What makes a good football team?
It needs players that can play defensively and those who can play offensively. Evangelism also needs both the defence of truth and a solid offence against the alternatives. While we don’t want to be ‘offensive’, we do need to present a reasoned objection to what else is on offer!
During the gay marriage debate many Christians have been drawn into defensive positions. We want to defend biblical morality, traditional values and marriage. However, we need to remember that apologetics is not only defence, it also means taking on the alternatives.
Nasty old Theodosius?
Many of us have written letters to MPs regarding the gay marriage legislation. That makes for a very interesting exchange of ideas. One of the members of our church received a reply from her MP, who was in favour of the legislation, making the point that the ban on gay marriage was not universal and was common in the ancient world. He pointed out: ‘It was not outlawed until the Theodocian legal code of 342 AD prohibited it’. He was implying that our marriage norm, the quaint and unusual practice of Judeo-Christianity, was only imposed when Christianity gained influence and nasty old Emperor Theodosius abolished the alternatives. Such a suggestion presents a great opportunity to pose some counter-questions.
