"Vince Vitale is a speaker for the Zacharias Trust, as well as being Team Director and Senior Tutor at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He is also Tutor in Philosophy and Mission at Wycliffe Hall and a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. Before coming to Oxford, Vince taught in the Philosophy and Religion Departments of his alma mater, Princeton University, where as an undergraduate he took an unexpected journey that led him to put his trust in God. While teaching at Princeton, Vince served as Faculty Director of the campus ministry Athletes in Action. Vince’s primary research interests are in philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, and ethical theory, areas that converge in his doctoral thesis on ‘the problem of evil’. He and Ravi Zacharias have co-authored the book Why Suffering? Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn’t Make Sense."
"According to the American Heritage Dictionary, apologetics is “formal argumentation in defense of something, such as a position or system.” A Christian “apologetic” is not an apology as we usually use the term, that is, to say you are sorry for something. We use the word “apology” in the sense that we give a defense of the Christian faith. Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, “to give an answer.” 1 Peter 3:15 gives us the defining statement: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” The Scriptures do not divorce the content of apologetics from the character of the apologist. The apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew the hazards and the risks of being an answer-bearer to the sincere questions that people would pose of the Gospel. For that very reason the Scriptures give us a clear picture of the apologist: one who has first set apart Christ in his or her heart as Lord, who then responds with answers to the questioner, and does so, with gentleness and respect."
