Why We Should Recover Cultural Apologetics

01/12/2025 52 min Episodio 173
Why We Should Recover Cultural Apologetics

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Episode Synopsis

For many, apologetics is associated with arguments over rational, philosophical proofs. It’s a matter of the head instead of the heart, a debate over facts instead of feelings. But no matter what kind of apologetics you practice, you’re arguing according to a certain set of rules, in a particular language, attuned to what you expect to resonate in your time and place. In other words, it’s always cultural, never purely timeless. And it’s never purely rational.We need to recover apologetics as a matter of the heart and hands as well as the head. We need to recover apologetics as a project for the whole church and not just for those who enjoy arguing. What we call cultural apologetics is not a new academic discipline. It’s a means to reconnect the church to the best biblical and historical resources for presenting and defending the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). That’s the vision behind a new book, The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics, which I edited for Zondervan Reflective and The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. I’m joined now by two of the contributors, both fellows for The Keller Center. Josh Chatraw is the Billy Graham chair for evangelism and cultural engagement here at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. Visiting us here at Beeson this week is Christopher Watkin, associate professor of French and Francophone studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.———In This Episode02:00 — Apologetics as Cultural: Head, Heart, and Hands03:00 — Biblical Models for Cultural Apologetics05:10 — Retrieval: Learning from Church History09:16 — Augustine, Rome, and Biblical Critical Theory13:00 — Diagonal Thinking, Third-Way Debates, and Politics16:00 — Confrontational vs. Winsome Apologetics20:00 — How Jesus Engaged Different People26:00 — Apologetics for the Whole Church and for Pastors34:00 — Retrieval Models: Pascal, Montaigne, and Modern Idols41:00 — Audience Q&A: Out-Narrating, Doubt, Catholicism, Facts vs. Heart Issues51:46 — Closing ReflectionsResources MentionedThe Gospel After Christendom by Collin Hansen, Ivan Mesa, & Skyler FlowersTelling a Better Story by Josh ChatrawBiblical Critical Theory by Christopher WatkinCity of God by AugustineConfronting Christianity Podcast with Rebecca McLaughlinThe Speak Life Podcast with Glen ScrivenerTruth Unites Podcast with Gavin Ortlund———SIGN UP for my newsletter, Unseen ThingsHelp The Gospel Coalition renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel: Donate TodayDon’t miss an episode of Gospelbound with Collin Hansen:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeTGC Updates Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.