As a Catholic, you’re likely to encounter someone who has misconceptions or false beliefs about the faith.
The Catholic faith is one of the richest in all of Judeo-Christianity. How can you be expected to explain and defend 2,000-plus years of Church history in just a few moments? What are the most important points to bring up?
Arkansas Catholic spoke with clergy and lay leaders to seek advice on explaining, defending and evangelizing the faith.
What is apologetics?
If anyone knows about faith rooted in Scripture, it’s Cackie Upchurch. She served for many years as the director of Little Rock Scripture Study.
“Simply put, Christian apologetics is a defense, or explanation, of the faith, but it is not about ‘proving’ anything,” Upchurch, a member of St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville, told Arkansas Catholic. “Instead, apologetics is about bearing witness to what we know to be true in our lived experience as well in the Scriptures and in Tradition.”
Upchurch said Christian apologetics first emerged in the early centuries of the Church, when Christians were a minority in the Roman Empire and were an easy target for persecution and martyrdom.
“In that environment, apologists for the faith used the language and imagery of the dominant culture to explain Christian beliefs, rituals and customs in a way that was digestible and convincing,” she said.
Deacon Matt Glover, JCL, chancellor and general counsel for the Diocese of Little Rock, said apologetics are an opportunity for us to represent the faith in a positive light.
“In my mind, the underlying motivation for defending our Catholic faith should be based on 1 Peter 3:15: ‘Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.’ Another translation of this verse is to prepare to give a ‘reason for your hope,’” he said.
- Have knowledge and confidence
Jeff Hines, faith formation director for the Diocese of Little Rock, said continuing one’s theological education plays a big role.
“How can we be ready, as 1 Peter 3:15 says? Encounter Christ regularly in prayer, word, sacrament and community,” he said. “Study Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church. If you are attacked for your faith, Jesus said, ‘Do not worry beforehand about what you will say’ (Mark 13:11). Trust that the Holy Spirit will speak through you.”
Father Andrew Hart, JCL, pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Clarksville, a member of the diocesan tribunal, and a theological consultant for Arkansas Catholic, stressed the importance of knowledge of the faith and confidence as a good communicator.
“Most Catholics have room to grow in how they share and defend our Catholic faith. If one feels unequipped to do this, often it is because of a lack of knowledge, or a lack of confidence in sharing what one does know,” he said. “There are a lot of resources out there that can help. If you want to know your faith more deeply, you might wish to attend a parish Bible study or begin a reading group of the Catechism, or perhaps check out the materials available on subscription services from various Catholic media outlets.”
- Pray for guidance
Father Andrew’s brother, Father Stephen Hart, also knows about the pressure of defending the faith. On May 22, he defended the Church in a debate with Rev. Allen S. Nelson IV, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Perryville, before more than 375 people at the Rialto Theater in Morrilton.
For Father Stephen, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton and St. Elizabeth Church in Oppelo, the role of prayer cannot be emphasized enough.
“When these kinds of conversations start up, especially if they catch us off guard, we should offer a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for the gifts of understanding, prudence and wisdom,” he said. “Even if tensions rise, we must always remain cool, never returning evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9).”
Hines echoed the importance of trusting in the Holy Spirit.
“Trust that the Holy Spirit is at work in the other person before you even get there,” he said. “By listening, asking questions and finding common ground, the Holy Spirit in you will connect with the Holy Spirit in them, and the result will be fruit that will last. Take the long-term strategy. Don’t try to win the argument for the day. Remember that Jesus said, ‘Work for fruit that will last’ (John 15:16).”
- Share personal testimonies
The stories that have the biggest impact are often the most personal. Father Andrew Hart said that faith is no exception.
“Sometimes we defend our faith best in a personal way, less by making arguments or explaining doctrines and more by sharing why we ourselves hold our faith to be our most precious possession,” he said.
- Be peaceful and civil
Being a good representative of the faith in word is just as important as making a good impression in deed, primarily by maintaining peace and civility — even if the other person is not.
Mary Hunt, Pax Christi Little Rock president, is used to maintaining a peaceful and civil demeanor in the most heated discussions. She is also a member of Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization founded to help people engage in conversation and civil dialogue with others across the political spectrum.
“My Braver Angels training has taught me the importance of listening first,” she said. “Trying to understand the other person’s perspective before responding to any criticisms can help me address the real issue. Then I am careful not to say that the other is wrong. … The key is not to put either of us on the defensive, but to discuss our views with respect.”
Dr. Sherry Simon, chairwoman of Pax Christi USA, echoed Hunt’s sentiments. She has led a group of more than 50 demonstrators outside of Rep. French Hill’s Little Rock office this year.
“It’s been interesting, the evolution of this demonstration,” she said. “Because this is what we brought to the table, but Pax Christi is not the only demonstrators out there. There are other people from other faiths and non-faiths who have come, and the evolution has been towards more nonviolence.”
- Ask questions
Father Stephen Hart said it’s important to see where the other person is in the dialogue — that means seeking their input.
“If the opportunity comes up, asking someone a counter-question can be helpful to the discussion. For example, ‘I can see you are very concerned about this issue. Why is that?’ Or ‘What do you think about this issue?’ Jesus himself answered many questions with counter-questions in the Gospels.”
Hines said asking questions and finding common ground is the key to building a faith that attracts people.
“To defend the Catholic faith in a way that attracts, there are three things to do: listen, ask questions and find common ground,” he said. “Jesus did these things to engage people who were against him.”
- Be reasonable, not perfect
Glover said the goal of apologetics isn’t to be the perfect theologian but to showcase that the Catholic faith is reasonable and tangible.
“Apologetics isn’t necessarily about proving something to be true with 100 percent scientific accuracy. Rather, it’s about demonstrating that our Catholic faith is reasonable — and that we have reasonable grounds for our hope in Christ,” he said. “As St. John Paul II put it, ‘Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of the truth.’”
- Admit when we don’t know
Glover said humility is also an important tool in apologetics — and that means admitting when you don’t know something.
“We must always be humble enough to tell someone else, ‘You know, that’s a good question, and I’m not really certain about the answer right now — but let me research that and I’d love to talk about it more later,’” he said.
Father Andrew Hart said such an admission opens the door to learning more about ourselves.
“It can even be OK to say ‘I don’t know’ to a particular question, because it’s an honest answer,” he said. “But maybe that question then invites us to go and learn something new, and so have our own faith deepened in turn.”
- Discuss, not debate
“(Apologists’) purpose was never dominance or superiority, and in our world the same must be true,” Upchurch said. “In my experience, when questioned about what we Catholics believe, I try to remember that someone’s question or challenge is an opportunity for dialogue and not dominance. It’s a time for clarity with charity.”
Father Stephen Hart agreed.
“First, we must always show charity to our interlocutors, loving them as Christ has loved us (John 15:12),” he said. “This means things like keeping our emotions under control, truly listening to questions or objections and believing the best about someone’s intentions unless they show otherwise.”
Upchurch noted that it’s best to have discussions in person.
“I find that social media can be a place for expressing one’s faith, but it is rarely the best place to have a true and fruitful conversation when there is misunderstanding,” she said.
In the end, Glover said the goal is not to “win.”
“The goal is truth — not winners and losers of an argument,” he said.
