1. Definition

Apologetics, the teaching of defense (apology) or defensive scholarship, is the thoughtful interaction of Christian faith with contemporary teachings and ideologies that are opposed to the gospel. Since misuse has led to the discrediting of the term in Roman Catholic neoscholasticism and neo-Protestantism (Protestantism 1.3), other terms have replaced it, such as “missionary theology,” “eristics,” and “fundamental theology”. The last term is current especially in Roman Cathol…