The Apologetics Movement in the Communication Age
by Greg West
The Poached Egg; is it a blog; a webzine; a network; an online journal; or what?!? My answer to that is ‘yes!' Er… well, it really just depends on what you, the reader, would like to call it. Now, I’m not promoting relativism here, it’s just that TPE could fall under any or all of those definitions. The truth is, I sometimes get confused as to what I should call it myself exactly, so I’ll just leave it up to you to call it whatever works best for you. But one thing I do know for sure is that The Poached Egg is part of the fast growing apologetics movement within Christianity. Clergy, teachers, scientists, scholars, youth leaders, and everyday Joe Christian like you and me are joining the movement and recruiting others along the way. The movement is taking place online, on college campuses, in churches, the community, and in the home. Apologetics helps strengthen the Body of Christ while giving us better tools for evangelism in our everyday lives, and Christians are beginning to realize that apologetics is essential to every aspect of Christian living and developing a Christ centered worldview.
We live in the age of communication and TPE is all about communicating the gospel through apologetics in an accessible format, and as the TPE readership continually grows, I want you to be able to have access to the ever expanding base of information available here in whatever way suits you best (which I’ll get back to momentarily). First, I wish to address one of the few, but biggest complaints I get about TPE, which is that some readers feel overwhelmed by the frequent amount of posts. Some have even expressed this from an ‘all or nothing’ point of view, saying that since they can’t manage to read every article or post, they have just stopped visiting or have unsubscribed altogether. To these readers I would like to submit that you’re simply taking the wrong approach.
How many times do you read every article in every magazine, newspaper, or any other periodical that you like or subscribe to? If you’re like me, the answer to that is ‘rarely’ or ‘never’. Like me, you simply browse through, or check the table of contents, and read only those articles that catch your attention or address a particular issue or subject. Maybe there’s a long one or two that you don’t have time to get to right away, so you keep it within reach after making a mental note to get back to it when you do have the time.
This is the approach that should be taken with TPE as I know that expecting everyone to read every single daily post is not at all realistic. This is one reason that everything ever posted at TPE is available in our extensive archives under multiple subject headings and is accessible through various links at the top of each page and in the left side column. Can’t find something you’re looking for? Try the search box at the top left and search by keyword, title, or author. TPE isn’t just an online apologetics hub, it is an ever growing virtual apologetics encyclopedia!
Now, to get back to the various ways that you can access TPE to best suit your preferences or needs. Instead of giving each one a separate description, I’m simply going to list them as links and let you investigate and choose the one (or ones) that works best for you:
The daily e-mail digest has just been recently added due to the large amounts of requests I’ve received to make this option available. One option that you might notice missing is a smart phone app which is in the process of being developed and will be made available as soon as possible, which, I’m sure, will not be soon enough for some of you smart phone junkies (like my wife).
In the meantime, I hope that you will not feel too overwhelmed by the high volume of posts and will check in whenever and however it is most convenient for you. And don’t forget to help spread the word about TPE and the apologetics movement by sharing TPE on your social networks, blog, or just by the old fashioned way- with a friend over coffee!
The word "apologetics" is derived from the Greek word "apologia" which means to make a defense (http://carm.org/dictionary-apologetics).
The communication age of Christianity too often is that of Shakespeare's time. Many churches are even King James Only.
Imagine if legal counsel for your defense made the claim that the week that included February 9, 2012, talking in KJVese was typical of your conversations. Would this be the truth or a lie? What if such behavior was typical for this law firm's practice? Would this be wise?
For a credible defense, how much KJVese should Christian worship have compared to this law firm?
GIVING GOD
Writing hymns these days is tough.
KJVese soothes the soul.
Only the world has bad habits.
Another year and Thou's still great.
Giving God the inferior.
It's the heart that counts.
Shakespeare's already dead.
That's not the way to be.
Cain and Abel gave gifts to the Lord.
"Examples of Mine you shall be.
Life itself is what I want.
I'll provide the perfect Lamb."
Giving God the inferior.
It's the heart that counts.
Shakespeare's already dead.
That's not the way to be.
Accept or reject the living word.
Our choice is in God's plan.
We will reap what we sow.
We're intended for the best.
Giving God the superior.
Less is not good enough.
Too many are not yet dead.
Dead's not the way to be.
Posted by: Mark Henninger | 02/09/2012 at 08:30 PM