I am NOT an Apologist! AM I?
Doing Apologetics by Elgin J. Hushbeck, Jr. Retail: $5.99
The essential point is I do not judge what I do by how many debates I win or souls I save, because the first doesn’t matter and I can’t do the latter in any event. My goal in my walk with God is to be a faithful servant, and I will leave the results to God, and in my calling that includes apologetics. – Elgin L. Hushbeck, Jr.
I am an editor for Energion Publications. That said, I do not normally do the editing on a primarily theological book. I work with authors of fiction, poetry, and devotional books. When Elgin Hushbeck’s book, Doing Apologetics, came out as the 36th volume in our Topical Line Drives series, I had not read it and I was busy so it was when a copy landed on my desk that it caught my eye and I wondered just exactly “What is apologetics?”
Elgin Hushbeck, an engineer, author, lecturer, and Christian family man, is an apologist. His formal definition of apologetics is “the study of the reasoning and evidence that supports the Christian faith.” Elgin was once a self-proclaimed atheist. Walls constructed of hard questions, difficult life experiences, and contradictions within Scriptures that we thought were reliable, distance us from Father God who wants to be close to His children.
Jesus gave us The Great Commission, which I would argue is the 11th Commandment! “Go and make disciples.” He said. “Teaching them everything I have taught you.” Testifying, sharing about my relationship with Jesus can take down that wall around someone, brick by brick. I can begin with a relevant story of a time when I knew Father God loved me and stood by me.
Elgin does a great job in these few pages to take me through Scriptures he has studied and absorbed. And his multi-faceted testimony brought me closer in my own relationship to God.
No, I’m not called to be an apologist. But I am called to make disciples and I know that includes sharing the Good News (gospel) and my own good testimony with those I meet.
