Carlton Wynne on Apologetics 101 for Teachers

In this episode I talked with Carlton Wynne, assistant professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, about what it means to teach the Bible apologetically.*

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Underneath the watchful eye and influence of the renowned apologist Cornelius Van Til, Wynne challenges the notion of apologetics as a debate between two PhDs. He suggests we are always doing apologetics whenever we teach the Bible if we challenge the world’s messages and urge our hearers to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Calling Adam an apologist based on his mandate to “work and keep” the Garden of Eden—guarding it against anything unclean—Wynne suggests we are still called to the work of confronting what is opposed to the holiness and sovereignty of God.

Resources recommended by Wynne in this episode:

The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith by Scott Oliphint
Reasons of the Heart: Recovering Christian Persuasion by William Edgar
Covenantal Apologetics Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith by Scott Oliphint
Van Til’s Apologetic: Readings and Analysis by Greg L. Bahnsen
Why I Believe in God by Cornelius Van Til
The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til
Apologetics to the Glory of God by John Frame

*An “apologetic” is reasoned defense of the faith. To teach “apologetically” does not mean to apologize for the Christian faith, but to defend it.

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Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Carlton Wynne is an assistant pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Atlanta, and edited Zeal for Godliness: Devotional Meditations on Calvin’s Institutes with Derek Thomas.