The apologetic religion
Christianity is the apologetic religion. No other religion has ever seriously set itself to the endeavour to subdue a hostile world by apology (from logos, “reason,” or “reason,” ratio vel oratio, 1 Pet. iii. 15), to reason the sinful world out of worldliness into godliness. The aspect of the new religion thus appearing toward the freedom of the human soul, in addressing itself to the reason in order to reach the man in his conscience and his heart, struck intelligent heathens as a presumptive evidence of truth and divinity, since reason is “the door” (John x. 1, etc.)—the lawful way—of seeking to win and to control the manhood.
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