Apologetics is the defense of Christianity, usually on intellectual grounds. Lutherans have a mixed attitude towards Christian apologetics. Interestingly, in my experience with Lutherans, it is not a mix of people who support apologetics and those who are indifferent to apologetics, but rather people who support apologetics and those who are downright hostile to the endeavor. As a committed apologist myself, my own view is not sympathetic to those who are hostile or dismissive.

It is my position, in fact, that out of all those in the Church, it ought to be the Lutherans that are leading the way in apologetics. Lutherans have a long history of supporting education, establishing schools alongside churches and investing millions of dollars on creating university systems. This recognition of the importance of the intellect and of education would lead one to believe that Lutherans also thought the intellect was important in the promotion and defense of the faith. This is not the case.

At this time, this site is devoted merely to raising the issues and putting forward a number of resources. The Lutheran learner who wanders here will have access to a number of essays both pro and con in regards to Christian apologetics. I believe it is as simple as obedience to the Scriptures- which Lutherans staunchly claim they must do (Here I stand!) but other arguments will be put forward as well.

For the Lutheran persuaded, they will also find on this site a number of resources that have been collected from the scholarly arena that should provide a significant entry into the world of apologetics and the issues that Christian apologists must face.

This site hosts a comprehensive bibliography; a one-stop sight for the bibliographic information of all mainstream professional Christian apologetic works, mainstream anti-Christian apologetic works, and apologetic works composed by Lutheran scholars and philosophers.  Many thanks to Luke Thompson who assembled nearly all of that information.

Sincerely,

Anthony Horvath

aka Sntjohnny at “Christian Apologetics Ministries.”