Since our series on “The Difference” was pretty “apologetics-heavy” (apologetics simply means “explaining/defending the faith”) I thought it’d be fitting to end with a quote by a guy named Francis Schaeffer, a well-known Christian apologist of the 20th century.
Francis Schaeffer was a really smart dude who knew his apologetics stuff well; yet listen to how he explained what he called “the ultimate (or final) apologetic” below. My guess is that he would encourage us all in the same way as we conclude this series on “The Difference.”
“…as we struggle with the proper preaching of the gospel in the midst of the 20th [or 21st] century, the importance of observable love must come into our message. We must not forget the final apologetic. The world has a right to look upon us as we, as true Christians, come to practical differences and it should be able to observe that we do love each other. Our love must have a form that the world may observe; it must be seeable.”
“What then shall we conclude but that as the Samaritan loved the wounded man, we as Christians are called upon to love all men as neighbors, loving them as ourselves. Second, that we are to love all true Christian brothers in a way that the world may observe. This means showing love to our brothers in the midst of our differences – great or small – loving our brothers when it costs us something, loving them even under time of tremendous emotional tension, loving them in a way the world can see.” (Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of a Christian (InterVarsity Press, 1970), pp. 34-35.) -
