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Apologetics And Personal Testimony

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  • Apologetics And Personal Testimony

    How do you use your testimony?

    The link can be found here.

    -----

    What role does my testimony play in apologetics? Let's plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.

    We've been talking about the basics of apologetics. I think that for many people, the main form of apologetics they have is their personal testimony. This is not without use today, but at the same time, there can be a danger to it. I'd like today then to advise you of how and when to use your personal testimony.

    One problem today is that everyone has a testimony. There are Muslims and Mormons and Buddhists and Hindus and even atheists that can tell how their worldview changing changed their life. Why should your testimony be given credence over theirs? You could say "Well mine is based on facts." Okay. What facts? If you say the resurrection of Jesus, then it comes to "How do you know that's a fact?" If you say "My testimony" then you're begging the question. You know your testimony is true because Jesus rose. You know Jesus rose because that's what makes your testimony true. This is where apologetics comes in.

    Another danger is something a pastor once pointed out that I heard on a radio broadcast. Sometimes you can make it that your life before Christ sounds better than the one after. "Yeah. Before Christ, I was out drinking regularly. I was partying with my friends. I was sleeping with a different woman every night. I had all the cash and fast cars that I wanted. I just felt empty. Today, I attend a Bible study most every night and I don't watch a number of TV shows and I don't sleep around."

    I could go on with that. Now keep in mind I'm not encouraging the prior kind of lifestyle, but if you're wanting to evangelize to someone, do you really think they'd want the lifestyle you describe now instead of the other? Of course, few of us will come out and say it just like that, but we have to watch ourselves because this does happen.

    If these aren't the times to use a personal testimony, then when do you do so?

    I recommend that you do it after you've made your apologetic presentation. C.S. Lewis said once that if you go out evangelizing with a church group, send your arguers forward first. They're the ones who will break down the intellectual barriers. After that, then have your people come forward with the testimonies. In other words, you make your presentation first for why Christianity is true and then you have someone come forward with what a difference it makes.

    Still, I hesitate to use the method at all because you do not believe in Christianity because it brings about a good in your life or because it works or something like that. You believe in it because it's true. Now it could be that it could make you feel good or it could "work" as it were, but that is not the reason to believe it. That's just a nice benefit from it. (And for what it's meant to do, it most definitely works.) When we emphasize our testimony, we're pointing away too often from the truth question and to the pragmatic question.

    One exception to this could be a bona fide miracle. If you have eyewitness testimony of a miracle that you have seen, that is something valid. It doesn't mean it's true of course, but I am open to people sharing that. That's in fact an apologetic in itself of something quite objective.

    I look forward to the day when people have more reason to believe than just what they feel and experience. They believe because there is good evidence Jesus rose from the dead. If we know this evidence more and can share it, we give people something real they have to deal with. They could try to use psychology to explain away our experience, but dealing with actual history is something different.

    In Christ,
    Nick Peters

  • #2
    While I agree that a rigorous apologetic works well with a personal testimony, I think you're greatly underestimating the power of personal testimony in evangelism. People need to be able to relate to other people, and most people see theology and philosophy as something dry and heavy, and not that relevant to them personally. Presentation has a lot to do with that, of course, but I've seen more people won to Christ through personal testimony than I've ever seen with apologetics alone. Also, I think you may not fully understand the purpose of the sort of testimony that refers back to one's wild past. A lot of people who've lived in that world are looking for escape, or a way to find some sort of spiritual enlightenment. I've heard powerful testimonies from musicians/scenesters whose lives were filled with drug and alcohol abuse, sex and partying, and just general excess in all aspects of their life, and what drew them to Christianity was the contentment, and peacefulness, and purity that life in Christ Jesus offers that they couldn't get in those other things. That sort of testimony really resonates with a lot of people.

    Comment


    • #3
      I agree with Adrift. To me apologetics in most cases is needed AFTER the personal testimony not before, to answer any questions they might have. In every case where I have led someone to Christ (which has not been that often, I will admit) it was because of my personal testimony, and not because of apologetics. In fact, the reason I became a Christian was because of being witness to the change in my dad when he became a Christian. I only later started reading apologetics to shore up my faith and understand it better.

      Comment


      • #4
        can you explain why personal testimony is not used (except within the church) in the NT? Sparko and Adrift.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Punkish View Post
          can you explain why personal testimony is not used (except within the church) in the NT? Sparko and Adrift.
          huh? I think in the bible, they did use personal testimony. They went around telling the personal testimony of their witness of Jesus Christ and his resurrection and gained thousands of converts. Paul told people of his personal testimony of seeing Christ and being struck blind and being healed. Luke's entire gospel is a compilation of personal testimony. The entire NT IS personal testimony.

