What does apologetic method and strategy have to do with our understanding and practice of evangelism?

For many people, to ask such a question is strange, since it is common to think that apologetics and evangelism belong in distinct domains. In apologetics, we defend the truth of Scripture, give reasons for why we believe the gospel, and challenge the unbelief of the non-Christian. But is not evangelism something different? Is it not less polemical than apologetics? Is not evangelism more about sharing the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ as we call people to repentance and faith than about arguing for the truth of the gospel? Although some people distinguish apologetics from evangelism in this way, in truth, this is an artificial and unhelpful distinction. In fact, it is especially unhelpful if one embraces a presuppositional view of apologetics. Why? Because properly understood, presuppositionalism involves both the defense and proclamation of the gospel.

As such, as a method and strategy, a presuppositional approach is vitally necessary to help the church fulfill her calling to proclaim Christ Jesus and to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

To explain why this is the case, let me develop two points. First, I’ll explain what a presuppositional approach to apologetics is. Unfortunately, there are not only varieties of apologetic approaches known as “presuppositional,” there are also a number of misconceptions of the view. Second, after clarifying what presuppositionalism is, I’ll then explain why it is crucial to a sound defense and proclamation of the gospel.

What Is Presuppositional Apologetics?

Without describing every use of the term “pre- suppositional,” let me describe how I am using the word. “Presuppositions” refer to one’s ultimate criterions that are foundational to and which ground one’s over- all worldview. Although some deny that they have a worldview, this is not the case: everyone has a worldview whether they ac- knowledge it or not.

Despite differences between worldviews, every view is ground- ed in some ultimate criterion(s) or presuppositions that directs their reasoning and allows them to interpret their experience of the world, especially on ultimate matters. Given this fact, this is why what is most significant in worldview analysis is comparing and contrasting a worldview’s presuppositional commitments.

Furthermore, it is important to note that it is not enough merely to assert one’s presuppositions; one must also argue for them, at least if one wants to argue for the truth of one’s view over against other worldviews. For this reason, a presuppositional approach to apologetics does not merely assert the truth of the gospel, it also ar- gues for the objective truth of the Christian worldview over against non-Christian views.

Additionally, to clarify what presuppositionalism is as an apologetic method, it is crucial to note that it is not against the use of evidences in the defense of Christianity. Unfortunately, the term may convey such a misunderstanding, as if presuppositionalism is only concerned about arguing for one’s ultimate criterions and not concerned about giving specific proofs and evidences for the truth of the gospel. On the contrary, presuppositionalism affirms the necessary role that evidences serve in the defense of the gospel, especially given the nature of Christianity.

Unlike other religious and philosophical views, the truthfulness of Christianity depends on the claim that our triune God is not only the Creator of the world but also the God who acts in history as the sovereign and providential Lord.

Creation and history are the stage and theater on which God displays his glory, and ultimately in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ—the one who has assumed our human nature to accomplish our redemption. For this reason, Christianity stands or falls on the objective truth of particular events in history. Thus, for example, if the flood, exodus, and Old Testament events did not occur as Scripture de- scribes—or in the case of our Lord Jesus, there was no virgin conception, miraculous life, bodily resurrection, glorious ascension, and Pentecost—Christianity crumbles. If these events did not occur in history, the truth of Scripture and the claims of the gospel are false.

However, presuppositionalism rightly reminds us that evidences never stand alone apart from being presented in an overall theology. Why? Because there are no such things as “brute facts,” namely un-interpreted or self-interpreting “facts.” Instead, “facts” are part of an overall context—an interpretive system or worldview—by which they are understood. This is why in our presentation of the “facts” for Christianity, facts must be presented with- in the entire worldview they are embedded, otherwise they signify nothing.

For example, think of Christ’s bodily resurrection. Apart from the worldview of Scripture, the resurrection would not signify what it actually does in Scripture. After all, Jesus’ resurrection is more than a mere historical event: it is evidence that Jesus alone is the Savior, Lord, Judge, the one who has ratified a new covenant, and inaugurated a new creation (Acts 2:32-36; 4:12; 13:32-38; 17:30-31; 1 Cor. 15:1-3; Heb. 9:15-28). Apart from a specific view of God, history as the unfolding of God’s eternal plan, and a specific conception of the Redeem- er, Christ’s bodily resurrection in history would signify none of these truths.

Defining Presuppositionalism

So what, then, is presuppositionalism? Five points will summarize the overall view.

1. It contends that no one is neutral in their thinking and lives. Everyone (Christian or non-Christian) is committed to a worldview, whether they are self-conscious about it or not.

2. Divine revelation is the foundation of all knowledge. This includes God’s revelation of himself in creation (natural revelation) and Scripture (special revelation). Without God creating the world and revealing himself in nature and Scripture, we would have no ultimate warrant for what we know. True objective knowledge requires its ground or warrant in the triune God who is there and who speaks.

