Issues, Etc. Christian Apologetics, Part 1 – Dr. Adam Francisco, 2/3/26 (0341)
Feb 3, 2026
Dr. Adam Francisco, director of academics and scholar-in-residence and author of A Reasoned Defense of the Faith, surveys two millennia of apologetics and why Scripture’s authority matters. He traces Luther’s sola scriptura, contrasts Christian and Islamic epistemologies, and focuses on historical arguments about Jesus’ identity and the reliability of revelation.
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Apologetics As Reasoned Defense
- Apologetics means giving a reasoned defense for the Christian hope, not saying sorry for wrongdoing.
- Dr. Adam Francisco points to 1 Peter 3:15 as the classic biblical call for Christians to be prepared to give reasons for their faith.
Authority Confusion Weakens Apologetics
- Confusion about Scripture's authority pervades many Christian circles and alters apologetic effectiveness.
- Francisco argues sola scriptura offers a clearer epistemic basis for theology than competing medieval models.
Early Church And Dual Authority
- Early church writers often treated Scripture as the final authority, though language differed from later sola scriptura.
- A dual-source idea (Scripture plus papal tradition) emerges more clearly by the fourth century and grows in the Middle Ages.
