What is an apologist?
apologist noun
apol·o·gist | ə-ˈpä-lə-jist
someone who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something that is typically controversial, unpopular, or subject to criticism
In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
The Mission
The Apologist Project exists to further the gospel of Jesus Christ by engaging the minds of non-believers and believers alike. We work to break down barriers to belief through intellectually stimulating discourse and conversational AI trained on a range of topics under the banner of apologetics. These include — but are not limited to — theology and philosophy, earth and biological sciences, and comparative religious and cultural studies.
Christianity dominated intellectual thought from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the Enlightenment in the 18th century. Christian scholars produced a vast body of literature on theology, philosophy, science, and history, and their work helped to shape the intellectual landscape of Europe for centuries. This age of Christ-centered reason gave rise to many of the institutions seen as bastions of free thought and scientific inquiry, such as universities and hospitals.
The hallmark of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century was a questioning of the religious authority of the Catholic Church, and an emphasis on the individual’s interpretation of Scripture and personal relationship with God. While an escape from religious dogmatism is to be lauded, this renewed emphasis on the individual eventually led to a questioning of the spiritual altogether by the great thinkers of the Enlightenment.
The Industrial Revolution deepened society’s reliance on empiricism as man became increasingly convinced that a God of the universe was an unnecessary superstition. The exponential rate of technological advancement eventually gave rise to the Information Age and the World Wide Web. Personal computers and mobile devices have given us access to the world’s body of knowledge at our fingertips, on demand anytime anywhere.
It would be a stretch to say that Christendom was at the forefront of using this new medium to good effect in reaching the masses for the glory of God. Instead, intellectual discourse on the early Web was dominated by secular philosophies. To many non-believers, every new major scientific achievement is another proof that man does not need a Creator.
But as always, God uses each technological advancement for His glory through His people. Today there are numerous great biblically-based apologetics ministries available covering all manner of disciplines. However, finding answers to specific questions isn’t always easy, and wading through sometimes conflicting search results can be daunting.
Relatively recent advancements in processing power and ways of utilizing interconnected data have given rise to Artificial Intelligence, computer systems that can reason, learn, and act autonomously. We want to be on the forefront of using this new technology to advance the Kingdom of God by ministering to people in the medium they use.
Today’s working professional is educated, technologically savvy, and distracted by information overload. We need to meet them where they are and speak to them in ways they respond to. The Apologist Project develops online products that present God’s truth in appealing, modern packages. You can help.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
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“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ.”
~ Evangelical Free Church Association DistinctivesThere are a handful non-negotiable doctrines that form Christian orthodoxy. These are well articulated in the Nicene Creed, which all 3 major branches of Christendom have affirmed. Non-adherence to these core beliefs saps the identity of what it means to be Christian altogether and renders the term ultimately meaningless.
However, beyond these fundamental beliefs there are a good many secondary beliefs, and we tolerate and celebrate a diversity of thought on such topics. While intellectual discourse on these secondary beliefs are instructive, we must take care that such discussions are charitable and do not cause believers or non-believers to stumble.
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We will start with various Bible translations themselves, and then move our way forward in time to the writings of the Church Fathers as they combatted various heresies. We will hit on as many public domain apologetics works as we can find within the realm of Christian orthodox thought.
We will partner with major Christian publishers to add the apologetics writings of more contemporary authors, as well as independent apologists wishing to gain more exposure. We will then expand into short-form content and new media such as articles, videos, and podcasts. With each successive layer our AI will gain more context and relevance.
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The mission is more important than profits. We will augment donations with multiple, viable revenue streams — but the core consumer products will remain free forever.
The need for the consumer products is greatest, and most of our proposed B2B revenue streams are reliant on them. We don’t want to shift our focus to immediately providing ROI to investors at the expense of launching the consumer products.
We will fund the operation via donors who join us in this mission and/or investors who are willing to play the long game.
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The Apologist Project is made possible by volunteers and the generous donations of our financial supporters.
Donated funds will first be used for operational expenses to keep our products in the hands of those who need it most. We would also like to transition volunteers into full-time salaried employees to give this mission their full-time attention as soon as the funding allows for it.
The amount of funding we receive will determine how quickly we scale the operation and how much funding we can devote to outreach and marketing channels.
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We strive to promote intellectually honest, respectful discussion. While we celebrate diversity of thought within the bounds of orthodox Christianity, we cannot allow abusive or inappropriate posts that will harm the world’s perception of the body of Christ.
We will have several mechanisms in place to prevent inappropriate behavior that violates our member terms of service:
- Volunteer moderators will have the ability to remove posts and comments;
- Other community members will have the ability to flag posts and comments to be reviewed;
- Members that consistently violate our terms of service will be suspended and/or banned from the platform.
- Volunteer moderators will have the ability to remove posts and comments;