Why Spiritual Warfare Matters in Urban Apologetics?
By: George Moore
“If you’re a Christian, you’re in a battle whether you realize it or not.” – Tony Evans [1]
What is Spiritual Warfare?
Apologetics involves giving solid evidence for what we believe as Christians and why. Ultimately, our goal is to lead people to these three truths about Jesus Christ:
a) He came and died for sinful humanity (John 3:16, 2 Cor. 5:21)
b) He resurrected from the grave (Acts 26:22-23; Romans 8:11)
c) He is the central figure in all of human history (Colossians 1:15-18).
As we engage the culture around us, Christians must be aware of the battle that can’t be seen with natural eyes. Our fight is spiritual in nature. We call this spiritual warfare, and it is simply defined as the “...struggle against otherworldly forces.” [2] The Bible is clear about who our main enemy is: Satan and his fallen angels (also known as demons). Their sole purpose is to oppose the Kingdom of God by keeping unbelievers blind (2 Cor. 4:), prevent the spread of the Gospel (1 Thess. 2:17-18), to tempt (1 Thess. 3:5), and to steal, kill or destroy God’s children. (John 10:10) The great news is that because of Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, the forces of hell were made powerless (Colossians 2:13-15) and through Him, we have the final victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Hebrews 2:14-15). However, while we live on earth we have to contend with the forces of darkness.
Spiritual Warfare and Urban Apologetics
I recently concluded a summer study of the book Urban Apologetics by Eric Mason with a few leaders in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. In our final week together, we focused on spiritual warfare and it left some lasting thoughts that I believe are vital when it comes to the ministry of urban apologetics. Here they are below:
Our Battle Is Not with People, but with Spiritual Wickedness in High Places [3]
I love sports and watching the latest sports news throughout the day. In many of the show formats, you have multiple people giving their latest take on a story. Eventually, a debate or argument breaks out when someone says something controversial or gives an opinion the other person doesn’t agree with. What’s funny is, if you’re not careful, apologetic conversations can turn into this, too. Many times, it’s easy to forget who the real enemy is when we get caught up in who wins a “debate.” I believe a tactic of our enemy is to have us focused on winning an argument, as opposed to being faithful and winning a soul.
The truth is, if you're an apologist, you tend to have a lot of knowledge about many subjects (church history, philosophy, etc.). Many have advanced degrees and have put in years of personal study on other religions, atheism, etc. Sometimes it is so easy to rely on what you know as opposed to who you know. Eric Mason asserts that is okay to have the “best arguments, but we must also trust in the Lord.” [4] If we rely on ourselves and intellect, we can take what is supposed to be a spiritual battle and make it about who knows the most. Make no mistake, God can use the most unskilled believer and use his or her words to pierce the heart of an atheist or a member of the conscious community. Why? Because he or she was aware of the spiritual battle at hand and was willing to trust the Spirit’s supernatural wisdom in that moment (Matt. 10:19; Luke 12:12).
My brothers and sisters, be encouraged and know that we have God on our side as we engage the forces of darkness. God desires that we be good stewards of the gifts and intellect he has given us. And the best way we steward these abilities is by understanding who our real enemy is and then move accordingly.
Spiritual Warfare and the Presence of Love
I have a friend who frequently engages in urban ministry. He also happens to be a tall, white guy from the Midwest who has recently come to understand the nuances and strong need for urban apologetics. A while back, he was on his face before the Lord begging for direction and a freshness in ministry. He was tired of business as usual. He was then led to engage the urban community and the area he came to is one of our city’s first black neighborhoods. One day he was on the block and he noticed a member of the Nation of Islam selling fruit alongside a young disciple. With boldness, he approached the members to engage in a conversation. As they all talked, my friend appealed to them based on two things: 1) a Father’s love for his children and 2) the desire to help the community. My friend then offered to buy up to a month’s supply of fruit, hoping to partner with the members of the NOI, so they can help provide fresh food for the black community.
