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The term comes from the Greek word apologia, meaning the defense of a position against an attack, not from the English word apology, which is exclusively understood as a defensive plea for forgiveness for an action that is open to blame. When John Henry Newman entitled his spiritual biography Apologia Pro Vita Sua in 1864, he was playing upon both connotations.
Today the term "apologist" is colloquially applied to groups and individuals systematically promoting causes, justifying orthodoxies or denying certain events, even of crimes. Apologists are often characterized as being deceptive, or " whitewashing" their cause, primarily through omission of negative facts ( selective perception) and exaggeration of positive ones, techniques of classical rhetoric. When used in this context, the term often has a pejorative meaning. The neutralized substitution of " spokesperson" for "apologist" in conversation conveys much the same sense of "partisan presenter with a weighted agenda," with less rhetorical freight.
The term apologetics is also used in a more specific sense to refer to the study of the defense of a doctrine or belief. In this context it most commonly refers to philosophical reconciliation. Christian apologetics is the effort to show that the Christian faith is not irrational, that believing in it is not against human reason, and that in fact Christianity would contain values and promote ways of life more in accord with human nature than other faiths or beliefs. Islamic apologists justify the tenets and practices of Islam.
In the first centuries of the Common Era a number of Christian writers undertook the task of proving that Christianity was beneficial for the Roman Empire and for humanity as a whole. Also they wrote to defend their faith against attacks made by other people or to properly explain their faith. The Epistle to Diognetus, a response to the accusation that Christians were a danger to Rome, is the first known of these writings.
Following Constantine's conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity, some Christian writers sought to explain the decline of culture and society by systematically downplaying the achievements of classical antiquity while exaggerating the persecution of Christians and the role of Christianity in society. Authors such as Paulus Orosius (History Against the Pagans) represent this tradition.
Similar traditions of apologetics developed in defense against Judaism, against Protestantism, and against rationalismThis article is not about continental rationalism. Rationalism also known as the rationalist movement is a philosophical doctrine that asserts that the truth should be determined by reason and factual analysis, rather than faith, dogma or religious teachi. While some apologist perspectives are now largely discredited even among theologians, Christian apologetics continues to the current day in various forms (for example, the attempt to fit empirical cosmology with Biblical creation, known as creationismThis article describes the political, religious, and allegedly scientific movement known as creationism . There are separate Wikipedia pages for creation beliefs, the theological side of creationism, and creation vs. evolution debate. Creationism is the b). G. K. ChestertonFor the town of Chesterton in Cambridgeshire, see Chesterton (Cambridge). Gilbert Keith Chesterton ( May 29 1874 June 14 1936) was an English writer of the early 20th century. Today, he is best known for his mystery novels. Life and Career Born in Campden and C. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis ( November 29, 1898 November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. Lewis was an author and scholar. He was born in Belfast, Ireland. He adopted the name "Jack," which is how he was known to his friends and acquaintances. He is known fo are two of the most prolific Christian apologists in the 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre. In recent years, perhaps the most widely read Christian apologists writing in EnglishThe English language is a West Germanic language, originating from England. It is the third most common "first" language (native speakers), with around 402 million people in 2002. English has lingua franca status in many parts of the world, due to the mil have been Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel . Another modern apologist is Ravi Zacharias , scholar of world religions from India, and author of The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha which compares Christianity with world religions and other modern movements.
While USA and England produced a large number of apologists in 1800s and 1900s, India became the focus of anti-atheistic apologetics towards 1970 and after that. This was mainly due to the rise of atheists in India who were countered by Indian Christian apologists. The most notable among them is Dr. Philip C. Johnson, who authored more than 50 books and 2500 articles in defense of the Christian faith.
Not all apologists are Christian. In a famous speech in 1805Events January 11 Michigan Territory is created. February 15 Harmony Society officially formed March 1 Justice Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U. Senate April 27 United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (T, SenecaSeneca has several significant meanings: Seneca the Elder Seneca the Younger Seneca tribe Seneca crater Seneca (plant) Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario Places in the United States of America: Seneca, Pennsylvania Seneca, South Carolina Seneca, Wisconsin S chief Red Jacket was an apologist for Native American religion, as opposed to Christianity.