Reimagining Apologetics: The Beauty of Faith in a Secular Age

Christian apologetics traditionally have involved providing a defense of and arguments for the existence of God. While this approach certainly is important, Bailey (theology, Dordt Univ., IA) argues that an additional method for engaging with unbelievers is also needed and engages the contemporary culture more effectively. He notes that the traditional approach primarily functions at a cognitive level, while those they are engaging, especially in the current time, need to be engaged at a personal and emotional level. Bailey draws significantly from Charles Taylor’s highly regarded The Secular Age in discussing this cultural shift and believes apologetics can be reimagined through narrative approaches, asserting that literature and art are particularly helpful in showing the truth and authenticity of Christian faith. In the first part, he discusses the topics above, and in the second part provides two models describing how apologetics are reimagined effectively through the fictional writings of George MacDonald and Marilynne Robinson.