Defending vs. Leading: The Path of Apologetics

You defend God like you defend a lion — you get out of his way! God, it seems, has never had much trouble with his enemies — it’s his friends who give him fits….Bill McNabb in “The Last Temptation of Christians”

            I found that quote while preparing for this section on apologetics, and it goes very well with the Modern Faith article from yesterday. It may be odd to start a discussion on the defense of the Christian faith with a quote about not defending God, but that is not what I consider apologetics. While, yes, the American Heritage Dictionary defines “Apologetics” as

          a·pol·o·get·ics    (ə-pŏl’ə-jět’ĭks)
                 n.   (used with a sing. verb)
                 1.    The branch of theology that is concerned with defending
                         or proving the truth of Christian doctrines.
                 2.    Formal argumentation in defense of something, such as
                        a position or system.

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