“I’m very, very, very,

very sorry for being a

Catholic.”

ALCUIN INSTITUTE
APOLOGETICS 101
Apologetics is arrogant, mean,
intolerant…and unChristian!
 “‘Apologetics’ has itself become a term laden with negative
connotations: to be an apologist for the truth of one religious claim,
or set of claims, over against another is, in certain circles, seen as
not far short of being a racist. And the term has passed into popular
currency, to the extent that it has, as a simple label for argument in
the service of a predetermined orthodoxy, arguments concerned
not to demonstrate but to convince, and, if conviction should fail, to
browbeat into submission.” 
--Paul Griffiths
 And Only God can Reveal the
Truth to the Heart
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still
 

others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living
 

God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
 1 Peter 3:15-16

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for
the hope that you have.”
 Back to Basics
What are Words For?

“First, words convey reality. We speak in order to name and identify

something that is real, to identify it for someone, of course – and this
points to the second aspect in question, the interpersonal character of
human speech.”

“A lie is the opposite of communication. It means specifically to withhold

the other’s share and portion of reality, to prevent his participation in
reality.”

--Josef Pieper
 What Words Cannot Do
“Is there any way you can know that what you are in touch with is Reality?
Here is one sign: What you perceive does not fit into any formula whether
given by another or created by yourself. It simply cannot be put into words.

So, what can teachers do?

They can bring to your notice what is unreal, they cannot show you Reality;
they can destroy your formulas, they cannot make you see what the formula is
pointing to; they can indicate your error, they cannot put you in possession of
the Truth.
They can, at the most, point in the direction of Reality, they cannot tell you
what to see. You will have to walk out there all alone and discover for yourself.”
--Anthony De Mello
But We are Called to Try to Use
Our Words to point to
His Word
 Apologetics in a
Truth-Indifferent World

 Before we can defend revealed spiritual truths

(Incarnation, the Church, Resurrection, Trinity, Heaven,
Hell)

 We need to defend rational spiritual truths (One God

exists, the soul is immortal)

 But before all of this, we need to defend . . . Truth!

Why Should I become a member
of the Roman Catholic Church?
If we could only find people who even ask this
question!

Perhaps the main task in apologetics today is

helping others to get to the point where they will
sincerely ask this question.
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

--St. Francis