Some Initial Questions:
We begin with a defintion of the term “negative apologetics,” followed by a list of negative apologetics questions that are often raised in academe. Unfortunately, the term “negative apologetics” is an infelicitious name on a couple of counts. First, the term “negative” apologetics
can give the impression that in some sense the territory covered here is gloomy or it involves impugning your interlocutor’s character. That’s not the case.
Second the term “apologetics” sounds like you are apologizing for instead of rationally defending your faith. That not the case either. Third, negative apologetics is easily confused with deconstructive apologetics (discussed elsewhere on this site in Section 4). That is, because deconstructive apologetics, either conceptual or existential, has a so-called “negative” element, that of critiquing other worldviews by showing their idiosyncratic inadequacies, some come to the conclusion that “negative apologetics”—as in a “downer” kind of apologetic—is deconstructive in nature. However intuitive that may feel, it’s not the way we are using the term “negative."
On the contrary, "negative apologetics," as we are using, it is a technical term with a contextually special meaning. The term as we are using it is about a discipline within apologetics that is defensive in nature, and means responding to questions and objections to Christianity that are raised by non-believers; and it is to be contrasted with positive apologetics, which is about initiating or setting forth a positive case (for the most part arguments) for the credibility of Christian theism. It is not about one’s mood, modus operandi or an argumentative deconstruction strategy.
Again, the second, part of that term, “apologetics” sounds like your apologizing for something--like apologizing for believing in God or Jesus Christ. Actually, as you may already know, the term “apologetics” is derived from the Greek word “απολογία,” which is best translated into English by the words “defend” or “defense”; and so apologetics has become to be understood (in English) as the discipline of giving a rational defense for one’s faith. (cf. 1 Peter 3:15)
The resources provided in this section are aimed to help you develop a first approximation of how you might better understand the issues being brought into question and how you might craft answers for them.
Below are listed some of the more serious problems, questions and objections that are typically raised in a sophisticated way in academe, followed by a list of less serious but common questions about the Christian faith that you will likely encounter. We try to inform you of ways these questions have been responded to in the past and provide resource links for you to explore as you shape your own response:
First Approximations to Answering These Specific, Initial Questions
Problem of Evil:
Related Sub-problems
- How Could a Perfect Being (God) Order Genocide, as He Apparently Does in the Old Testament?
- How Could There be a Hell (with eternal torture) if God is Omnibenevolent?
- Why Doesn’t God Make His Existence More Plain to All People?--The So-Called Hiddenness of God Problem.
Problems of Knowledge & Types of Authority:
- The Alleged Lack of Evidence for God’s Existence
- Are All Religions Created Equal?--The Problem of Religious Pluralism
- Isn’t Science Objective and Religion Merely Subjective?
- What Do You Do When Science (or Reason) and Scripture Conflict?
- Why Would You Take What the Bible has to Say Seriously?--How Reliable Is the Bible?
Less academically serious, but still a common cluster questions that have strong emotional triggers, that are asked by non-Christian academics:
- What are your politics? Why aren’t Christians more supportive of human rights? Why do Christians want to teach creationism in public schools? Why don’t Christians support green politics?
- Forthcoming: Isn’t “religion” the source of all or the greatest part of what’s evil in the world?