What is Christian Apologetics?

What is Christian Apologetics?

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com

When I first began my master’s degree program, I remember telling my father that I was in a Christian apologetics degree. He chuckled and said, “Well, it’s about time you Christians start apologizing.” I retorted, with a playful smile, “Now, Dad, you know that’s not what I mean.”  I explained to him what I’m about to share with you, that apologetics entails offering a case for Christian beliefs and answering objections against Christian beliefs (see 2 Corinthians 10:5 and 1 Peter 3:15)…doing so with gentleness and respect.

What is Christian Apologetics? A Sports Analogy

My dad was a huge sports fan, and just like him, any coach of a sports team knows that to be well prepared for their games, they need to have both a good offense and a good defense. Dad frequently complained about a lack of one or the other with whatever team he was watching at the time. If a team goes into their game without any understanding of how to defend their goal, they are going to lose the match. If a team only knows how to defend their goal, but not how to win points through offensive strategy, they will also lose the match. While Christianity is not about “winning” or “losing” in this way, we can encounter difficulties in our own game of life for which we feel unprepared if we are not intentionally building our analogous offense and defense.

On the Defensive Line

Christian apologetics can help an individual understand the doubts, questions, and objections that are: 1) part of growing up and maturing as a person, and 2) part of living in an increasingly post-Christian society.

When we are young, we tend to trust, for the most part, the authority figures in our lives. We believe what they say and try to live like those teachings are true. As we age, and begin to encounter more experiences in life, we naturally begin to question what we’ve learned so far. Ideas, such as the goodness of God, which were simpler concepts when we had less experience with pain, suffering, and death, now become much more complicated. This questioning isn’t a bad thing, rather it’s a part of maturing as a human thinker.

As our society’s culture becomes increasingly relativistic, post-Christian, and social media/entertainer influenced, the profound philosophical Christian concepts begin to lose their comprehended complexity, becoming more caricatured and reduced even to absurdities. Thoughtful questioning and understanding of beliefs are often traded for quick, inflammatory sound bytes and slogans. As these short, uncritical ideas become popularized through various streams of social media, they become harder to engage well. Apologetics helps believers answer these popularized caricatures of Christianity, as well as engage in the deeper questions of life.

On the Offensive Line

When professing Christians do not know what they believe or why they believe it, their trust and faith in God can be affected. For example, at times, when I’ve conversed with someone who left Christianity and the church, and I’ve asked them what they used to believe, I’ve ended up saying, “Well, I don’t believe that about God, either.” While I’m sure there are many reasons why this happens, in my own church education, I rarely came across any depth of teaching on basic Christian theology, church history, or aspects of philosophy such as basic logic (thinking well) and the difficult questions of life. I’ve noticed that believers are left to piece together Christianity between their own experiences, intermittent bible study(ies), topical sermons and/or sermon series, church cultural interests, and overall cultural influencers. Too often, this leaves them with an emaciated Christianity, stripped of its deeper explanatory power for the human experience.

Through building a positive case for belief in God, Christians can begin to discover why it is they believe that God is the answer to the fundamental questions of meaning, purpose, and value to human life. People can learn that God is not only worthy of our trust, but also of our worship and love (1 John 4).


What is apologetics? A game plan

In creating robust offensive and defensive apologetic lines, Christians develop a game plan for understanding and communicating their faith. Learning how to make a case for what we believe is not a “10-step-program to winning in life,” but, rather, an important piece of the holistic development of a maturing believer in Christ. As the Apostle Peter admonished us, we are to “always be ready to give a defense (apologia) of the reason of your hope.” That reason is the hope that Jesus provided for us through the resurrection and redemption of humankind. And although we’re not apologizing for our beliefs, in a way, we are saying, “Sorry, not sorry,” for holding onto that redeeming hope within a society that needs to see genuine Christians living out, and putting into action, the truths they profess to believe.


*Author’s note: In a future post, I’ll discuss the important aspect of apologetics, which entails communicating our beliefs with “gentleness and respect.”

HCU: One More Year

HCU: One More Year

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com

This year begins my last year as a full-time professor at Houston Christian University! When I came on board in 2012, the goal was to create a flourishing apologetics degree alongside some great colleagues. Over the years, the program exceeded our expectations! Our HCU apologetics students and graduates are engaging in the public sphere, going onto PhD’s, ministering in the local church, and so much more.

