Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
May 2014 – “The reason the country is in such bad shape right now is not because of the liberals or the atheists, per se,” Frank Turek said. “It’s because Christians haven’t been the church for the last 100 years.”
While each person is ultimately responsible for his own response to the salvation call of Christ, Turek says Christians are at least partly to blame for culture’s antagonism toward Christianity.
“Jesus never said go to church,” Turek added. “He said be the church. And we’re not the church because we’re too scared. We don’t have any evidence. The people who don’t agree with us are supporting what they believe to be true with their evidence and we’re not supporting what we know to be true with true evidence. So, in a lot of ways, we’re the problem.”
But there is hope. He said, “The good news is that if you’re part of the problem, you can also be the solution.”
Acquiring evidence
Turek believes a large part of that solution is found in apologetics, the defense of the faith. He said, “If we are going to be part of the solution, we have to actually start being the church. We need to start following the Scriptures. We need to start studying to know that what we believe is true and engage everybody with the truth instead of buying into this idea that Christianity is a private belief system that is subjective. That idea is opposite to what the faith is about.”
As a means to attain that goal, Turek developed a multi-platform ministry. Cross Examined trains apologetic speakers who go to churches, high school and college campuses and any other available venue to teach the evidences for and truths of Christianity. He said, “We are trying to equip Christians and we’re trying to attract skeptics. So each engagement is both an outreach and an equipping event.
“But people can’t remember all this stuff,” Turek said with a laugh. “Even I can’t remember all of it all the time.” Therefore, Cross Examined designed an app that is available free on Android and Apple devices. The app has evidences, podcasts, answers for frequent objections to Christianity and links to more resources. Find it by searching “Cross Examined” in your preferred app store.
Applying evidence
Having the answers is only part of apologetics. Answering questions in a civil manner for those antagonistic to Christ or on the brink of salvation is of equal importance. Turek and his team have recently developed Instructor Academy, a three-day class experience for 50 students with 8 instructors in Charlotte, North Carolina. During those three days, Turek and other instructors lead Sunday school teachers, pastors, teenagers and parents in the discipline of apologetics.
Turek said, “We train people to defend the faith where they are because we want them to teach in situations that are natural to them. We answer questions and teach, but then we turn the tables on students and have them answer our questions. This works on their presentation skills and answering abilities. It’s real hands-on, practical stuff.”
While leading a ministry is Turek’s dream come true, he believes the conversations taking place in churches, Sunday school classes and around dining room tables are what will ultimately make the biggest impact on culture. And solid apologetics must be present in those conversations.
He said, “Christianity addresses numerous cultural issues in our culture that we don’t really provide evidence for. Children and teenagers are going to school and are breathing in culture, hearing there is no God or evolution explains everything or homosexuality is okay. If they never hear the biblical view from parents or pastors, they will start thinking the Bible is wrong and culture is right. That is why three out of four teenagers will walk away from the faith when they leave for college. I know there are pastors trying to avoid controversy, but by avoiding controversy, they are not being effective in making disciples. People are not considering Christianity because there are too many intellectual objections that no one is answering for them.”
Acknowledging evidence
If Christians are ever going to have the impact Scripture commands, Turek says believers must acknowledge a differentiation of beliefs. He said, “There are two types of belief: belief that and belief in. Belief that is getting evidence that God exists, Jesus rose from the dead, and the Bible is true. That’s apologetics. But all the belief thatin the world won’t get you saved. James said even the demons believe Jesus exists, and they tremble.
“Belief in transcends belief that. No one can force you to believe, or trust, in. That would be a contradiction as love must be freely given. John stated in his gospel that all the miracles Jesus did were done that we might believe in Him. But believing in isn’t a blind faith. God never called us to believe in something we can’t believe happened.”
Belief in is what should define the life of a believer in Christ. It should influence every aspect of life, from who we are, to who we invest in, especially when investing in the lost. Turek said, “I think there is a movement right now for relational apologetics. Hopefully, that’s the way we can be really effective. For the people you can get close to, use apologetics and share the great news of Jesus. Most people will come to faith through an established relationship with a believer. They may be helped by apologetics, if that is important to them, but nothing can replace the witness of a child of God.” 
Cutting through the conversational clutter – Turek’s advice on discerning between an honest discussion and an argument
You ask: “If I could prove Christianity is true, would you believe the evidence?”
They answer: “Yes.”
You: Patiently, honestly and biblically answer their questions, helping them to move from belief that to belief in.
They answer: “No.”
You: Respect their honesty. Pray regularly that God would change their heart. Meanwhile, live a consistent Christian life before them and be prepared for another opportunity.
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Other helpful resources
▶ I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist – A book/DVD package that includes Frank Turek’s book, plus a radio special.
▶ Uncensored Science: Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham DVD. Available here or by calling 877-927-4917
▶ The Case for Christ * by Lee Strobel
▶ Mere Christianity* by C.S. Lewis
▶Jesus Among Other Gods* by Ravi Zacharias and Kevin Johnson.
▶Evidence That Demands a Verdict* by Josh McDowell
▶ The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask about Christianity & How to Answer Them Confidently* by Alex McFarland
* Available at online and local booksellers
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In addition to speaking engagements, Cross Examined has a television show that airs on DirecTV’s channel 378 and Sky Angel’s channel 181. It is also live streamed here three times a week: Wednesday at 9:00 p.m., Thursday at 1:00 a.m. and Saturday at 10:00 p.m. American Family Radio also carries an hour-long talk show with Turek on Saturday at 10 a.m. (All times are Eastern.)
