Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity Missional Apologetics: An Examination of Essential Elements in the Apologetic Approaches of Early Christian Era Apologists in Light of the Mission of Christ to a Pluralistic World. A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by George B. Bannister, Sr. Lynchburg, Virginia December 2018 Copyright © 2018 by George Benjamin Bannister, Sr. All rights reserved Approval Sheet MISSIONAL APOLOGETICS: AN EXAMINATION OF ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN THE APOLOGETIC APPROACHES OF EARLY CHRISTIAN ERA APOLOGISTS IN LIGHT OF THE MISSION OF CHRIST TO A PLURALISTIC WORLD. George Benjamin Bannister, Sr. Read and approved by: Chairperson: ____________________________________ Date: ______________________________ To the Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord, whose grace never ceases to amaze me. To Lisa, my bride, best friend, and holder of my heart; who has loved and supported me for many years and has been the best wife and partner and ministry co-laborer any man could wish for. Without you, I would not have achieved this milestone. To my sons and their brides who have encouraged me to stay the course and pursue the goal of completing this task. Thank you, Ben and Cindy, Dan and Liliana, and Bob and Deborah. I am a man who has been blessed beyond measure and far more than I could ever deserve! Contents Figures .......................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 Establishing the Rationale for the Dissertation...................................................1 Problem Statement .......................................................................................1 Some Key Terms..........................................................................................9 Literature Review.......................................................................................10 Method Statement ......................................................................................15 Design Overview .......................................................................................17 Chapter 2 The Concept of Mission .......................................................................................19 Defining Elements of Missio Christi .........................................................24 Provide Salvation from Sin ........................................................................29 Proclaim the Good News ...........................................................................37 Pave the Way for a kingdom ......................................................................39 Missio Christi and Contextualized Preaching ............................................41 Chapter 3 Early Christian Era Apologetics and Missio Christi .........................................48 Aristides .....................................................................................................53 Justin Martyr ..............................................................................................59 Tatian .........................................................................................................72 Tertullian ....................................................................................................90 Conclusion .................................................................................................98 v Chapter 4 The Intersection of Ministry Contexts .............................................................102 Culturally Legitimized Pluralism .............................................................104 Societal Resistance to the Gospel Message .............................................114 Chapter 5 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................138 Summary ..................................................................................................138 Suggestions for Application .....................................................................143 Areas Needing Additional Study .............................................................148 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................150 vi Figures 1. Missional Positions ......................................................................................................22 2. Gospel Presentations ....................................................................................................45 3. Apostolic Encounters ...................................................................................................46 4. Timeline of Early Christian Era Apologists.................................................................53 vii CHAPTER 1: ESTABLISHING THE RATIONALE FOR THE DISSERTATION The cultural ethos known as postmodernism has impacted the epistemological and functional structures of contemporary society in dramatic ways.1 Changes in the attitudes, standards, and belief systems from which people operate in their day-to-day lives have seen radical alterations in the last fifty years.2 In spite of the assertion that postmodernism is a passing trend, the effects of the postmodern mindset appear to be resilient.3 In fact, the impact of the postmodern milieu has been evident in various ways in local church ministry, as well as the extension of local church ministry on the mission field. Responses from within Christian churches is often to deny the existence of the postmodern milieu and continue to use evangelism methods that are becoming increasingly more ineffective. Donald Posterski has observed that, “our old strategies to reach others with the gospel, for the most part, simply no longer work.”4 As a result of the waning effectiveness of traditional evangelism methods and indications that there is a relationship between that waning efficacy and the postmodern milieu, scholars have attempted to formulate strategies for effectively penetrating the culture with the gospel. Problem Statement There is an urgent need for pre-evangelism tools aimed at garnering the thoughtful 1 Steven Best, The Postmodern Turn (New York: Guilford Press, 1997), viii-xiii. 2 Millard Erickson, Truth or Consequences: The Promise and Perils of Postmodernism (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 13-31. 3 Gene Veith, Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1994), 209-234. 4 Donald C. Posterski, Reinventing Evangelism: New Strategies for Presenting Christ in Today’s World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 13–15. 1 consideration of the Christian message by a society identified as postmodern, post-evangelical, and post-Christian by researchers and scholars.5 Apologetics has historically filled the needed role in presenting arguments and evidence designed to legitimize the Christian worldview in cultures where it was not seen as a viable option. Unfortunately, some authors such as Myron Bradley Penner have announced the death of evidential apologetics.6 Such scholars see apologetics as merely an extension of the Enlightenment Project and the age of Common Sense Reason. Penner states that apologetic arguments for the Christian faith and natural theology have no place in a pluralistic, postmodern society. Along with Stackhouse and Kierkegaard, Penner sees apologetics as damaging to the message of Christ.7 The apologetic task may make some postmodern theorists uncomfortable due to its appeal to evidence and objective truth, but evidential apologetics can no more be summarily dismissed by contemporary culture than can evidence in the prosecution of a criminal in the courtroom. Those who would posit the rejection of proof in either situation would be advocating an untenable decision. The decision to reject the truth is to accept the relativism and nihilism of the postmodern ethos, which has already proven to be an unlivable worldview. The decision of some scholars to reject the legitimacy of apologetics based upon the association of rationally defending the Christian faith as merely an extension of Enlightenment philosophy is misguided. The roots of offering apologetic witness to the Christian faith precede the Enlightenment by many centuries. There are strong apologetic appeals to evidence present in the addresses and discourses in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, as well as in some of the 5 George Barna, “How Post-Christian Is America? - Barna Group,” Barna Group, last modified April 15, 2013, accessed November 25, 2014, https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/608-hpca#.VHPvp5PF-zg. 6 Myron Bradley Penner, The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 6. 7 Ibid., 8–10. 2 epistles. The apologetic arguments seen in the pages of scripture found their natural extension in the apologies of second and third-century Christian theologians and philosophers. Christ followers of the first three centuries faced the daunting task of engaging a pluralistic culture that was becoming increasingly more hostile to the claims of Christ and the existence of his followers. The situation demanded that Christians thought and acted missionally.8 The resulting missional lifestyle produces a radical transformation of worldview and character. Christians came to understand that the mission of Christ was the mission of every disciple of Christ.