Why Apologetics Needs Women

In the past, apologetics has been dominated mostly by men. Aside from a few women such as Hillary Ferrer from Mama Bear Apologetics and Mary Jo Sharp author of Defending the Faith: Apologetics in Women’s Ministry, the field has remained predominantly male. As women, we stand in a unique position and I believe apologetics needs us to defend our faith in a time when our Christian worldview is seen as outdated and intolerant.

At the outset, apologetics can seem overly philosophical and difficult to understand, but it doesn’t have to be! Peter calls all of us to defend the faith, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. 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). Peter doesn’t say you must have a Master’s Degree in Theology to be able to answer questions about biblical principles, however, you must always be prepared to give an answer with gentleness and respect.

This is where I think women really excel with apologetics. While I don’t believe that women are more compassionate than men, I believe we express it differently. Men show their compassion by being protectors and providers while women show theirs by being gentle and nurturing. While expressing truth to a non-believer, a woman’s natural softness and gentleness may be what’s needed in that moment.

Within woman’s ministry, I truly believe we can make apologetics a part of church life. Instead of being seen as arguments presented by theologians, we need to learn how to incorporate apologetics into real life situations. In Luke 8: 1-3, we learn that Jesus was traveling from town to town proclaiming the good news with not only his twelve disciples but also Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and “many others.” Women played an integral role in Jesus’ earthly ministry, despite societal norms of the time, and women are still playing an integral role to this day.