Editing Apologetics

{{short description|Religious discipline of systematic defence of a position}}
{{About|the systematic defence of a religious position|the Christian parody band|ApologetiX}}
{{Redirect|Apologist|non-religious uses of ''apologetic'' and ''apologist''|Apology (disambiguation)}}
{{Rhetoric}}
'''Apologetics''' (from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{langx|grc|ἀπολογία|apología|speaking in defense|label=none}}) is the religious discipline of  defending [[religious doctrine]]s through systematic [[argument]]ation and discourse.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G627 |title=ἀπολογία |work=Blue Letter Bible-Lexicon |access-date=19 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01618a.htm |title=Apologetics |website=The Advent |access-date=10 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apologetics |title=apologetics |website=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]] |access-date=5 October 2016}}</ref> [[List of early Christian writers|Early Christian writers]] (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against [[Criticism of Christianity|critics]] and recommended their [[faith]] to outsiders were called [[Christian apologists]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Apologists |editor1-last=Cross |editor1-first=F.&nbsp;L. |editor1-link=Frank Leslie Cross |title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |location=New York |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2005}}</ref> In 21st-century usage, ''apologetics'' is often identified with debates over [[religion]] and [[theology]].

==Etymology==
The term ''apologetics'' derives from the [[Ancient Greek]] word {{Transliteration|grc|apologia}} ({{Lang|grc|ἀπολογία}}).<ref name=":0" /> In the Classical Greek legal system, the prosecution delivered the {{Transliteration|grc|kategoria}} ({{Lang|grc|κατηγορία}}), the accusation or charge, and the defendant replied with an ''{{Transliteration|grc|apologia}}'', the [[Defence (legal)|defence]].<ref>Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkathgori%2Fa κατηγορία] and [http://www.perses.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da)pologi%2Fa ἀπολογία]{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The {{Transliteration|grc|apologia}} was a formal speech or explanation to reply to and rebut the charges. A famous example is [[Socrates]]' [[Apology (Plato)|Apologia]] defense, as chronicled in [[Apology (Plato)|Plato's ''Apology'']].

In the [[Koine Greek]] of the [[New Testament]], the [[Apostle Paul]] employs the term ''apologia'' in his trial speech to [[Porcius Festus|Festus]] and [[Agrippa I|Agrippa]] when he says "I make my defense" in [[Acts 26]]:2.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/act/26/2/s_1044002|title=Acts 26:2|date=19 September 2016|website=Blue Letter Bible}}</ref> A [[cognate]] form appears in Paul's [[Letter to the Philippians]] as he is "defending the gospel" in Philippians 1:7,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/phl/1/7/s_1104007|title=Phl 1:7|date=19 September 2016|website=Blue Letter Bible}}</ref> and in "giving an answer" in 1 Peter 3:15.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1pe/3/15/s_1154015|title=1Pe 3:15|date=19 September 2016|website=Blue Letter Bible}}</ref>

Although the term ''apologetics'' has Western, primarily Christian origins and is most frequently associated with the defense of Christianity, the term is sometimes used referring to the defense of any religion in formal debate involving religion.

== Apologetic positions ==

===Baháʼí Faith===
{{main article|Baháʼí apologetics}}
Many [[Baháʼí literature#Apologia|apologetic books]] have been written in defence of the history or teachings of the [[Baháʼí Faith]]. The religion's founders wrote several books presenting proofs of their religion; among them are the [[Báb]]'s ''[[Selections from the Writings of the Báb#Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih (The Seven Proofs)|Seven Proofs]]'' and [[Bahá'u'lláh]]'s ''[[Kitáb-i-Íqán]]''.<ref name="PSmith">{{cite encyclopedia |last= Smith |first= Peter |encyclopedia= A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith |title= apologetics |year= 2000 |publisher= Oneworld Publications |location= Oxford |pages= [https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/39 39–40] |isbn= 1-85168-184-1 |url= https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/39 }}</ref> Later Baháʼí authors wrote prominent apologetic texts, such as [[Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl]]'s ''The Brilliant Proof'' and [[Udo Schaefer]] et al.'s ''Making the Crooked Straight''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bahai-library.com/cannuyer_schaefer_desinformation|title=Making the Crooked Straight, by Udo Schaefer, Nicola Towfigh, and Ulrich Gollmer|work=bahai-library.com}}</ref>