HCU: One More Year

Our original vision included an emphasis on how to combine the arts and apologetics. We perceived that apologetics–the task of making a case for the existence of God–had been well explored in rhetoric, such as debates, as well as through  lecture-style argument presentation. However, the arts, which have much persuasive power, needed more attention. So, we first focused on the development of a cultural apologetics program. As this part of our endeavor began to flourish with graduate students from all types of backgrounds and interests, we turned some attention towards creating a philosophical track. We now have the two tracks going strong at the university: cultural and philosophical. Often times, students take electives from the track of which they are not in…they just want that philosophical boost on the problem of evil…or, perhaps, they couldn’t resist trying out Dr. Tallon’s apologetics and film course. (I still want to take it myself!)

Twelve Years a Professor

Now, here I am, twelve years into my professorship. Funny, I never intended to be an apologetics professor. Isn’t that how things go sometimes? And while it wasn’t my intention, I have desired to be an educator since my early high school years. I began in public school music education and I ended up in university apologetics, an important field that brings together theology and philosophy in a 1 Peter 3:15 way.  I am sometimes amazed that God brought together my longtime interest in education with the study of my beliefs…and that I was entrusted to teach others to do the same.

Oh, I would be remiss not to mention how much the students have enriched my life! I have met and engaged some amazing people, doing all sorts of ministry work: from a Screamo band lead singer to a local church pastor; from a tabletop role-playing game developer to an international public speaker. These students have encouraged me with their visions for ministry, their eagerness to learn, and genuine commitment to God. I had the privilege of helping most of our students form an apologetics presentation during one of my courses.  Over many years of working on and grading these projects, I have watched them develop into podcasts, blogs, books, journals, speaking platforms, professorships, and even PhD confirmations. Plus, my students have reciprocated and helped me along the way. They’ve read chapters of books I wrote, helped research topics I’ve debated, and engaged me in looking at the toughest questions of life through different angles.

Further, there are my colleagues…whom I lovingly call the “merry band of misfit apologists.” Don’t hold this title against any of them…this one’s all on me. (I sometimes leave out the “misfits,” just in case.) I cannot imagine a life without having known these folks. They have been an encouragement to me, embracing me for where I am skilled, and yet not looking down on me for things I have yet to learn. Ever resourceful and always surprising, I will miss my merry band of colleagues.

So, in summing up…to say this has been a rewarding experience doesn’t quite capture the depth of that reward.

Looking Ahead

As I enter this final full-time year, I can fondly look back at the enriching experience at HCU while also looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. At this point, I don’t know what God has in store for me next, but He has taught me at least one thing over the years: whatever it is, it’s never boring!

“Further up and further in!”

Professor Mary Jo Sharp

Happy Valentine’s Day, Apologetics

Happy Valentine’s Day, Apologetics

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com

Though I know you are not a person, apologetics, I’m going to show you some affection on this day of celebrating love.

Apologetics, you are often misunderstood. I read about you in articles that treat you as though you are some snobby endeavor for pretentious Christian intellectuals. Sure, some would say, you have your merits when people begin to doubt their faith, but overall you are quite often viewed as a suspicious figure. Some think you are to be used sparingly…just in case you show your “true self.” And I can only image what people may think you are: some raging monster of objective truth that doesn’t care about a person’s feelings as long as you win the day.

However, I know that’s not who you are. If we steal the heart out of you, like Te Fiti in Moana, you can seem to be that raging force of a lava-spewing argument volcano. But that’s not an accurate representation of you. Like Te Fiti, you’re a life-giver. You are a truth-teller, a means towards understanding human flourishing. You make stories come alive. You walk alongside the truth of the Gospel, in support of all that Jesus has done for us. You are a disciple of the Master. You are one part of a flourishing human life.

Te Fiti in Moana


It seems to be that the problem lies within us, with people. How we utilize you is the issue at hand. If we use you out of selfishness, then you appear to be something you are not. You can appear to be a means of oppression or instrument of control…a weapon. Your dearest friend, the Gospel, encounters the same problem with us humans. Sometimes, we even start out our relationship with you for non-selfish reasons: searching for truth, love, forgiveness, and redemption. Yet, all too frequently, we begin to fall back into our old vices. We begin to allow selfishness and pride to subtly sneak into our conversations with others. We forget to love God’s beautiful creation and would rather have something to buttress our own views and emotions…and in doing so we rip your heart out…the heart that is the Gospel, the self-sacrificing love of Christ.

