[stephenkhoo]

THE PLACE OF APOLOGETICS IN THEOLOGY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 7:51 – 8:1; PS 31:3-4,6,8,17,21; JOHN 6:30-35 ]

Earlier on we read how Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin to answer the charges of blasphemy. Even as the charges were read out to him, “they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15) But this face of an angel turned out to be one who spoke with confidence, without fear and without mincing his words. Stephen turned out to be a daring apologist and the first martyr of the Church.

When we examine the speech of St Stephen, it certainly does not appear to fit into our culture of apologetics today. Anyone who speaks like Stephen would surely suffer the same fate. In a world of relativism and intellectualism, no one would accept radical and absolutist views. It is hard to say to another group of people that they are wrong or that we are right. We will be vehemently opposed, marginalized and discriminated. This is why everyone wants to be politically correct when he or she speaks for fear of retaliation and opposition. Today, all views must be held as right. So politicians, religious leaders and community leaders would craft ambiguous statements that accept all positions. We want our policy to gain traction among as many people today as possible because we are living under the dictatorship of consensus, which itself is a warped principle as consensus can be conditioned by publicity, social pressure, monetary gains and social penalty.

Apologetics is not something that the Church today speaks about because of its confrontational tone. Apologetics is a branch of theology that defends the beliefs of the Church. In Catholic theology, apologetics is subsumed under the branch of fundamental theology, establishing the foundations of Catholic beliefs. It is less polemical, more engaging and takes seriously the challenges of unbelievers rather than just brushing them away without giving good reasons. On the other hand, there is a danger that the faith could be undermined if too much compromises are made in an attempt to appease the objections of unbelievers. Whilst apologetics can help to strengthen the faith of the believers against the objections of non-believers, it seldom brings about conversion of the sceptics. This is because in the final analysis, faith cannot be proven, revelation can only be accepted in faith. This is why, apologetics as a branch of theology is not actively promoted. Instead, Fundamental Theology seeks to help believers to understand and strengthen their faith. Theology as defined by St Thomas, is faith seeking for further understanding. It presupposes faith.

Yet, we have much to learn from Stephen how we can be a true apologist of the faith. Firstly, we must remain calm and at peace within ourselves. He was not nervous or defensive. He received the charges calmly with the face of an angel. When we are certain of what we believe, we do not need to be defensive. We need not even be shaken by false accusations as was the case of Stephen when men were instigated to file false charges against him. Only when we are calm and have clarity of mind about what we believe can we remain firm before our accusers and slanderers. Reaction is always a sign of fear and result in negative apologetics because we seek to defend ourselves at all costs, to win the arguments and not taking the opposing views seriously, determining what is valid and what is untrue. Without calmness of mind and heart, when we react in self-defence, in fear and simply in retaliation, it exposes our weakness and lack of confidence. Indeed, we see the contrast between Stephen and his accusers. Whilst Stephen was calm and at peace, the accusers were gnashing their teeth at him in fury. Whilst all the time talking and explaining to them, he was filled with the Holy Spirit with a clear vision of the Son of Man, His Lord and Master sitting at the right hand of the Father waiting to welcome him. Whilst they stoned him without mercy, he was praying to God for the forgiveness of their sins.

To achieve such calmness of mind so as to deliver our defence, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. Right from the outset, Luke mentioned that Stephen “full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” and when others “stood up and argued with Stephen, they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.” (Acts 6:8, 9f) This is the fulfillment of the promise of our Lord when He assured His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit. “When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” (Lk 12:11f) Stephen would have remembered the words of Jesus, “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (Jn 14:26f)

Thirdly, Stephen began by going back to the scriptures. His confidence and arguments rested on his familiarity with the scriptures. The Word of God was the source of his authority and defence against the Jews. Stephen understood the need to situate his argument within the context of the Jewish Scriptures to gain validity in his arguments. So he traced his faith in Jesus to the beginning of salvation history, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Next, he spoke of Joseph in Egypt, the growth of the incipient people of God and then Moses as the one who delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians. This was followed by God’s promise to David to build a house for him not made by human humans.

Reading the scriptures and finding the sensus plenior, the complete meaning of the text, is the way we move forward in our faith. In defending his faith in Jesus, Stephen was not going against the scriptures or teaching something contrary to what the Jews always believed in. He led them to understand that the truth about Jesus was always in the scriptures, but hidden implicitly before His passion, death and resurrection. He was helping the Jews to have an open mind to rediscover the truths that were either taught explicitly or implicitly in the scriptures. Vatican teaches us, “For there is a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down.” (Dei Verbum, 8)

This is why we must be nourished by the Word of God in the final analysis, and be familiar with the Bible if we were to remain firm in our faith in the midst of challenges from secularism. This is what the Lord exhorts us in the gospel as well. The Lord made it clear that He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament when Moses gave them bread from heaven. However, He corrected them by saying that “it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Being the Son of the Father, He made that claim, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” He is the Word of God in person.

However, there will come a time when a radical choice must be made. The truth must be said in no uncertain terms. When dialogue is done and all methods of persuasion have been tried, the truth must be declared, welcome or unwelcome. St Paul said, “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2) This is the crux and in that sense we will have to face persecution and opposition. “Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes: ‘You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.” It was hard truth and of course they were infuriated! So too, the world will oppose us for our gospel values and our faith in the Lord. Will we be ready like Stephen to stand up for Jesus and for the gospel? We will be His witness for the truth?