===Buddhism===
One of the earliest Buddhist apologetic texts is ''[[Milinda Panha|The Questions of King Milinda]]'', which deals with the Buddhist metaphysics such as [[anatta|the "no-self" nature of the individual]] and characteristics such as wisdom, perception, volition, feeling, consciousness and the soul. In the [[Meiji (era)|Meiji Era]] (1868-1912), encounters between Buddhists and Christians in [[Religion in Japan|Japan]] as a result of increasing contact between [[Japanese nationalism#Meiji period beginnings 1868–1912|Japan and other nations]] may have prompted the formation of [[Buddhist modernism#Japan: Neo-Buddhism|Japanese New Buddhism]],<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Walters |first=Michael |date=2007 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh|title=NONE BUT "WE HEATHEN": SHAKU SŌEN AT THE WORLD'S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS |type=Master of Arts |url=http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/8762/1/WaltersME_etd2007VERSION5.pdf |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> including the apologetic Shin Bukkyō ({{Lang|ja|新仏教}}) magazine.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shields |first1=James Mark |title=Immanent Frames: Meiji New Buddhism, Pantheism, and the "Religious Secular" |journal=Japan Review |date=27 July 2017 |volume=30 |issue=Special Issue (2017) |page=82 |doi=10.15055/00006734 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/198411713.pdf |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> In recent times, A.&nbsp;L. De Silva, an Australian convert to [[Buddhism]], has written a book, ''Beyond Belief'', providing Buddhist apologetic responses and a critique of Christian Fundamentalist doctrine.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/beyond-belief02.pdf|title=Beyond Belief, a Buddhist Critique of Fundamentalist Christianity|last=De Silva|first=A.&nbsp;L.|publisher=Three Gems Publications, ebook link at Buddha Dharma Education Association Incorporated, also|year=1994|isbn=978-0-6462-1211-1}}</ref> Gunapala Dharmasiri wrote an apologetic critique of the [[God in Christianity|Christian concept of God]] from a [[Theravada|Theravadin Buddhist]] perspective.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Buddhist critique of the Christian concept of God: a critique of the concept of God in contemporary Christian theology and philosophy of religion from the point of view of early Buddhism|last=Dharmasiri|first=Gunapala|publisher=Colombo: Lake House Investments|year=1974|via=WorldCat}}</ref>

===Christianity===
{{Main article|Christian apologetics}}
[[File:Shield-Trinity-Scutum-Fidei-English.svg|thumb|260px|The [[Shield of the Trinity]], a diagram frequently used by [[Christianity|Christian]] apologists to explain the [[Trinity]]]]

Christian apologetics combines [[Christian theology]], [[natural theology]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/theo-nat/ | title=Natural Theology | publisher=Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy | access-date=10 March 2015 | author=Brent, James}}</ref> and [[philosophy]] in an attempt to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, to defend the faith against objections and misrepresentation, and to show that the Christian doctrine is the only world-view that is faultless and consistent with all fundamental knowledge and questions.

Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries. In the [[Roman Empire]], Christians were severely persecuted, and many charges were brought against them. Examples in the Bible include the Apostle Paul's address to the Athenians in the [[Areopagus]] ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2017%3A22-34&version=NIV Acts 17: 22-34]). J. David Cassel<ref>J. David Cassel. "Defending the Cannibals: How Christians responded to the sometimes strange accusations of their critics." {{cite web|url=http://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1998/issue57/57h012.html |title=Defending the Cannibals |access-date=2012-09-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821133320/http://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1998/issue57/57h012.html |archive-date=2011-08-21 }}</ref> gives several examples: [[Tacitus]] wrote that [[Nero]] fabricated charges that Christians started the [[Great Fire of Rome|burning of Rome]].<ref>Tacitus, Annals XV.44</ref> Other charges included [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] (due to a literal interpretation of the [[Eucharist]]) and [[incest]] (due to early Christians' practice of addressing each other as "brother" and "sister"). [[Paul the Apostle]], [[Justin Martyr]], [[Irenaeus]], and others often defended Christianity against charges that were brought to justify persecution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/why-early-christians-were-despised-11629610.html|title=Why Early Christians Were Despised|website=Christianity Today (Church history timeline).|access-date=21 September 2016}}</ref>

