appeal to.<\/li>\n
  2. Shed light, not heat<\/em>. The purpose of our communication is illumination.<\/li>\n
  3. Think in threes<\/em>. A time-honored way of preparing for any discussion is to boil your messages down to three key ones.<\/li>\n
  4. People don\u2019t remember what you said as much as how you made them feel<\/em>. The best communication takes place when people feel valued and safe.<\/li>\n
  5. Show, don\u2019t tell<\/em>. This foundational principle of good writing applies to communication generally.<\/li>\n
  6. Remember to say \u201cYes.\u201d<\/em> This is a baseline communication principle, and doubly important when we are making the Church\u2019s case- as so often in contemporary society \u2013 against <\/em><\/li>\n
  7. Compassion counts.<\/em><\/li>\n
  8. Numbers aren\u2019t everything.<\/em> Statistics can appear abstract and inhumane, or a spin.<\/li>\n
  9. It\u2019s about witnessing, not winning. <\/em>People who come to a new way of seeing the world find that a prejudice or preconception is challenged, or even reversed.<\/li>\n
  10. It\u2019s not about you. <\/em>Your fear, self-consciousness, and defensiveness are products of a protesting ego.\u00a0 Think of John the Baptist \u2013 a fearless communicator; his strength came from knowing that he was the door through which others could come to Christ.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I hope this helps you think about what you can do to know and share our faith.\u00a0 Before concluding I will just point you to two pages on my website:<\/p>\n