Need for Apologetics in the African American Community

The subject of Apologetics is one that takes on certain distinctives when associated with the African-American (AA) community. There are issues and variables that have to be taken into consideration. There is a noticeable lack of theology in the AA community. Dr Jerry Buckner has written a short article on the problem in the Christian Research Journal.[1] And it is from this lower base level that the need for Apologetics springs forth in the community. All kinds of sects, schisms and cults have sprung up as a result of shallow theology running rampant through AA churches. There is also apathy towards the study theology and the fundamentals of the faith that permeates the AA church but that apathy is driven by the lack of training in the pastorate. Men and women who do not have much theological grounding, but start churches for different reasons, do not welcome people coming into the church and teaching things that they do not themselves understand. From the position of the pews there is an over-realized eschatology that causes people to be more concerned with the next stage of life, heaven, instead of focusing on the work Christ has set for his Church, such as defending the faith as commanded in the book of Jude.

One way for overcoming a resistance to Apologetics would be to have some short skits during the Sunday morning service in which mock conversations take place between Christians and followers of different belief systems with other members posing as a cult member. Another way to introduce the topic would be to have a preaching series on the historical reliability of the bible or the truth of the resurrection. These could also bring interest to the congregation. For far to long people have just bypassed having a conversation with that family member who is a Jehovah’s Witness because they did not have the tools to make a positive case for their faith while they defended it from the attacks of others. That has to change. Teaching Apologetics can be a big help in that regard.

A strategy for approaching an Apologetics ministry in an AA Church would focus on teaching, starting with the Pastor. Making the case for a class would have to come from the top. If the Pastor backs the class, then the class will have at least some participation but if he is cold towards it then the class would most likely fail. On the other hand, if he does go for it then the teaching can begin. Most of it would be done in a Sunday school or Wednesday night bible study class. There are eight key words that I have used to keep a simple outline of defending the Christian faith. They are, in order, Truth, God, Miracles, Inspiration, History, Jesus, Sin, and Gospel. The first four are true/false or right/wrong issues that Christians hold. Either Truth, with a capitol “T”, is knowable or it is not. That statement is right or wrong, true or false. If right then the statement that God exists is either, right or wrong or true or false, and so on. The last four are likely to be true if the first four are. If God can inspire a document then the history in that document is likely to be true and accurate. In other words, the apologetic would focus on making the case for each of the key words. There is ample material for the study of each of the key words. So the first stage in implementing the strategy is an eight to ten week course on the basics of Christian evidences. This is key for this type of material is foundational for having confidence that the faith one holds is not just a feeling but that there are historical facts and scientific evidences that support the claims. I took a family member through these eight steps and the simple arguments and they found it to be very helpful. It simple and short and I think most people can get it. The second stage is teaching the church about the differing worldviews that they are going to be in touch with in a pluralistic society. The theistic, pantheistic and naturalistic worldviews and beliefs can be taught as well as how to test the varying worldviews in relation to the world we live in. An evaluation of media, and arts as well as fashions and technology in light of a Christian worldview would be beneficial, in stimulating ways, to gaining an understanding of the importance of the topics. James Sire’s The Universe Next Door and Nancy Pearcey’s Total Truth work as material to teach the subject. The issues of homosexuality, abortion, civil rights, and others would be addressed and evaluated. The final pillar in a strategy to incorporate a Christian Apologetics program into a local AA Church would be the most practical, it would be an understanding of the groups involved in attacking the church and the tactics used to engage them. It is my belief that the most dangerous opponents to the AA church are The Word of Faith teachings, Islam and the Nation of Islam, Oneness Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and pseudo-religious Black Nationalist groups like the Hebrew Israelites. Along with the groups there would be a tactical aspect patterned after the material of Stand to Reason headed by Greg Koukl. Another eight weeks here would be enough time to teach the material. Three sessions in a year about every other year or so would be a good place to start for a rotation. I do not feel like this subject would be taught every year in the format presented here. Eventually I would like to have an issues oriented apologetics conference every other year as an outreach to the church in general but also the entire community. My brothers and sisters in the churches and outside of it need to see AA believers who have an intelligent faith not just an emotional experience

But that said, all of this has to be bathed in a church were the Bible is being taught. If sound doctrine is not a value for the church then making Apologetics an important topic will not work. When the faith is disconnected from the truth, Satan moves substitutes in to replace that truth. That is why there is a disconnect in the AA church between faith and practice. All the right answers can be given but there is no practical application lived out in light of that knowledge. I know that I have painted with a broad brush but that is just a reflection of my experience but it lines up with the testimonies I have received from other AA seminarians.

The reason for selecting this type of strategy is because many traditional AA churches are still in the Sunday School, Wednesday Night Bible Study model and have not yet moved to the small group model. I feel that this type of teaching could work best in a small group setting but that just is not a well received option right now. Those two blocks of time, Sunday morning and Wednesday night, are the best opportunity to teach the largest sections of the AA church. The testing of each section of the strategy would be very difficult. I do not believe that writing papers would work nor do I believe that any written testing would work either. Possibly the best way to test such an endeavor would be to have people in groups do mock encounters with people of the various groups mentioned above and judge the response and feedback. Because this area is so new to the AA church it must be eased into. This is not a flying leap. I spoke with a well known Christian Apologist a few years back and asked him if he knew of any AA Apologists. He said that he did not. Well in the years that have past I have run into a few but the number is still very low and their exposure to the larger AA church as a whole seems to be extremely limited.

I think that an Apologetics program in an AA church would be an excellent idea but also know that it would be an up hill battle to get one started. Having the PROBE staff or similar ministry come in and doing a question and answer session or dealing with a hot button issue could increase the credibility levels. This is an area that I feel has to be confronted in AA Churches in the years ahead for if it is not then there is a large segment of the church hat will just slide down the hill of irrelevance and will cripple the larger Body of Christ as a whole. Thinking christianly is not an option but a command. Jesus, when speaking on what was important, said, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." There is a responsibility towards God and fellow Christians as well as the unbeliever to present an attractive case for Christianity. Apologetics is the way to just that.

God Bless and Grace,
John

Notes:
[1] Is Christian Orthodoxy Strong in the Black Church? by Jerry L. Buckner. This article first appeared in the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 27, number 4 (2004). It can be found online at http://www.equip.org/free/JAB425.htm.