Practical Apologetics #2: What To Do When You Get An Objection You Can’t Answer
Nail Mark Ministries
This is the second post in our ongoing series on practical tips for doing apologetics. Today’s post deals with what to do when you get a question or objection to the Christian faith that you don’t know how to answer. This situation can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even scary at times, but here are some things that are important to keep in mind when it happens (and it will happen).
The first thing is to just keep cool and don’t get frustrated. You are not a walking apologetics encyclopedia no matter how hard you try to be and you will occasionally get asked questions or be tossed objections that you’ve never heard and don’t even know where to start with. It’s okay! Forgive yourself, don’t freak out or get upset about it.
Secondly, when you get one of those questions or objections, be honest about it. It’s okay to admit to the person whom you are talking to that you’re not really sure how to respond. Try this on for size:
“Huh, you know that is an interesting question. I don’t really have an answer right now, is it okay if I take some time to think about that and get back to you?”
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Of course it is okay! And if they say its not okay then just realize you’re not talking to a reasonable human being. After all, who can fault a person for not knowing the answer to every possible question and simply wanting some time to ponder what has just been said? Most people will be more than happy to let you think on the point they made.
Remember that the absolute worst thing you can do when you get hit with a question or objection that you don’t know how to answer is to answer it anyway. There are few quicker ways to look like a fool than to just keep talking about something you know nothing about. Now this is not to say that you can’t ask for more information about the point they just made to understand it better, and it is not to say that you can’t interact with it to the extent you feel like you have some understanding of the issue, but if you really don’t have a clue….be silent. Remember Proverbs 17:28 “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” It will go better for you to be quiet for now, go find the answers you need and then come back with something worthy to say…
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RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING:
Relational Apologetics: Defending the Christian Faith with Holiness, Respect, and Truth
Arguing with Friends: Keeping your friends and your convictions
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Apologetics are ridiculous and intellectually dishonest. From the very same moment you set out to defend the Christian faith, you’re forgetting what the most important thing is: the truth. Once you’re a Christian apologetics, there’s no room for you to back up. You’re already into accepting Christianity as complete and unquestionable truth, whether you can defend it or not. That’s why you can hear there are literally thousands if not millions of Christians unable to defend their own faith and still believing it. You don’t hold and belief whimsically and then you see what you can do to defend it or whether you can defend it at all. Belief is what you arrive to after you have exercised your rational thinking with intellectually honesty. If you can’t defend a position you drop it all together. You don’t get further training.
I believe the above comment is one of the most ridiculous I have ever seen. Apologetics is simply defending what you believe. The reason millions of people are Christians is because they have had a true and real experience with God. Many don’t realize that defending what they believe is just a matter of relating the true experience that they have had. Some believe that they have to have all the answers about the Holy Scriptures to be an apologist. This is not so, you must just be able to witness as to what has happened. If someone can’t or won’t relate that then you can question their beliefs. Belief in God is where absolute truth begins.