Later apologists have focused on providing reasons to accept various aspects of Christian belief. Christian apologists of many traditions, in common with Jews, Muslims, and some others, argue for the existence of a unique and personal God. [[Theodicy]] is one important aspect of such arguments, and [[Alvin Plantinga]]'s arguments have been highly influential in this area. Many prominent Christian apologists are scholarly philosophers or theologians, frequently with additional doctoral work in [[physics]], [[cosmology]], [[comparative religions]], and other fields. Others take a more popular or pastoral approach. Some prominent modern apologists are [[Douglas Groothuis]], [[Frederick Copleston]], [[John Lennox]], [[Walter Ralston Martin|Walter R. Martin]], [[Dinesh D'Souza]], [[Douglas Wilson (theologian)|Douglas Wilson]], [[Cornelius Van Til]], [[Gordon Clark]], [[Francis Schaeffer]], [[Greg Bahnsen]], [[Edward John Carnell]], [[James White (theologian)|James White]], [[R. C. Sproul]], [[Hank Hanegraaff]], [[Alister McGrath]], [[Lee Strobel]], [[Josh McDowell]], [[Peter Kreeft]], [[G. K. Chesterton]], [[William Lane Craig]], [[J. P. Moreland]], [[Hugh Ross (creationist)|Hugh Ross]], [[David Bentley Hart]], [[Gary Habermas]], [[Norman Geisler]], [[Scott Hahn]], RC Kunst, [[Trent Horn]], and [[Jimmy Akin]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0088.html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718093548/http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0088.html/|url-status=dead|title=Catholic Education Resource Center: ''The Scott Hahn Conversion Story''|archive-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref>

Apologists in the [[Catholic Church]] include [[Robert Barron (bishop)|Bishop Robert Barron]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wordonfire.org/about/fr-robert-barron/|title=Fr. Robert Barron |access-date=2015-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208104703/http://www.wordonfire.org/about/fr-robert-barron/|archive-date=2015-02-08|url-status=dead |website=wordonfire.org}}</ref> [[G. K. Chesterton]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Everlasting Man|last=Chesterton|first=G K|publisher=Wilder Publications|year=2008|isbn=978-1604592467|location=Radford|page=180}}</ref> [[Scott Hahn|Dr. Scott Hahn]], Trent Horn, [[Jimmy Akin]], [[Patrick Madrid]], Kenneth Hensley,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catholicapologeticsacademy.com/faculty/kenneth-hensley/|title=Kenneth Hensley}}</ref> [[Karl Keating]], [[Ronald Knox]], and [[Peter Kreeft]].

[[John Henry Newman]] (1801–1890) was an English convert to [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]], later made a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]], and [[beatified]] in 2010. In early life, he was a major figure in the [[Oxford Movement]] to bring the [[Church of England]] back to its Catholic roots.  Eventually his studies in history persuaded him to become a Roman Catholic. When John Henry Newman entitled his spiritual autobiography ''[[Apologia Pro Vita Sua]]'' in 1864, he was playing upon both this connotation, and the more commonly understood meaning of an expression of contrition or regret.

Christian apologists employ a variety of philosophical and formal approaches, including [[Ontological argument|ontological]], [[Cosmological argument|cosmological]], and [[teleological argument]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bethinking.org/apologetics/an-introduction-to-christian-apologetics?Strongs=G627|title=An Introduction to Christian Apologetics|last=Coulter|first=Paul|date=2011-05-10|website=Bethinking|access-date=21 September 2016}}</ref> The Christian presuppositionalist approach to apologetics uses the [[transcendental argument for the existence of God]].<ref>Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief. John Frame-Joseph Torres - P&R Publishing - 2015 p. 67f</ref>

[[Tertullian]] was an early [[Christianity|Christian]] apologist. He was born, lived, and died in [[Carthage]]. He is sometimes known as the "Father of the [[Latin Church]]". He introduced the term ''[[Trinity]]'' ({{Langx|la|trinitas}}) to the Christian vocabulary<ref>''A History of Christian Thought'', [[Paul Tillich]], Touchstone Books, 1972. {{ISBN|0-671-21426-8}} (p. 43)</ref> and probably{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} the formula "three Persons, one Substance" as the Latin "tres [[Persona]]e, [[Consubstantial|una Substantia]]" (from the [[Koine Greek]] "treis [[Hypostasis (religion)|Hypostaseis]], [[Ousios|Homoousios]]"), and the terms ''Vetus Testamentum'' ([[Old Testament]]) and ''Novum Testamentum'' ([[New Testament]]).

====The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints====
{{further|Mormon studies#Apologetics}}
There are Latter-day Saint apologists who focus on the defense of [[Mormonism]], including early church leaders, such as [[Parley P. Pratt]], [[John Taylor (1808-1887)|John Taylor]], [[B. H. Roberts]], and [[James E. Talmage]], and modern figures, such as [[Hugh Nibley]], [[Daniel C. Peterson]], [[John L. Sorenson]], [[John Gee]], [[Orson Scott Card]], and Jeff Lindsay.

