A New Kind of Apologist: *Adopting Fresh Strategies *Addressing the Latest Issues *Engaging the Culture

In his book How We Believe, atheist psychologist Michael Shermer discusses a study that surveyed “skeptics” for why they do or do not believe in God. Issues related to scientific evidence for God and design in nature ranked as the number one reason why skeptics doubt God, and also why some believe.

Truth without relationship leads to arrogance, while relationship without truth leads to apathy.

Mentoring is a special kind of shepherding that involves intentionally guiding the next generation toward God’s purposes.

The Barna Research Group found that twentysomethings who stay in church were twice as likely to have a close personal friendship with an adult inside the church. Those who had an adult mentor at church, aside from the pastor, were almost three times as likely to stay as those who did not.4

You can become a solution to this problem. If you provide timely, relevant, and measured information to help them with upcoming messages or classes, you’ll help them succeed in this area and feel a growing sense of excitement to teach about it further. But don’t miss a key word in that list: measured. That means you need to be careful not to overlo

Leaders will be spurred to action if we expose them to studies and statistics that show how our society is becoming increasingly secular, and how so many church members—especially students—are walking away from their faith.

What advice would you give Christian apologists? Honestly, I think you folks should stop trying to reason with thoughtful nonbelievers.

It’s important to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the medium you are using. As mentioned before, Twitter is not the most effective tool for debating others. The strength of Twitter might be more suited to propagating links to resources. The comments section on YouTube also isn’t the best place for trying to carry on a deep discussion. Usin

Even if you delete it, it may be archived or already copied elsewhere. With this in mind, take your time. One of the benefits of interacting on the Internet is that there is time to think carefully about your replies, your answers, and your questions. This is not the time to rush, get carried away by emotion, or try to make quick replies. Once you