Date: Thursday, October 6, 2016
Time: 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Location: Tate Room 473 (room above the food court)
Speaker: Dan Crescenzo, Ph.D. Candidate, UGA Dept. of Philosophy
Topic: “On the Importance of Preparatory Apologetics”
Abstract: Often nonbelievers have a dismissive attitude toward the idea of a supreme Creator and Savior. However formidable an apologist’s arguments may be, dismissive nonbelievers will not take them seriously. I argue that when faced with dismissive nonbelievers, rather than arguing directly for God’s existence or for the truth of the Gospel, Christian apologists should focus on removing stumbling blocks to belief. Removing stumbling blocks to belief opens nonbelievers up to the idea that a supreme Creator and Savior might exist, thereby preparing them to hear more direct arguments for God’s existence, Christ’s resurrection, and the like. I call this kind of apologetics preparatory apologetics. I further provide some examples of what preparatory apologetics looks like in practice.
A light lunch will be provided to all who RSVP using the form below by Wednesday, October 5, at 5:00 pm.