What You Should Know About Catholic Apologetics
Is there anything else we need to know about apologetics before we start engaging in it?
Here are a few more basics about Catholic apologetics before we move into specific apologetics topics:
[simpleazon-image align=”left” asin=”0385142641″ locale=”us” height=”375″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51av79NK71L.jpg” width=”249″]#1) Ingrain this into your psyche…the Bible is a Catholic book! The Catholic Church gave it to the world! Which means that there is nothing…nothing!…in the Bible that is contrary to anything in the Catholic Faith and there is nothing in the Catholic Faith contrary to anything in the Bible! Always remember that!
This is important to keep in mind because a lot of times folks will quote a passage from the Bible that “proves” the Catholic Church is wrong. Whenever someone quotes you a Bible verse that “proves” the Catholic Church is wrong on something, your response should be, “Amen, I believe what the Bible says! As a Catholic, I believe everything the Bible says! However, I don’t agree with your personal interpretation of that passage.” The reason you don’t agree with their personal interpretation is because 100% of the time that you are presented with a verse that “proves” the Church wrong, either: a) the verse has been taken out of context, or b) the verse simply doesn’t say what they are trying to make it say.
#2) And this flows right from #1, the Catholic Church can be defended solely from the Bible better than any other Christian faith tradition can be. There is actually a good bit in the various Protestant faith traditions that does indeed contradict the Bible. So, do not be afraid to engage non-Catholics in a discussion of the Bible.
#3) If you are ever asked a question about your Faith that you cannot answer, don’t worry. There is an answer, you just need to go and find it. Simply respond, “I don’t know, but I will find out and get back to you.” Then find out and get back to them.
As Catholics, we need to reclaim the Bible. It is our book. We need to read it, pray it, learn it, and use it to bring our separated brothers and sisters back to the Church. If you keep these things in mind, you have started down the road to being a very effective apologist for the Catholic Faith.
