Why are you a Christian?

By Sandy Printy

“If someone were to ask you, ‘Why are you a Christian?’, what would your answer be?” Nationally known apologist, speaker, and author J. Warner Wallace often asks this question of his audiences. The top two responses are:

· I was raised in a Christian home.

· I had a transformative experience that I interpreted as

coming from God.

J. Warner Wallace says while those answers are ok, they are not sufficient. He contends that Christians need to have a better answer. We need to be able to examine the evidence and clearly communicate WHY Christianity is true.

Two and a half years ago I watched a video of J. Warner Wallace where he asked this question. The realization that I could not adequately answer that question using logic and evidence, was very unsettling. I also came to realize that I could not answer basic questions about my Christian faith.

Questions like:

· How do I know God exists?

· How do I know the Bible is reliable and God-inspired?

· How do I know Jesus really lived, died, and rose from

the dead on the third day?

And objections like:

· Why does a good God allow evil and suffering?

· Is Jesus the only way to heaven?

· Isn’t being a good person all that really matters?

That short video, his question, and challenge set me on a mission to become equipped to answer questions about my Christian faith.

That’s when I discovered apologetics. Simply put, apologetics is the reasoned defense of the Christian faith—using logic, evidence, history, science, and philosophy.

How about you? Do you struggle to answer questions about your Christian faith Maybe you avoid conversations about “religion” or hesitate when topics like culture, morality, or the Bible come up. If so, you’re not alone—and it may be time to consider investing in apologetics training.

“Christians need to be able to examine the evidence and clearly communicate WHY Christianity is true.” J. Warner Wallace