Several well known apologetic organizations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as the [[Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies]] (a group of scholars at [[Brigham Young University]]) and [[FairMormon]] (an independent, not-for-profit group run by Latter Day Saints), have been formed to defend the doctrines and history of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] in general and the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] in particular.

=== Deism ===
[[Deism]] is a form of [[theism]] in which God created the universe and established rationally comprehensible moral and natural laws but no longer intervenes in human affairs. Deism is a [[natural religion]] where belief in God is based on application of reason and evidence observed in the designs and laws found in nature.  The World Order of Deists maintains a web site presenting deist apologetics that demonstrate the existence of God based on evidence and reason, absent divine revelation.

===Hinduism===
Hindu apologetics began developing during the British colonial period.  A number of Indian intellectuals had become critical of the British tendency to devalue the Hindu religious tradition. As a result, these Indian intellectuals, as well as a handful of British [[Indology|Indologists]], were galvanized to examine the roots of the religion as well as to study its vast arcana and corpus in an analytical fashion. This endeavor drove the deciphering and preservation of [[Sanskrit]]. Many translations of Hindu texts were produced which made them accessible to a broader reading audience.

In the early 18th century, Christian missionary [[Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg]] engaged in dialogues with several [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-speaking [[Malabars|Malabarian]] Hindu priests, and recorded arguments of these Hindu apologists. These records include German-language reports submitted to the Lutheran headquarters in [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]], and 99 letters written by the Hindu priests to him (later translated into German under the title ''Malabarische Korrespondenz'' from 1718 onwards).{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|pp=22-23}}

During 1830–1831, missionary [[John Wilson (Scottish missionary)|John Wilson]] engaged in debates with Hindu apologists in [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]].{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=25}} In 1830, his protege Ram Chandra, a Hindu convert to Christianity, debated with several Hindu [[Brahmin]] apologists in public. Hindu [[pandit]] [[Morobhatt Dandekar]] summarized his arguments from his 1831 debate with Wilson in a Marathi-language work titled ''Shri-Hindu-dharma-sthapana''.{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=26}} Narayana Rao, another Hindu apologist, wrote ''[[Svadesha-dharmabhimani|Svadesha-dharma-abhimani]]'' in response to Wilson.{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=28}}

In the mid-19th century, several Hindu apologist works were written in response to [[John Muir (indologist)|John Muir]]'s ''[[Mataparīkṣā]]''. These include ''[[Mata-parīkṣā-śikṣā]]'' (1839) by [[Subaji Bapu|Somanatha]] of [[Central India Agency|Central India]], ''[[Mataparīkṣottara]]'' (1840) by Harachandra Tarkapanchanan of [[Calcutta]], ''[[Śāstra-tattva-vinirṇaya]]'' (1844-1845) by [[Nilakantha Gore]] of [[Benares]],{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=15}} and a critique (published later in 1861 as part of ''Dharmādharma-parīkṣā-patra'') by an unknown [[Vaishnava]] writer.{{sfn|Richard F. Young|1981|p=177}}

A range of Indian philosophers, including [[Swami Vivekananda]] and [[Aurobindo Ghose]], have written rational explanations regarding the values of the Hindu religious tradition. More modern proponents such as the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] have also tried to correlate recent developments from [[quantum physics]] and [[consciousness]] research with Hindu concepts. The late Reverend [[Pandurang Shastri Athavale]] has given a plethora of discourses regarding the symbolism and rational basis for many principles in the [[Veda|Vedic tradition]]. In his book ''The Cradle of Civilization'', David Frawley, an American who has embraced the Vedic tradition, has characterized the ancient texts of the Hindu heritage as being like "pyramids of the spirit".

===Islam===
{{See also|Kalam}}
'''Ilm al-Kalām'', literally "science of discourse",<ref name="Wolfson">Winter, Tim J. "Introduction." Introduction. The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2008. 4–5. Print.</ref> usually foreshortened to ''kalam'' and sometimes called ''Islamic scholastic theology'', is an Islamic undertaking born out of the need to establish and defend the tenets of Islamic faith against skeptics and detractors.<ref>Madeleine Pelner Cosman, Linda Gale Jones, Handbook to Life in the Medieval World, p 391. {{ISBN|1438109075}}</ref> A scholar of ''kalam'' is referred to as a ''mutakallim'' (plural ''mutakallimūn'') as distinguished from philosophers, jurists, and scientists.<ref>Clinton Bennett, The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies, p 119. {{ISBN|1441127887}}.</ref>

