Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Foundations of Christian Doctrine Part 2.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

Our Defenders class, which we are just embarked upon in series 3, is a survey of Christian doctrine and apologetics.

Last Sunday we looked at why the study of doctrine is important. Today, I want to say

something about why the study of apologetics is also important for the mature Christian. Now, what is apologetics is also important for the mature Christian.

Now what is apologetics?

We all know that apologetics is not learning how to tell someone you're sorry you're a Christian.

Rather, apologetics is learning how to make the other guy, sorry that you're a Christian.

No, that's not really right either.

Apologetics is a branch of Christian theology which seeks to provide a rational justification for Christian

truth claims. It's that branch of Christian theology which tries

to provide a rational justification for Christian truth claims. Now that definition is important

because what it implies is that apologetics is primarily a theoretical discipline.

Now it certainly has a practical application, for example, in evangelism.

But apologetics is not identical to evangelism.

It is not art in sharing your faith or it is not training in, if he says this, then you say

that in return.

It's not providing tactics for how to share your faith effectively with a non-believer.

To repeat, apologetics is a branch of Christian theology that seeks to answer the question,

what is the rational justification for Christian truth claims. And while it will have a

practical application in apologetics, Christian education, your own personal

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