3. In our defense of Christianity, we must look beyond the surface of the debate and critique a person’s ultimate criterions or presuppositional commitments. In other words, it isn’t enough merely to give evidences for the truth of the Bible (which we must do). We must also compare and contrast presuppositional differences between worldviews so that the full intellectual challenge of the gospel is brought against other views.

4. Due to God’s self-revelation in creation and history, all people are without excuse for their rejection of the truth and rebellion against God. Whether the non-Christian admits it or not, they know God from nature, and within their conscience, since the one true and living God is clearly revealed in what he has created (Rom. 1:18-32; Ps. 19:1-6). In our sin, we attempt to suppress this knowledge, yet the unbeliever cannot fully rid himself of the knowledge of God. Therefore, all non-Christian thought can never be completely consistent with itself. Instead, in some form, it lives off the “borrowed capital” of the Christian view. For this reason, non-Christians may have a limited understanding of the world and themselves—despite their view and not because of their ultimate commitments.

In this regard, presuppositionalists make a crucial distinction: non-Christians can know many truths due to creation and common grace, but they can- not account for or provide a rational grounding for what they know and why they know based on their worldview alone. This is why Scripture teaches that non-Christian views are not and cannot be self-consistent given that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7) and “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Ps. 14:1a).

5. The strategy employed by presuppositionalism applies Proverbs 26:4-5 to worldview analysis and critique. In this text, we are exhorted to “Answer not a fool ac- cording to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” If we begin with the second exhortation, we seek to do an internal critique of the non-Christian’s worldview by demonstrating that on its own terms (i.e., according to his folly) it leads to self-contradictions, tensions, and ultimately an inability to provide a rational accounting for what we know to be true.

After this occurs, we then return to the first exhortation to present the Christian worldview as the only view that can account for such things as rationality, laws of logic, science, human dignity, objective moral norms, and so on. In this way, we seek to demonstrate that the Christian view alone warrants these things that we know to be true, while the non-Chris- tian view internally self-destructs on its own terms.

How Does Presuppositional Apologetics Help in our Evangelism?

Let me answer this question by focusing on two points.

First, because presuppositionalism begins with the en- tire Christian worldview, or better, an entire Christian theology as its starting point, it gives evangelism its message to proclaim. To proclaim the gospel faithfully and rightly, we must have a whole theology in place. For example, to proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior requires an entire theology of who the triune God is, who humans are, the nature of the human problem, the identity of Jesus as God the Son incarnate, the nature of the cross, and so on. Pre- suppositionalism provides such a theology for evangelism, and thus gives to evangelism its message to proclaim.

Second, presuppositionalism also gives evangelism its method and strategy by which we go about proclaiming the gospel. For this reason, the task of apologetics and evangelism is the same, namely, to bring the truth of the gospel to bear on the lives of unbelievers who stand un- der divine judgment for their suppression and denial of the truth. Just as apologetics seeks to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5), evangelism seeks the same goal. In other words, in apologetics, our strategy is to compare and contrast the worldview thinking of the Christian with the non-Christian, seeking to demonstrate that it is only the Christian view that stands.

In evangelism, our strategy is no different.

In fact, presuppositional apologetics helps us carry out our task of evangelism in a more precise manner. As we share Christ with non-Christians, we remind them that they are God’s fallen creatures and image-bearers who stand under his judgment due to their denial of him as their Creator and Lord. Our message is that apart from Christ and building their thought and lives on him, their worldviews are reduced to foolishness. Why? Because in their refusal to fear God, in their refusal to build their lives on the triune God and his self-revelation, their thinking is unable to account for the basic truths of the world on their own terms.

Thus, apart from coming to Christ in repentance and faith as their only Lord and Savior, their thought and lives have no solid foundation on which to be built; instead, they will discover that their views are built simply on quick- sand. This is why the only solution for the non-Christian is to repent of their rejection of the truth and to turn to their Creator and Lord, and to receive in God’s gracious promise of Christ the forgiveness of their sins, the work of the Spirit to unite them to Christ, and to be transformed after the pattern of Christ’s glorified humanity. Then, for- evermore, they will fulfill the purpose of their existence in a new creation—to know, glorify, worship, and obey God.

Organically Related

In this way, presuppositional apologetics and evangelism are organically related, and even more, presuppositionalism is necessary to a sound defense and proclamation of the gospel.

Although we can distinguish between the domain of apologetics and evangelism, both carry out the theological task of knowing the glory of the triune God and applying Scripture to every area of life.
Additionally, both apologetics and evangelism seek to fulfill the biblical mandate to “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15) and to “destroy arguments raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5) by proclaiming the glory of the triune God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.

After all, as Paul reminds us, in our apologetics and evangelism, it is Christ “we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Why? Because in contrast to worldviews grounded in “empty deceit and human tradition” (Col. 2:8), in Christ alone is true wisdom (Col. 2:9).

May what God has joined together never be separated as we fulfill our calling as the church to know, proclaim, and defend that Jesus is Lord.