Every Christian is an apologist whether or not he wants to be one. At some point in the Christian life, he will be required to give a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in him (1 Pet 3:15). We are accountable for the faith we hold and we are expected to be able to give a reasoned defense for Christianity. With that said, I believe that Christians hinder their own cause without knowing they are doing so. All too often, the Christian finds himself on the defensive when discussing the topic of God. He gets so wrapped up with the notion that the preponderance of evidence rests with him that he forgets he does not have to shoulder the burden alone. Any atheist who makes a positive assertion must also demonstrate his presupposition, not merely assert it and argue from there. If the Christian does not challenge the atheist on this he has handicapped himself from the outside of the discussion and has given his opponent the advantage.

One should also keep in mind that the inability to articulate good arguments for God’s existence is not proof for the opposite. The atheist himself must still demonstrate that God does not exist. As one notable atheist rightly asserted, "To show that an argument is invalid or unsound is not to show that the conclusion of the argument is false....All the proofs of God’s existence may fail, but it still may be the case that God exists.” When the atheist makes a positive statement that God does not exist, he is in fact asserting to have knowledge and this belief must be demonstrated through plausible argumentation.

One method that I have seen countless times by atheism’s leading critics is to argue the credibility of Christianity by comparing the belief in God to belief in Zeus, Santa Claus, the one-eyed Spaghetti monster or any other number of mythical creatures. Such absurd argumentation is a red herring and has nothing to do with the veracity of Christianity. It is a logical fallacy to lump all religions and false gods together and insist that one is not true because the others are false. We have compelling evidence that the mythical god Zeus does not exist, but it does not follow that the God of the Bible is false because Zeus is false. On the contrary, the Christian can muster credible reasons for belief in God. Now compare this to atheism. What can the atheist give us in response to some of life’s most fundamental questions? How can atheism offer an explanation to the origins of the universe, the meaning of life, morality, justice or love? The simple answer is that it cannot. Atheism fails on its most basic level to give an adequate answer to these questions and so much more while Christianity offers a cogent response to each of these questions.

The bottom line is that Christianity demonstrates the believer has rationale in his embrace of God, while the atheist has nothing more than a cloak of arrogant presumption in which to wrap himself. The next time you have a discussion with an atheist, do not let him put you on the defensive. Make sure that you are on the same level in your argumentation. If he makes a positive statement make sure he is able to demonstrate his belief in the same manner you can with the Christian religion. But in so doing, ensure you speak with gentleness and respect as Peter exhorted (1 Pet 3:15).