To Attack or Defend? Disagreement with an Englishman

By Brandon Anchant, Intern

I was speaking with my friend Ralph at the climbing gym where I work. He is a sixty-something Englishman with a rather spicy personality. I knew he grew up in Manchester, England, and I had recently been studying New Testament manuscripts in preparation for a presentation on the historical reliability of the Bible. I saw this as an opportunity to bring up the topic of Greek manuscripts and their early dating, so I asked him if he had ever been to the John Rylands Library in Manchester. Ralph knew I was a Christian, but we had never ventured onto this topic of discussion before, and I feel like his defenses were already up and ready.

“No, why do you ask?” Ralph asked inquisitively. I responded, “Well, it happens to house one of the earliest manuscript copies of the Greek New Testament! It’s called Papyrus 52, and it’s a portion of the Gospel of John. It dates to around 130AD, which is only written a few decades after the author wrote the original!”

Ralph’s countenance changed, and he answered back, “Now, how can you even say that? How do you know that’s the date? How do you even know that this John fellow even wrote it? He was long dead when the original was written.”

I was taken aback by his defensiveness. “Well, it’s widely known that John was most likely the author.”

Ralph clearly did not want to hear this. “No, no, no. These disciples were old men. It’s impossible that he would have been the one to even write it. Look, you’re not going to change my mind on this, and I hate that it always comes to these debates.”

We settled the mood a little bit after I reminded him that I was not trying to start a debate. That I was merely sharing information with him that I was learning. We ended the conversation with a handshake. Later that night, Ralph texted me that he had looked up the article on the library’s website. “I had to go down this rabbit hole to shake off my irritation. It is an impressive artifact. I can see why you find it interesting.”

I learned something that day. In 1 Peter 3:15, where it tells us to “be ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”, it tells us to give a defense, not to be on the offense. Now, don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe we are to share the Gospel with everyone and that the Church is to be on the offensive against the evil of this world and the works of the devil. But when it comes to apologetics, if we start with the defense, it can seem offensive to some. The phrasing of 1 Peter 3:15 implies that the hope we have has already been shared. Once we share this hope, we are then prepared for the onslaught of questions from the skeptic. And thus begins our defense. First, we share the hope, all the while we are prepared to defend the reason for the hope. But if there is no reason to defend, then we need not drag evidential apologetics into the conversation. Not every gospel conversation will require the use of archaeological, scientific, or manuscript evidence. The Gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). If we start there, then we may be able to get to the heart of the matter before needing to step into the deep waters of evidence.

• Did you grow up with a religious background?
• What do you think God is like?

By Brandon Anchant, Intern

Brandon is a Rock Climber, General Manager of Reading Rocks Climbing & Fitness, and an aspiring Apologist/Evangelist. He has been an intern of Dr. Mark Farnham with Apologetics for the Church since 2024. He is a public speaker, podcaster, and musician, and currently serves in his Adult Bible Fellowship at Calvary Church Lancaster.