Meet Christian Apologist Lisa Quintana

Lisa Quintana has a master's degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. She is Vice-Chair of Communications for Women in Apologetics and teaches apologetics at her home church. Lisa has a blog thinkdivinely.com  and her posts have been widely shared including on The Poached Egg, and the Christian Apologetics Alliance.

You started out your career in broadcast journalism. Then you switched to public relations. Looking back, how did those careers prepare you for pursuing apologetics?

It’s funny when you’re a kid and you dream of what you’ll be when you grow up, and then you find yourself doing something that wasn’t even on your radar. I did dream of being a reporter, but never in my wildest dreams did I see being a Christian Apologist. What the heck does that even mean, anyway? Am I “sorry for my faith?” That’s what I get a lot. When people ask me what I do, I dread answering sometimes. When I answer that I’m an Apologist, most of them usually make some crack as to being “apologetic.” There is a BIG difference.

If there is one thing that I have learned as a Christian, when you submit your will to His, God often takes you places you’ve never could have imagined. Christian Apologetics is one of those places. As I’ve yielded to God’s plans instead of my own, I can see the hand of God directing me from my former career choices to the strategic spot He’s placed me in today. It’s a strategic move of God because my training in reporting and public relations prepared me well to be an Apologist. For instance, I know how to ask good questions and tell a story, and that’s the essence of Apologetics. It’s not merely defending why Christianity is true, but it’s knowing how to ask good questions of other beliefs. Often, I find that most people have not taken much time to evaluate their own worldview, and sadly, most could not tell me why what they believe is true, including many Christians themselves.

People tend to believe something based on their emotions or how it makes them feel. But feelings are not always reliable. Good facts and solid evidence are more reliable. What Christian Apologetics teaches is that Christianity has evidence to back it up. Despite what we hear in some media outlets at times, being a Christian is not about “blind faith” at all. It never was meant to be blind. And that’s why Jesus came: to reveal Himself as the Messiah by doing many miracles; the greatest of these being His Resurrection. These events were witnessed and written down for our benefit, so we can know what happened thousands of years ago.
           

In terms of your spiritual development, what was it like growing up? Did you have a particularly religious life at home?

Growing up in my household, God was rarely mentioned. As small children, my parents took my brother and I to church occasionally, but eventually we stopped going by the time I was in the third grade. My mom tried to teach us about Jesus, but my dad wasn’t interested in it. He said people were hypocrites, and he didn’t want to attend church any longer. Without the support of dad, mom eventually stopped going to church, as well. After that, we pretty much lived as secular humanists and were basically nice people, but not spiritual in any sense.

However, I do remember an Easter message that stuck out in my mind as a child. The pastor had encouraged everyone to wake up on Easter morn and proclaim: “Christ has risen – Hallelujah.” So, I did! My family smiled and nodded, but the rest of that day was all about the Easter Egg hunt and the dinner. Nonetheless, seeds of faith were planted in my soul as a little girl, but they weren’t watered. It wasn’t until many years later that those seeds finally began to take root.

Would you say that you were a spiritually-minded person as a child and teen?

Innately, I always knew there was more to life than what met the eye. I did believe in Jesus as a little girl, but by the time I hit the teens years, I was more interested in New Age spirituality and dipped a bit into the occult. I was drawn to edgy things because I had a rebellious spirit. My family life was dysfunctional, so I think I was acting some of that out by playing with the “dark side.” I played with the Ouija board, got into Astrology, and went to Psychic fairs. Nothing terrible happened to me, other than I became a partier, drinking and smoking lots of pot. I fell in love easily, too, and that left me heartbroken. In all that mess, deep within, I was desperate for meaning… for a sense that life should have a purpose.

When you were 25 years of age, you became a Christian. What motivated your decision?

Brokenness motivated me to seek truth. I was emotionally wounded, and I desired to find the answer to whether this life was all that there was? In college, I met a Christian guy who honored me. Instead of having my head turn towards him and fall in love again, this guy turned my head toward God, and gave me a Bible version/translation I could actually understand. In it, he wrote these words, “Nobody will ever love you more than your Heavenly Father loves you.”

Then, he told me to read the Gospel of John. I had always started to read the Bible in Genesis; consequently, I never got far. Beginning in the first chapter of John was the best thing anyone ever told me! When my eyes fell upon those first few verses: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” I just knew this was true. Was this the love I was looking for? I suddenly had my eyes open, and knew this was God’s love letter to me! Jesus was calling me to return to that childhood faith that I had left behind as a small girl.

How about the decision to pursue another, advanced, degree, in apologetics?

I had gone back to school to earn an AA in Christian Studies. This degree was a basic overview of the Christian faith, with some Church history and a general survey of the books in Bible. But that degree only whet my appetite for more! I still had unanswered questions, and when I looked at the courses that the Master’s in Apologetics program at Biola offered, I knew those classes would help me answer some more questions.

How would you define apologetics?

The actual word, “apologetics” comes from the original language as written in 1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense (apologia) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The word “defense” was translated from “apologia.” It basically means that Christians should be able to make a case for Christ, or give the reasons and evidences that show why Christianity is true.

You’re the ‘Vice-Chair of Communication’s for Women in Apologetics. Why is this organization important to you?

Women need to be learning apologetics for several reasons. First, often women are the primary caretakers of children, and so should be able to not only teach their kids the Bible stories, but tell them WHY it’s true. Plus, if we’re to reach the Muslim world for Christ, some Muslim sects only allow women to speak to other women. Last but not least, as stated in 1 Peter 3:15, it is a biblical encouragement to make a defense for Christ. Peter says “everyone should give the reasons for the hope” within them, and so that includes the ladies!

What sort of work does Women in Apologetics (WIA) do?

We host an annual National Conference featuring all women apologists. We also educate women in this field, and have many resources on the WIA website (womeninapologetics.com). We eventually plan to provide scholarships to women who need financial help to learn apologetics, and plan to host smaller conference throughout the year to continue in educating women in apologetics.

How do you view the inherent tension between faith and logic? Or the difference between a Charismatic expression of faith and the discipline of logic?
           

Is there an ‘inherent tension’? I think that might be an assumption, and it’s one I’d like to dismiss. God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33). He created not only the physical laws that govern the universe and all life within it, but He has given us spiritual laws as well. God is a logical being, so it follows that logic and faith are not at odds with one another. Now when it comes to us humans, well that is a different story!

Because God created us with free will, we can use it in ways that are not always so logical ourselves.

I am not sure what you mean by a “Charismatic expression of faith” and the “discipline of logic.” If, by that question, you mean that some Christians express their faith differently, then yes, I certainly agree. It’s great to have diversity of all kinds of people expressing their love for God in ways that are personal to their preferences.

Yet, I have heard of those who say that the intellect can destroy one’s faith, but that’s not true. I have found the opposite to be true; my apologetic studies have only enhanced my faith and have made it theologically deeper than before. Anyway, God commands us to: “…'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your MIND'…” (Just sayin’.)

What have you been up to since graduation! (And congratulations!!!)

Thank you! I have been teaching apologetics classes at my church in Madison, Wisconsin. I also have been blogging at thinkdivinely.com. I also write for the Women in Apologetics (WIA) Newsletter. I wrote a 365-day educational devotional on apologetics for the busy person who wants to learn this stuff but may not have a lot of time. So, I am actively trying to find a publisher for that project. I am also working on a theodicy on suffering (or why God allows it), and working on developing a manual on ‘evangelizing with apologetics’ to be used as a class in local churches.