So, today, I want to show you that I don’t place the blame on you, apologetics. You are an instrument that God has given us as one means of loving our neighbor as ourselves, or to do good to those who don’t necessarily do good to us. We are the ones that choose how we will utilize you. We are the ones with the fallen nature who so often abuse our good gifts. My apologies, apologetics, for not using you in a spirit of truth and love. 

My Struggle with Hypocrisy in the Church

My Struggle with Hypocrisy in the Church

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com

Have you ever struggled with hypocrisy and judgmentalism in the church? You’re not alone. This issue has become one of the most frequent objections to belief in God. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association recently interviewed me about the book, “Why I Still Believe,” which shares my own struggle with hypocrisy in the church. The hosts dig into the story of how I became a Christian and then the hypocrisy and judgmentalism I encountered from my very first worship experience as a new believer to my present struggle within the Christian community. The podcast is only 17 minutes, but the message beautifully framed my story and my hope for this book. You can listen here at GPS: God. People. Stories. “A College Professor Finds Answers to Life’s Questions in Jesus.”

The interview also discusses my field of Christian apologetics. If you are unfamiliar with apologetics, I’ve written about it here: What is Christian Apologetics?  

Why I Still Believe Book

You can order “Why I Still Believe,” to learn more.

Goodbye for Now, Dear Friend

Goodbye for Now, Dear Friend

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com

I don’t know how to say goodbye to Nabeel. He was such a dynamic force in my life and in the life of my ministry. He and David Wood were there at the very start of my ministry, bringing Confident Christianity alongside Acts 17 on debates and adventures. Oh, and the adventures we have had together! 

For me, it was all so odd…for I never intended to have a ministry. Yet there was Nabeel with an unquenchable passion to minister. I felt like a Jonah hanging out with a Paul. He was always challenging me to go beyond what I thought I could do. For instance, he was the one who penned the public challenge for me to do my first debate! No doubt both he and David had already discussed the plans. Last year, I mentioned to him that he and David were responsible for the fact that I had any debates at all. He smiled, laughed, and said, “Oh yeah, I guess we did do that, huh?”

David and Nabeel were also responsible for my engagement with ETS-EPS. Nabeel told me that I “had to go” back in 2006; like there was no option. When I got there, they threw me into conversations with scholars I had revered from afar, but was mortified to speak with in person. Most of the time, I tried to just listen, but they would never leave my opinion out of the conversation.

Over the years, we’ve all followed different paths in ministry, but Nabeel’s recent diagnosis brought us back together. In November, Nabeel suggested we do a road trip to the ETS-EPS conference, just he and David and I…one last adventure for the old times. So he drove us out to San Antonio while David set up the cameras all over the car so we could answer questions about Islam during the trip. It was such a joy to watch these two interact again and to jump in on the fun. From watching Nabeel, you’d never know that he was receiving cancer treatment. He was every bit as vigorous as always.

Throughout 2017, Nabeel spoke, taught classes, and preached right up until his hospitalization. I remember speaking with him at church about how he couldn’t do ministry like he wanted to do anymore. Other than the possibility of not being around for his family, it was one of the main things that really upset him about cancer. He wanted to minister to people. It is what he loved to do.

Throughout his hospitalization, my family and I visited him as frequently as we could do so. Over the weeks I saw him, he always had something to laugh about. Even the last time I saw him before Hurricane Harvey hit, he asked how I was doing. I told him I had just endured a five-hour faculty meeting and so I didn’t know who had the worse end of the deal, him or me, and he said, “You definitely have the worse end.” He loved to joke and tease.

Today is the day after his funeral. My tears yesterday said I will never be the same again. My heart today says that I will endure through the change. For I have reason to believe that my Lord knows what He is doing even when my heart does not understand. God has shown me that He is trustworthy. When I would pray with Nabeel, I would say, “I trust God with you.” I meant what I said.

So I will learn to live with a goodbye for now, dear friend. For you live on here and now with all the lives you have touched. I know that your influence on my ministry was a tiny tip of an iceberg of lives you affected. I thank God for your time here with us! I will high five, fist bump, and hug you in Heaven one day…and we will laugh together once more.

https://www.facebook.com/maryjosharp/videos/10154492485232400/?fref=mentions

New Devotional Resource Available

New Devotional Resource Available

Posted on by confidentchristianity@gmail.com
The other day, I received a knock on the door from the postman
delivering a brand new resource! A segment of my work from “Why Do You Believe That?” has been included in a LifeWay Women’s Audio Devotional CD. The are many authors featured in this collection, so you get a variety of teaching. You can grab a copy on the LifeWay website!