“Apologetics may bolster faith and dispel doubt, but it cannot bend the will.” – Brian Auten
"To answer objections, is an endless task; it is like trying to empty a flowing fountain with bottomless buckets". -- Charles Spurgeon
“No one statement wrested from its context is a sufficient warrant for actions that plainly controvert other commands. How excellent a thing it would be if the whole Church of Christ had learned that no law of life may be based upon an isolated text. Every false teacher who has divided the Church, has had, "it is written" on which to hang his doctrine.” -- G. Campbell Morgan
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” – C. S. Lewis
“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.” – John Calvin
“If the truth offends, then let it offend. People have been living their whole lives in offense to God; let them be offended for a while.” – John MacArthur
“Christianity is...rarely understood by those outside its bounds. In fact, this is probably one of the greatest tasks confronting the apologist–to rescue Christianity from misunderstandings.”
– Alister E. McGrath
“As vital as it is for us to enlist in the Truth War and do battle for our faith, it is even more important to remember why we are fighting—not merely for the thrill of vanquishing some foe or winning some argument, but out of a genuine love for Christ, who is the living, breathing embodiment of all that we hold true and worth fighting for.” – John MacArthur
“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.” – Martin Luther
“There was a time when only specialized Christian missionaries needed to be able to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ against the attacks of Islam. Today every Christian has an opportunity and obligation to present the gospel effectively and in Christian love to the Muslims who have permeated our Western society. When your neighbor, your mechanic, your favorite basketball player, your employer or employee, or even your children's friends could very well be Muslims, the need for proper understanding and an effective Christian witness is abundantly clear.”
– Josh McDowell
“For my own part, I believe that in dealing with skeptics, and unbelievers, and enemies of the Bible, Christians are too apt to stand only on the defensive. They are too often content with answering this or that little objection, or discussing this or that little difficulty, which is picked out of Scripture and thrown in their teeth. I believe we ought to act on the aggressive far more than we do, and to press home on the adversaries of [Biblical] inspiration the enormous difficulties of their own position.” – J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
“To be ignorant and simple now-not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground-would be to throw down our weapons and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defense but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.” – C. S. Lewis
“Can you imagine being an ambassador for your country and neglecting to prepare yourself for the common questions that people ask about your homeland? That would be irresponsible. You’d be without a job very quickly. God tells us that we are His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). Seeing that that is the case, I think it is important that every Christian consider the following question: Am I ready to answer the common questions people ask about God? Am I ready to explain to someone why I believe the Bible is trustworthy? 1 Peter 3:15 says that we are to be ready to give a defense of our faith. Are you ready? Sadly, many Christians watch more TV in a week than they’ll spend in a year preparing themselves to answer questions about God and the Bible. Don’t leave defending the faith to your pastor. The church needs an army of saints who are able to articulate the truth persuasively and graciously. We are all called to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). ” – Charlie Campbell
“Christianity today is in conflict; in conflict against the secular world; in conflict with world religions—which are hostile to us—in conflict against the Kingdom of the Cults—and the Occult; in conflict against corrupt theology in our theological seminaries—and oftentimes in our pulpits; in conflict against all forms of evil surrounding us on all sides. And it is a foolish person indeed, who does not recognize that the Church was born in conflict; lives in conflict, and will triumph in conflict. We have been called to be soldiers of the cross. And if we’re going to be soldiers of the cross that means that we have to be attired to fight. That’s why Paul could say here in 2 Timothy, chapter 4 — I have fought the good fight [v. 7]. He did not say, “I have taken the long vacation.” I have fought the good fight, I finished the course, I kept the faith. But the problem we are facing today in Christianity—and one of the reasons why we are in crisis—is this: A large section of the Christian Church simply will not come into conflict with the world. And that, is one of our greatest drawbacks.” – Walter Martin
“Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason-I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other-my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” – Martin Luther
“It is generally the man who is not ready to argue, who is ready to sneer.” – G.K. Chesterton ,
“In Jeremiah 1:9-10, God tells Jeremiah, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.....to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant." To root out? To pull down? To destroy? What is God talking about? There are times for God's ambassadors when preaching the gospel is not enough. God's ambassadors are to preach the gospel and to make disciples ("to build and to plant") but sometimes before an unsaved person will embrace the gospel, we must be involved in what we might call "spiritual demolition." That is, demolishing lies and misconceptions that are keeping a person back from embracing the gospel. God wants to use us, His church, yes for the proclamation of the gospel, but also to attack error (sounds kind of strong, but notice again the verse in Jeremiah 1) with truth. He wants us to root out and pull down ideas, philosophies, and lies that keep people back from truly knowing God. This was something that Paul and Timothy did. Paul wrote, "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5). Of course, this attack on error is to be done with great humility, love and patience for the person (1 Ptr. 3:15, 2 Tim. 2:24-26).” – Charlie H. Campbell
“We are called to be earnest contenders for the faith. This is not a call to be contentious, mean-spirited, or looking for an argument. "And the servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God will perhaps grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24-25). We must speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Harsh, unloving use of the truth of God is not edifying to man or glorifying to God.” – Bob Hoekstra
“Just as bank tellers need a thorough knowledge of legitimate currency in order to spot counterfeit bills, so Christians need a thorough knowledge of the Bible in order to spot bogus religious teachings. How grounded are you in the Scriptures? How deep are your theological roots? How capable are you of detecting false teachings?” – Charles Swindoll
GRACE Evangelical Apologetics Group 