Apologetics is a discipline involving defending the Christian worldview & gospel though reason & logic. While there are different forms of apologetics the main goal remains the same: the present a logical & reasonable explanation for why God makes sense, Jesus is the Son of God & the Bible can be trusted. Consider this explanation:
The term ’apologetics’ derives from the Greek word apologia. Although it is derived from the same word as the English noun ’apology’ and adjective ’apologetic’ the meaning is quite significantly different. In the ancient Greek world an apologia was a legal defense of oneself, similar to the speech a modern-day defense lawyer makes on behalf of their client. It did not mean “a regretful acknowledgement of an offence or failure” (the Oxford English Dictionary definition of ’apology’) but a carefully reasoned defense of one’s beliefs or actions. – Paul Coulter
Below you’ll find lessons & resources concerning this study.
Based off of Ravi Zacharias’ apologetic hermeneutic (his method of reasoning), this method shows that to attain absolute truth any explanation of it must fit correspondingly & coherently with itself & with what we know of as reality. These are tested by logical consistency, empirical adequacy, & experiential relevance tests. Does it make sense, is there outside tests, and does it matter both to to the subject matter but also to us. We approach these tests mainly to answer the four main questions every worldview comes down to – origin, meaning, morality, & destiny. These worldview questions are made up in our minds by our (or societies) interpretation of five disciplines: God (theology), Knowledge (Epistemology), Reality (Metaphysics), Man (Anthropology), & Ethics (Application of right & wrong). In order to apply this to questions, start from the bottom and go up.
If you’re curious to read more books about apologetics check out some of these authors as a start.