Christian Apologetics
Question 7: How should the apologist handle a situation in which someone asks him or her a question to which they do not know the answer?
Answer 7: Both the honest questioner and the honest answerer should accept a temporary pause in which to find answers.
Comment: It has been one of my privileges to answer questions from my friends and fellow members of my church. I believe that answering those questions is part of my calling as an apologist.
Many believers, however, react to questions from believers and non-believers with a sense of fear. They experience trepidation because the believer may be asked a question to which they do not have a ready answer. This fear has probably driven the decline in evangelism among believers in our churches.
How should we respond when someone asks a question to which we do not have an answer? The wrong response is to bluff our way through or to guess at something. The result of such frivolous posturing would be to drive the questioner away and make the believer look foolish.
A better response can entail asking questions. Apologist Greg Koukl of the ministry Stand To Reason, in his book Tactics, gives two important questions that you can ask to get a better grip on difficult questions,
· “What do you mean by that?”
· “How did you conclude that?”
An honest response to a difficult question is a simple one,
· “I don’t know.”
One cannot stop there, though. Inherent in that response is the promise to do more research and continue the conversation at a later time. The person asking the difficult question should be willing to allow for a pause in which the believer can gather more and better resources in the search for an answer. A short break in the exchange shows a commitment to an honest conversation on both sides. It does not mean that the believer is dodging, nor does it mean that the questioner is trying to trip up the believer.
Questions and answers are the “bread and butter” of apologetics. They are used to discover information and make inroads with non-believers, questioners, and seekers. We should not approach them with fear.
Scripture: “For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control” (II Timothy 1:7, NET).
Mark Riser - Apologist 