Non-Christians ONLY Poll: Are Christian Apologetics Alive or Dead? (churches, faith)

[Random]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

I believe he's asking those who don't believe what our thoughts are concerning the issue for US.

Oh. And that is different...how?

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by Random

Oh. And that is different...how?

Because Christianity is alive and well with many people.....why not us?

[Quagmire]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

So it seems that some apologetics are alive (Christian philosophers?), and most are dead (popular apologists). The living apologetics may not have continuance with orthodoxy... I guess I'll have to check.

Yeah. I think these days when someone says "apologist" most people think "Lee Strobal" or "Josh McDowell" or "that crazy guy on the forum I go to who types everything in size 4 boldface" rather than "Justin Martyre" or "Thomas Aquinnus".

Which is kind of a shame really. Except fot Justin Martyre and Psuedo Dyionisus my aquaintance with the classic apologists has been pretty superficial, but even so it looks (to me) like most of them are talking about the same concepts and to some extent saying the same things that mystics and poets from any other thought/belief system are saying, they're just defining these things in terms of their religion.

As far as whether or not their arguments do anything to prove God's existence, ya got me, that's not what I was looking for when I started studying any of this--I already believed the Universe/reality/existence had and was it's own mind and I've never felt any need to verify that or have it affirmed--so I never paid much attention to those arguments.

What they did was help me to look at Christianity and the Bible in a different light--ie, as something more than propaganda and fairytales---which, I think, is the exact opposite of what modern "apololgists are doing.

Guys like Strobel, McDowell (and even Chesterton to some extent) are just confirming what alot of skeptics already believed; "this is just vaudeville and "beleivers" are really just fans. This flavor of faith is like the Rocky Horror Picture Show for the "pius" ").

[Random]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

Because Christianity is alive and well with many people.....why not us?

I suppose so...

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by Random

I suppose so...

Well, that's just my take on the OP, sweetness. We'll let Nathan come back in and smack me if I'm off base.

[Random]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

Well, that's just my take on the OP, sweetness. We'll let Nathan come back in and smack me if I'm off base.

No, you're probably right. Too late to change my vote though...

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

So it seems that some apologetics are alive (Christian philosophers?), and most are dead (popular apologists). The living apologetics may not have continuance with orthodoxy... I guess I'll have to check.

But Christian philosophers and theologians aren't necessarily apologists. I think somebody like James Cone, Uta Ranke-Heineman, or Hans Küng can be relevant and respected outside the church, but I don't think any non-Christians are taking Christian apologetics seriously, except in the case of Muslim fundamentalists who find Christian Creationism useful. Apologists are preaching to the choir, for the most part.

"Proofs" of the existence of God have always been interesting mainly to people who already believe in God.

[Melissa G]

Dead as a Dodo

~M