[Nervous Tick]

>> greatest apologists for Christianity ever: C.S. Lewis

Your point is wonderful and well taken.

But I disagree with your term, “apologist”. There’s nothing about Christianity that /needs/ an “apologist”. We do need as many as we can muster who, like C.S. Lewis, are “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (to borrow the words of Paul the apostle).

[doc1019]

An apologist is someone who “defends” his beliefs or faith, not someone who apologizes for his beliefs or faith. Therefore C.S. Lewis was an apologist.

[AlGone2001]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologist

Apologists are authors, writers, editors of scientific logs or academic journals, and leaders known for taking on the points in arguments, conflicts or positions that are either placed under popular scrutinies or viewed under persecutory examinations. The term comes from the Greek word apologia (απολογία), meaning defense of a position against an attack.

[quintr]

C. S. Lewis is called the greatest apologist for Christianity becaause apologist from the Greek word apologia means to explain or enlighten, not to mean “I’m sorry’ type apology as we use it now, commonly. This was told to me by a Greek friend many years ago and for some reason it stick with me. Just wanted to pass this on.

[Reaganesque]

I’ve never liked the term “apologist” either and for the same reason you give. I can explain my beliefs but I have no need to “defend” or “apologize” for it. But, it is the term that most people use in describing what C.S. Lewis did so, I used it here.

[Sans-Culotte]

But I disagree with your term, “apologist”. There’s nothing about Christianity that /needs/ an “apologist”. We do need as many as we can muster who, like C.S. Lewis, are “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (to borrow the words of Paul the apostle).

Actually, "apologist" is derived from "apologia" which means "implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief, or position".

In other words, "apology" is derived from "apologia", which originally meant "to explain a position". It has since been corrupted to mean "a formal justification or admission of error".

[The_Reader_David]

Amplifying on what others have pointed out about the derivation of 'apologist': the whole enterprise of explaining and arguing in support of Christianity to non-believers is called 'apologetics'. The first instance was the Apology of the Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher (as we call him in the East, the West usually just calls him Justin Martyr), who wrote an explanation of Christian beliefs and practices to the Emperor Antonius in the mid second century.

[John Leland 1789]

I think, “apologist,” in this case, is merely a word like “theologian” or “Bible teacher” — very general. Obviously it comes from the same root as ‘apologize,” but means, defender.