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Christian Apologist Warns that the Christian Church is Losing in the War of Ideas, Points Out that the Church itself is Producing Atheists

Christian Apologist Anthony Horvath declares that the Christian Church is near total defeat because it has failed over the course of recent decades to present itself vigorously. He urges obedience to Peter's charge in 1 Peter 3:15 to always be ready to give the reasons for what we believe.

Anthony Horvath, who goes by the Internet name of 'Sntjohnny,' points out that most of today's atheists were raised in the church, including those like Richard Dawkins. Horvath explains, "First and foremost, the Church produces atheists by refusing to address the questions that young people have, but secondarily, the Church has failed to explain what it believes and why. Books like Richard Dawkins's "The God Delusion" and Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" do not become best sellers in a society that understands what Christianity is all about."

The solution, "Sntjohnny" says, is apologetics, the defense of the Christian faith. "I am talking about is apologetics at a much broader scale then normally understood. It should not be left to professors or specialists, such as C.S. Lewis. It needs to be incorporated into everything we do as the Church from cradle to grave."

Horvath cites the Resurrection of Jesus as an example, "It is one thing to state that the Christian church believes that Jesus rose from the dead, as a point of dogma and doctrine. It is another to state the belief and give the reasons for maintaining that belief. People want to think they believe things for good reasons and God doesn't seem to disagree."

"People aren't going to their pastors for their information anymore. They're going to the Internet. People aren't leaving the Church just because they're bored with worship styles. People want substance and don't know that we have it."

Having toyed with atheism himself after years of Christian education, Horvath wants to help equip the Church for the current crisis. He has a BA in pastoral ministry, is working on a Masters in Philosophy and Apologetics, and has been involved in apologetics ministries for ten years. "I have a real heart for the college kid looking for answers, but I think the big picture requires us to stop sending our youth out like lambs to the slaughter in the first place."