I am a “Tent Making Apologist”. You could also say I’m a “One Dollar Apologist”. Both terms refer to the same thing.
The Apostle Paul was a tent maker by trade. That is how he often earned his living, not by speaking The Truth to the gentiles which is how we all came to know him. He earned his living one way but the purpose and passion of his life was far different.
Similarly a “One Dollar Apologist” refers to someone who burns with the Apologetics fire but doesn’t earn a living a result of this fire. He or she spreads the Gospel of Reason because to them it is the most important and exciting subject there is! The term was coined by the author of “Cold Case Christianity”, J. Warner Wallace (Jim Wallace), who contends we don’t need more million dollar apologists –those high profile famous deeply educated men and woman who earn a living in Apologetics. Instead we need a million “one dollar” apologists -regular people who earn a living at something else but their real, all-consuming passion is Apologetics.
Toward the end of 2013 and continuing into 2014, Jim Wallace blogged and podcast on this subject with more focus and encouragement than ever. I must tell you now, I have encountered no greater encouragement and motivation to be an Apologist from any other person! He is “The Great Encourager”!
He’s no hypocrite either: writing and speaking one way and acting another. I know this because I had the privilege of meeting the man in the flesh in 2013 at CIA (Cross Examined Instructor’s Academy). I had never heard of him before, so I wasn’t prejudiced one way or the other. It wasn’t until we broke the class (the largest ever for CIA) into smaller groups that I saw the man for what he is when he was chosen as the leader of my small group. Already overwhelmed by being in the presence of great Apologists like Frank Turek and Greg Koukl, I knew I was a small, insignificant mortal in the midst of giants! I was out of my league! How on earth had I wandered into this arena?! Yet I knew I had no choice but to stand my ground and make my presentation.
I volunteered to give my presentation first. Jim Wallace said that I was brave, I knew otherwise: I wanted to get it over with, behind me, done.
I didn’t feel cut-down, embarrassed or destroyed, but somehow uplifted and encouraged by his brilliant, efficient, effective and no-nonsense assessment of what was right and wrong with my presentation. He was kind, supportive, unassuming and made me feel as if he were just like me! He elevated me to the status of being an equal! I was a giant too! He would just help me learn to stand with the feet of a giant I didn’t know I already had!
So it’s not surprising when Jim Wallace recently blogged and podcast about the impact of One Dollar Apologists and Tent Makers in the world, that he also reached out by email to those of us in the trenches and asked us to describe our vocations (what kind of tent makers we were) and also how we were reaching others with our passion. He then listed our names, our website addresses and vocations in his blog and on his website: www.coldcasechristianity.com.
Once again he reached out to help others stand like giants! That, coupled with recent blogs calling us all “to get off our butts” and to produce a blog ourselves at least once a week, he inspired me to write and post my first blog on the last day of 2013. I wanted to end the old year and start the New Year right! I wanted to write that weekly blog!
Writing the blog wasn’t the problem. I love to write; always have; since second grade. My 80 hour plus work week as a business owner wasn’t the problem either. I love working, and owning my own business.
But…
I am a perfectionist. At least when it comes to writing. I have written pieces that took a decade to complete. Now we’re talking about only one week! As you might guess I am having a difficult time with the time! Although I missed a post last week and I may miss again in the future, it is still my goal going forward to post a new blog each week, . Yet, I will not pound-out a stressed, mangled post just for the sake of posting on time. So please, bear with me if I don’t post regularly like clockwork. It’s not that I’m not thinking, always thinking about Apologetics. In fact it’s just the opposite: I live and breathe and daily engage others in discussions and conversations on the subject!
While making tents.
Copyright 2014 GiveAnAnswer.org
Read “Ten Reasons “Tent-Makers” Make Great Christian “Case Makers” by Jim Warner Wallace
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