ShamelessPopery.com (See it in original form here)
Are you interested in sharing the faith more? Are you worried that you don’t know how to answer your co-workers’ and friends’ questions? 1 Peter 3:15 calls us to “always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” That’s a tall order. Here are ten tips that might help.
1. Apologetics takes practice
Apologetics and evangelization are a bit like dancing. You can read all about it, you can even watch other people do it, but if you’re ever going to get good at it you’ve got to get out there and actually do it. And don’t get discouraged if you’re not great at it at first.
2. Win the person, not the argument.
There’s no point in “winning” the argument and being technically correct, if you’ve done so in a way that ostracizes and alienates the other person. J. Budziszewski has a series of good tips for doing this: I highly recommend this video. It changed how I talked to (and thought about) non-Catholics and non-believers.
In short, try to figure out why the person is asking the question(s) that they are. Often you can answer objection after objection, but you never get to the root reason they won’t accept the faith, Christ, etc. Only when you understand where they are coming from can you truly help them and know how to go forward with the discussion.
3. Consider sources of authority.
In this same vein of knowing the person you’re trying to reach, know what the person will accept. If a daily Mass-going Catholic questions you about a particular doctrine, it might be enough simply to point them to the relevant paragraph in the Catechism, or the pertinent papal document. But if the same question is being asked by an atheist, you’re going to have to look to an authority (reason, natural law, something) that they will accept. Jesus went out of his way to answer the Sadducees only from the Torah because he knew they only would accept it.
4. Charity is more important than the perfect answer.
You’re inviting a person to the faith, into a relationship with Jesus: remember, you’re trying to win the person, not the argument. If you’re in it to win the argument, you’re in it for your ego, not their salvation. Given that, being a jerk and winning the argument gets you nowhere (nor does it help them).
But this has some important implications. It means that even if you’re not great at apologetics, even if you can never remember chapter and verse in the heat of the moment, even if you’re the worst debater in the world, you can still be an effective evangelist simply by being loving. Think about how successful the Mormons are. Theologically, their system doesn’t make a ton of sense, and they actively avoid theological debates, but they’re incredibly nice. They tend to be wonderful to be around. The world is filled with broken, hurting people who are hungry for healing and for God. Sometimes, your Christlike attitude towards them can show them the Answer that they’re looking for a lot more effectively than a bunch of syllogisms.
And look, this isn’t some perk: it’s an essential part of evangelization. Remember 1 Peter 3:15-16, which I quoted above? Peter tells us to evangelize “with gentleness and reverence,” and with a clear conscience. If we fail to do this, we’ve simply failed to live out the Gospel’s commands.
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