Apologetics: Why do you Believe what you Believe?

What is Apologetics? The American Heritage Dictionary says that it is “the branch of theology that is concerned with defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines, a position or a system.” What do you believe and why do you believe it? What are your convictions? Upon what are your convictions founded? These are a few questions for all people to answer, whether you are a Christian or not. Answering these questions honestly will reveal the innermost core of your being-who you really are, and not the façade that many people portray. These questions are rhetorical; think about them, answer them to yourself, and you may learn a lot about who you are and what has influenced you negatively and positively.

Many of today’s leaders, religious and secular, get trained at very exclusive facilities whose agenda might not be what you think they are presenting. A lot of times politicians and other leaders are masters at sleight-of-hand. They are trained at captivating crowds and holding your attention through mannerisms, voice inflections and the use of “buzz words,” just to name a few things. A lot of political think tanks who may claim to have a liberal or a conservative bias actually has a socialist slant to them. They won’t tell you this because to say the word “socialist,” would immediately register thoughts in people’s minds of Nazi Germany and/or the “Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx.

We have many societal influences that help to shape why we believe what we believe. Family, peer pressure, cultural influence, gender, geographical location, socio-economic status, position, marital status, and a host of other factors play a part in the decisions we make about our belief system. Nevertheless, we must remember that we are all individuals, with different personalities, experiences, etc. However, universal truths and laws can’t be compromised, i.e., the law of gravity, the earth spinning on its axis, or seedtime and harvest. Some things are just laws of life. But other things like professions, a mate, a healthy diet, and a place to live can be compromised to an extent and we have the ability to choose or reject these things. You believe something, whether you consciously realize it or not. Why is this important? Because “why” we believe something will determine how fervent the zeal for that thing will be; and “what” we believe will determine what we have in life. These are powerful statements! What you believe is who you are. It is the culmination and processing of all of your experiences, and the information that you have received over a period of time, whether it’s good or bad.

Your belief system is your guide, and “why” you believe in your belief system is your thrust or your gas pedal, so to speak. So forget the opinions of men; forget the traditions of men; forget about party affiliations; forget about church membership; forget about impressing the opposite sex; forget about your “so-called friends”; forget about your job; and forget about your family. In reality, God and you know what you are all about; what you don’t know about yourself, He will show you, which leaves you with no other variables to consider. We are accountable to people on this earth, i.e., relationships, jobs and other commitments. But how can you truly commit to someone or something outside of yourself if you don’t know who you are, what you believe and why you believe it? That is powerful, folks! We’ve all heard the saying, “your word is your bond.” Well your word is apart of you, rooted in you. But rooted in what? (Rhetorical question) Who are you? What is important to you? What makes you happy? Sad? Angry? What is your passion? Folks, each one of us need to answer these questions across the board. When you leave this earth, what are people going to remember about you? Sure people are going to misunderstand you, misquote you, and mistreat you. But if the true essence of who you are was to come out, what would it be and how would it affect those around you? Look at the lives of great men and women in world history: Jesus, they killed him and his legacy is stronger 2,000 years after He walked the earth. Time changed because of Him: the calendar went from B.C. to A.D. That’s powerful! Influential leaders, good and bad, have buildings, cities, foundations and organizations named after them, as well as statues made in their honor. They made a lasting impression on their sphere of influence. Whether they were right or wrong, they were persuasive and passionate and there was a conviction about the message they delivered. You might as well stand for the right thing, know it’s right, and go all out to make sure that your message is proclaimed with conviction, power, and authority. What are you believing, saying and proclaiming with your mouth and/or your actions today?

Daniel Goleman, the author of “Emotional Intelligence” (this book is on my recommended reading list on this site), he makes a relevant point pertaining to this article related to “cognitive dissonance.” Cognitive dissonance quite simply is “a condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one's beliefs and one's actions, such as opposing the slaughter of animals and eating meat.” This dissonance in rap and our youth is that everyone knows that is isn’t right to do and say some of the things that are purported in the rap industry, but people support it because it’s “the in thing to do.” Remember in the second paragraph I mentioned societal influences that shape and mold our belief system? Well, that statement in conjunction with this Dr. Goleman’s quote (below) should help make a demonstrative point: “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.” ~ Daniel Goleman in Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception. In other words, our ignorance or failure to recognize things in our environment puts us in a room with a ceiling. But when we become more open to recognize what exists in our surroundings, we can start to remove that ceiling. People make excuses because they have a mindset to do so, rather than facing the problem and making the change. Rap music has become an excuse to act irresponsibly. There are alternatives though. Check out my recommended list on the site: Cross Movement, Corey Red, Precise, Rock Soul Entertainment are all very positive, gifted and anointed Hip Hop artists.

Folks, I’m challenging you to find out who you are and what you believe, because that will determine what happens to the next generation. What will be passed on to them? Look at some of the young people today. What has been passed on to them? You have to be open to truth and good information, and act upon it. Sometimes the information may not come from your preacher or your trusted source for the passed few years. Open your heart, be sincere, the truth is out there. I can tell you truth all day long. But if your heart isn’t open to receive it, or if you receive information because of who’s delivering it, it won’t be a heart-felt conviction to you. You’ll just absorb it because he/she said it, and not because this is truth and it’s going to help you. You have to know truth is truth in your heart. Do you know the truth? How do you know truth? Is what you believe truth? Have the charlatan politicians and preachers hoodwinked you? How do you know? I run into so many Christians that say concerning Bible truths, “well I think” or “well I believe.” Folks, that’s not good enough. Your thinking or your believing is in vain if it isn’t founded upon truth: Truth of Scripture, truth about how the world works, the truth about money, the truth about politics, the truth about healthcare, etc. Whatever is relevant to your world is the truth that you need to know! Be a student and a follower of truth. Don’t let someone tell you what truth is, that’s their revelation; you need a revelation. Take their information, and test it. Truth will always stand, and a lie is easy to spot, if you have truth. Read my article called “Listen to and Follow your Heart” and “How the Mass Media Thinks for You.” You won’t be led astray if you follow your heart. Now go and do the right thing!