          Comment


          • #6
            Do you really think those kinds of testimonies are identical to what we have today? Note I made the exception about miracles.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Apologiaphoenix View Post
              Do you really think those kinds of testimonies are identical to what we have today? Note I made the exception about miracles.
              well of course, since they were actual eye witnesses, they carried a lot more weight, duh. But I never made the argument that since they used personal testimonies in the NT that we should do it today. That seemed to be punkish's question, as if he was saying they didn't use personal testimony in the bible. They sure did.

              But my initial post stands. Personal testimony works, and other than in an academic or online forum type of situation, it works better than apologetics. I think a combination is warranted, changed lives is a powerful motivator and enticement. Yet that works for any religion, so apologetics is needed so show why Christianity is worthy of their faith. It also comes in handy when sharing the gospel with cult members, like mormons and Jehovah's witnesses. In those cases I would put apologetics in front of personal testimony, but just going around your life, speaking with friends and acquaintances, spouting off apologetics is a sure fire way to make them want to avoid you. It is much more effective to show them your Christian life, tell them your testimony, invite them to church, and answer questions as they are asked. At least in my experience.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                huh? I think in the bible, they did use personal testimony. They went around telling the personal testimony of their witness of Jesus Christ and his resurrection and gained thousands of converts. Paul told people of his personal testimony of seeing Christ and being struck blind and being healed. Luke's entire gospel is a compilation of personal testimony. The entire NT IS personal testimony.
                Yep. Also there are specific passages like that of the Samaritan woman,

                Scripture Verse: John 4:39

                Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking him to stay with them. He stayed there two days, 41 and because of his word many more believed. 42 They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one really is the Savior of the world.”

                © Copyright Original Source



                The healing of the blind and mute,

                Scripture Verse: Matthew 9:27

                As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.

                © Copyright Original Source



                And the healing of the Demoniac,

                Scripture Verse: Mark 5:14

                Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind—the one who had the “Legion”—and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and they also told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go with him. 19 But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, “Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you.” 20 So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.

                © Copyright Original Source



                And many others besides.

                Comment


                • #9
                  These aren't the same as personal testimonies today....

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Apologiaphoenix View Post
                    Do you really think those kinds of testimonies are identical to what we have today? Note I made the exception about miracles.
                    I do. I think the passage on the Samaritan woman is a perfect example. No physical miracle was done in that case. What we see instead is Jesus revealing that he was aware of the things that she'd done, and that was enough to touch her conscience and make an impact large enough in her life that she went around telling people about him. I think Jesus does this to many people who have a testimony. In some way he is able to make a deep impact in our lives, whether miraculous or not, that moves us to want to share what he's done in us.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Apologiaphoenix View Post
                      These aren't the same as personal testimonies today....
                      Punkish derailed this thread with his comment. What they did in the NT doesn't really have a bearing on the OP, so let's get back to that. Nobody has really responded to Adift's and my initial posts.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Apologiaphoenix View Post
                        These aren't the same as personal testimonies today....
                        Yes they are.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                          And nobody said it was.

                          Punkish derailed this thread with his comment. What they did in the NT doesn't really have a bearing on the OP, so let's get back to that. Nobody has really responded to Adift's and my initial posts.
                          I think they're definitely personal testimonies.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Adrift View Post
                            I think they're definitely personal testimonies.
                            I edited my post after you said it was. But my point is that how they spread the gospel back then (which I agree was by personal testimony mostly) doesn't really impact the OP. Punkish derailed the thread with his comment.

                            What works today is what counts. And to me personal testimony is very important, and apologetics is too. But not to the point of shoving personal testimony under the rug. It all depends on the situation. I know that when my dad converted (he was an alcoholic) that his testimony and witness caused a landslide. His VFW buddies stopped drinking, and went to church and became Christian, I became Christian, my brother and his family became Christian, my dad's sisters and cousins became Christians. Probably about at least a dozen people became Christian directly because of my dad's changed life and testimony. He wouldn't have known apologetics if it bit him on the behind. On the other side, I have seen people argue apologetics here on tweb and in real life for years and the result? I can think of only a couple of people who were convinced to become Christian because of apologetics, and one of them was KE7 who was a mormon already, and she needed to hear the apologetics to convince her of the falsity of mormonism, but she also needed to have the friendship and love that she saw in people like Cow Poke. Apologetics alone would never have worked for her.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Adrift View Post
                              Yes they are.
                              The woman knew she was in the presence of someone special because he was able to know all about her without knowing her previously and then said He was the Messiah.

                              That's hardly the same.

                              I think Punkish raises a great point. We don't see this going on in the NT.

                              Comment

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