RealApologetics.org has all of the basic goals of a Christian apologetics organization – to defend the faith in order to prepare hearts for the seed of the gospel, to edify the church, and to “give a defense” (I Peter 3:15). However, our ministry recognizes the importance of how apologetics is done. The way Christians do apologetics, theology, and philosophy – and not merely the arguments, theologies, or philosophies themselves – determine how effective and God-honoring our witness really is. Method matters. Indeed, ministries that seek to do apologetics apart from a biblical basis simply do not meet the standards God has for His people.
“Apologetics is, at root, a biblical discipline.” - Richard Gaffin Jr.
Just as a house is only as strong as the hard work the architect spends in creating the blue prints, so the tools offered by an apologetics ministry are only as good as the method used to make those tools. With the proper goals and a heart for the Lord, recognizing this fact will produce far better results both in the church and in the culture than if we never bothered to hold ourselves accountable to higher standards. How we do theology determines what our theology is, and how we do apologetics determines how effectively we defend the gospel. And because method matters, the church doesn’t need more arguments, it needs good arguments. Skeptics don’t need a better worldview, they need the only worldview that makes sense of reality – biblical Christianity. Indeed, Christians don’t need another apologetics organization…they need real apologetics.
“In the defense of Christian truth, the apologists do not start from a base of doubt or neutrality but from a position of firm belief and unshakable conviction. They face the enemy, not in dread and fear, but with a strong sense of spiritual superiority.”
– Herman Bavinck
- RealApologetics is unashamedly Reformed in its theology (not Arminian). We believe in the “Five Solas of the Reformation” and the “Five Points of Calvinism.” This formulation (monergism) summarizes the most consistent, biblical, and God-honoring understanding of salvation.
- RealApologetics is unashamedly Covenantal in its approach to interpreting the Scriptures (not Dispensational). We believe Scripture interprets Scripture on the basis of God’s revelation; God has internally structured His Word and His dealings in history in terms of covenants.
- RealApologetics is unashamedly Presuppositional in its approach to defending the faith (not evidential/classical). We believe that a presuppositional approach of apologetics is the most biblical and God-honoring method of defending the faith. Our apologetic must begin with a confession of faith, not merely end with it. It is futile to begin on the false notion of “common ground” or “religious neutrality” with unbelievers and skeptics, because neutrality is both impossible (since everyone has a worldview) and dishonoring to God (since we are told to take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”). The Christian apologist does not present the Christian worldview as merely better than the alternative, but rather as the only satisfactory explanation for the way things are.
If you have a question, comment, or criticism about anything on this website, email your concerns to realapologetics@gmail.com, and type “comment,” “criticism,” or “question” in the subject line to be sure it gets read and discussed on the podcast.
