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"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect." -- 1 Peter 3:15

This verse is one of the basic tenets of apologetics. Simply stated, apologetics is evidence and reasoning that supports the truth of the Bible. Ever had a tough question from a friend that you couldn’t answer? Apologetics is where you could turn. Apologetics is also a method of sharing your faith. For some people, hearing the Gospel will be enough, but for others, apologetics can provide the evidence and reasoning they need to begin to actually listen to the Gospel with open ears.

There is tons and tons of material on the subject of apologetics. As Christians, we should make an effort to be familiar with at least the basics and we should definitely know where to find an answer to the hard questions that stump us. For the next few weeks, I’m going to share some bits and pieces of some basic info from apologetics. If you are interested and want to find out more, I highly recommend two authors: Ken Ham and Lee Strobel. Both are highly educated individuals and have written several books on the topic. I also recommend Josh McDowell’s book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict.

This week, I’m just going to share something from McDowell’s book. As a piece of evidence in proving the Bible’s supernatural authorship, McDowell shares these facts about the Bible’s unity and consistency:

1) Written over a 1,500 year span.

2) Written over 40 generations.

3) Written by over 40 authors from every walk of life including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars, etc.:
Moses, a political leader, trained in the universities of Egypt
Peter, a fisherman
Amos, a herdsman
Joshua, a military general
Nehemiah, a cupbearer
Daniel, a prime minister
Luke, a doctor
Solomon, a king
Matthew, a tax collector
Paul, a rabbi

4) Written in different places:
Moses in the wilderness
Jeremiah in a dungeon
Daniel on a hillside and in a palace
Paul inside prison walls
Luke while traveling
John on the isle of Patmos
Others in the rigors of a military campaign

5) Written at different times:
David in times of war
Solomon in times of peace

6) Written during different moods:
Some writing from the heights of joy and others writing from the depths of sorrow and despair

7) Written on three continents:
Asia, Africa, and Europe

8) Written in three languages:
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek

9) Biblical authors spoke on hundreds of controversial subjects with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. There is one unfolding story; “God’s redemption of man.”