In my sunday school class we started a unit on apologetics. what’s that? well, we will be taking ten weeks to study the art of apologizing. just kidding. i learned the word “apologetics” comes from the greek word “apologia,” meaning “explanation, defense.” thus apologetics is concerned with defending the faith. the first lesson was concerned with the foundatin for christian apologetics: the Bible. we then went over some basics, like the importance of knowing how to defend your faith (1 peter 3:15-16).
Yesterday was supposed to be our second class, but there was a guest speaker at my church yesterday, so my sunday school teacher decided to have us go listen to him. His name is Anees Zaka http://www.wts.edu/faculty/faculty-parttime.html#pt He said that 27 years ago, he (as a converted muslim) started a ministry called “the church without walls.” at that time he was going to different seminaries to try and get people to help him. he went to a particular seminary wich will go without naming, and they told him that he needed to analyze the socio-economic circumstances facing many muslims in America and evaluate their this and that and etc. He said “no, i need only one material: the Word of God.” at that point in his lecture to us, with the voice you would imagine that Jesus used to awaken Lazarus, Zaka said “and 27 years later i am still only using only one book: the WORD OF GOD!”
Zaka said that he doesnt compare the Qur’an to the Bible, nor does he point out inconsistencies or anything like that. He simply goes to mosques like the one near me, and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This weekend is the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. the subject: “The Word: Above all Earthly Powers.” It’s no coincidence that yesterday i heard Zaka talk about his ministry using nothing more than the Gospel, and this weekend i will be learning more about the imporance of the Bible. the title of Zaka’s lecture was “here i stand,” quoting luther. i can assure you that Luther’s proclamation will be cited at least once this weekend:
“Unless I am convicted [convinced] of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted [convinced] by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God’s word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”