The two NOI members were in disbelief! This completely disrupted their theology of the “white man being the devil.” [5][6] While the young disciple seemed intrigued by the idea, the elder member stated he would check with his Mosque before giving a final answer. Six years later, the NOI never got back to my friend and those two members have not been seen in the area since.
My friend prayed and he was led to engage with love and compassion. The Spirit of love (Christ) confronted the forces of darkness (NOI). The Lord can do the same with us if we are moved by love and compassion to engage the world around us.
Spiritual Warfare and the Black Identity
After years of engaging in apologetics in the Black community, Eric Mason concludes that “Satan has used Black identity issues to fool Black people into believing that the Gospel is insufficient...his lies underly the popular adage, ‘Christianity is the white man’s religion.’” [7] The narrative of Christianity “being white” is at the heart of these BRICs (Black Religious Identity Cults) [8] and many minorities are walking away from the faith as a result. Many of these BRIC’s were originally formed because their leaders received a message in a dream or vision from some kind of “angel” or “spirit”. Though this is not an extensive explanation or history, I can say with confidence that these were demonic spirits masquerading as “angels of light”. (2 Cor. 11:3-4)
We must not be surprised by this. In Hebrew, the word for angel is mal’ak and the name highlights their task: delivering messages.[9][10]The fallen angels that work for the kingdom of darkness's sole job is to sow discord and present deceptive messages and philosophies in hopes of hindering the spread of the Gospel and deceiving many. (Colossians 2:8) Because of the pain minorities have experienced in our nation due to racial injustice (much of it at the hands of the church), [11] Satan has used our vulnerability as a foothold to present crafty messages, hoping to lead many away from the Gospel and the Lord’s Church. Furthermore, many of these messages are presented in the form of pseudoscientific and genealogical arguments that the Scriptures exhort us to avoid. [12] Understanding this helps make us aware of Satan’s schemes as we engage in urban apologetics. (2 Cor. 2:11)
Going Forward w/Spiritual Weapons and God’s Armor
My hope is to help draw our hearts and minds back to the reality of our fight as a church. I love the fact that God is raising up soldiers who are vigilant in declaring the truth of Scripture and God’s love in the urban context. Remember, our enemy is not people, but the accuser of brethren (Rev. 12:10), and he can only be defeated with spiritual weapons (2 Cor. 10:4). These weapons are [13]:
Belt of Truth - truth holds the armor together
Breastplate of Righteousness - righteousness guards our hearts
Sandals of Peace - the Gospel’s peace stabilizes us
Shield of faith - faith protects us from Satan’s attacks
Helmet of Salvation - the mind of Christ, controlled by the Spirit
Sword of the Spirit - God’s Word, that is able to cut through any lie and pierce the hearts of men.
Prayer in the Spirit - where we get our strategy and strength from as soldiers. [14]
As you go forth family, know that the Lord has given us all we need to complete the task he has for us. (2 Peter 1:3) As we do this, we can have full confidence in the promise Jesus has given his church, that the “gates of hell will not prevail against us.” (Matt. 16:18)
Notes:
Tony Evans. (Prayers for Victory in Spiritual Warfare. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2015), pg. 9.
Millard Erickson. (The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Crossway Publishers, 2001), pg 190.
Ephesians 6:12
Eric Mason. ed. (Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity With The Gospel. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2021), pg. 236.
See Mason, pg. 75.
Chris Brooks. (Urban Apologetics: Why the Gospel Is Good News for the City. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2014), pg. 164.
See Mason, 232.
See Mason, 55.
Michael S. Heismer. (The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, Washington: Lexham Press, 2015), pg. 24.
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4397.htm
Ephesians 6:13-18
1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; Titus 3:9
Jemar Tisby. (The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2019), chap. 1, Audible.
See Mason, pg. 236.
George Moore is a native of Memphis, TN and currently serves as Research Assistant for the Jude 3 Project. He is pursuing a Masters of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. For the past decade, he has worked in pastoral and urban ministry and non-profit and civic engagement. He is passionate about sharing God’s Word and seeing the church equipped for the work of the ministry.