===Judaism===
{{See also|Jewish polemics and apologetics in the Middle Ages}}
Jewish apologetic literature can be traced back as far as [[Aristobulus of Paneas]], though some discern it in the works of [[Demetrius the chronographer]] (3rd century BCE) traces of the style of "questions" and "solutions" typical of the genre. Aristobulus was a Jewish philosopher of [[Alexandria]] and the author of an apologetic work addressed to [[Ptolemy VI Philometor]]. [[Josephus]]'s [[Contra Apion]] is a wide-ranging defense of [[Judaism]] against many charges laid against Judaism at that time, as too are some of the works of [[Philo of Alexandria]].<ref>John Granger Cook (2000) ''The Interpretation of the New Testament in Greco-Roman paganism'' p.4., Mohr Siebeck Verlag, Tuebingen, Germany</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1651-apologists|title=APOLOGISTS|encyclopedia=Jewish Encyclopedia|year=1906}}</ref>

In response to modern Christian missionaries, and congregations that "are designed to appear Jewish, but are actually fundamentalist Christian churches, which use traditional Jewish symbols to lure the most vulnerable of our Jewish people into their ranks",<ref name=Schoon2006p125>Simon Schoon, "Noachides and Converts to Judaism", in [[Jan N. Bremmer]], [[Wout van Bekkum|Wout Jac. van Bekkum]], Arie L. Molendijk. ''Cultures of Conversions'', Peeters Publishers, 2006, {{ISBN|978-90-429-1753-8}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7-W-wOgKI9cC&pg=PA125 p. 125].</ref> [[Jews for Judaism]] is the largest counter-missionary organization in existence, today. [[Kiruv Organization (Mizrachi)]], founded by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, and Outreach Judaism, founded by Rabbi [[Tovia Singer]], are other prominent international organizations that respond "directly to the issues raised by missionaries and cults, by exploring Judaism in contradistinction to fundamentalist Christianity."<ref>[http://www.outreachjudaism.org/about_us.html About Us], Outreach Judaism website. Accessed January 9, 2011.</ref><ref>[[J. Gordon Melton]], "The Modern Anti-Cult Movement in Historical Perspective", in Jeffrey Kaplan, Heléne Lööw. ''The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Age of Globalization'', [[Rowman Altamira]], 2002, {{ISBN|978-0-7591-0204-0}}, p. 285, note 4.</ref>

===Pantheism===
Some pantheists have formed organizations such as the World Pantheist Movement and the [[Universal Pantheist Society]] to promote and defend the belief in [[pantheism]].<ref name=Credo>{{cite web|title=The Pantheist Credo|url=http://www.pantheism.net/manifest.htm|publisher=World Pantheist Movement}}</ref>

===Native Americans===
In a famous speech called "Red Jacket on Religion for the White Man and the Red" in 1805, [[Seneca tribe|Seneca]] chief [[Red Jacket]] gave an apologetic for [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/268/8/3.html#txt1|title=Red Jacket on the Religion of the White Man and the Red by Red Jacket. America: I. (1761-1837). Vol. VIII. Bryan, William Jennings, ed. 1906. The World's Famous Orations|work=bartleby.com|date=10 October 2022 }}</ref>

== In literature ==
Plato's ''Apology'' may be read as both a religious and literary apology; however, more specifically literary examples may be found in the [[preface]]s and [[Dedication (publishing)|dedication]]s, which proceed many [[Early modern period|Early Modern]] plays, novels, and poems. Eighteenth century authors such as [[Colley Cibber]], [[Frances Burney]], and [[William Congreve]], to name but a few, prefaced the majority of their poetic work with such apologies. In addition to the desire to defend their work, the apologetic preface often suggests the author's attempt to humble his- or herself before the audience.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/30105/apology|title=Apology|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|encyclopedia=Britannica Academic Edition|access-date=14 July 2011}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Religion}}
*[[Christian apologetics]]
*[[Dawah]]
*[[Existence of God]]
*[[Kalam]]
*[[List of apologetic works]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=Richard Fox Young |title=Resistant Hinduism: Sanskrit Sources on Anti-Christian Apologetics in Early Nineteenth-century India |year=1981 |publisher=De Nobili Research Library |isbn=9783900271091 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O4gcAAAAMAAJ |ref={{harvid|Richard F. Young|1981}} }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
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[[Category:Rhetoric]]
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