When I was in high school my nickname was Padre. I was always preaching. During football season, my teammates would mock me, until they needed someone to block the middle linebacker. I wood-burned the name Padre into my lacrosse stick.
But it wasn’t until I was introduced to Francis Schaeffer that my preaching was wedded with reasoning, something I now call “apologetic-evangelism.” Don’t get me wrong. Preaching is important. But if we read Scripture carefully, preaching is for Christians in The Church.
Did my schoolmates need to hear my daily sermonettes? Possibly. But I learned over the years that sharing the gospel with others means listening to the questions they ask, then, giving answers to questions asked, based on The Hope I have in the Biblical Story.
Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.
Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.
“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.
Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.