Within Christian and Non-Christian circles there are disagreements over politics and religion. Apologetics can be intimidating. I remember a conversation with a friend who told me she wasn’t interested in apologetics because she saw it as mostly argumentative.
People are introduced to the debate side of apologetics (also called negative apologetics) which leads to them being turned off. Merriam-Webster even defines apologetics as defending a particular teaching. In the Christian sense, it’s defending the faith.
Lindsey Medenwaldt is a Christian apologist, an English writing teacher, and author of a new book Bridge-Building Apologetics. She demonstrates that apologetics isn’t simply just debating.
“I got interested because of my husband, Jay, who became a Christian and an apologist after reading The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel. I decided to get a degree in apologetics so we could discuss it. I never intended to use it for ministry and didn’t know any women who were into apologetics until I attended the Women in Apologetics inaugural conference after the end of my first year of seminary,” She said. “There I met Hillary Fere, who ran Mama Bear Apologetics, and I started working for them.”
Medenwaldt credits her upbringing as a missionary kid shaped the way she interacts with nonbelievers and her views on apologetics.
“Bridge-building apologetics started when I was a missionary kid with how my parents and I interacted with non-Christians and made me want to think about how we can discuss topics we disagree with for both believers and nonbelievers.” she said.
Medenwaldt’s book is for those who are struggling with having conversations with those they disagree with. We see people on social media trying to outsmart their opponents.
“We often assume things about each other and don’t do a good job listening to others,” She said. “We’re thinking about the response we’ll give. I mention in my book that we’ve discounted the power of prayer and forget that we actually need it. We should keep a peace of mind and prayer can help us do that when we feel tension rising.”
Medenwaldt also demonstrates that you can discuss difficult topics in a respectful manner. However, this has also been misconstrued to affirmation.
“A common misconception about apologists is that they all argue with each other. I also used to believe that and social media has done a disservice.” She said. “However there is a shift which is demonstrated by Wes Huff on the Joe Rogan podcast where he discusses Christianity academically,” she said. “However, winsomeness has become offensive to people who believe it means affirmation. It doesn’t. It just means balancing truth and love.”
Speaking the truth in love and respect is difficult, but it isn’t impossible as long as you keep praying and asking God for help. If you’d like to learn more you can check out Lindsey’s website here and buy her book on Amazon .
Check out my interview with her here.
