Journal for Christian theology and religious studies

KS Studies 2024, 1(2):32-48 | DOI: 10.32725/kss.2026.003

Presenting Original Apologetics

Stuart Nicolson
Faculty of Theology, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
Epiphany University Zambia, Zambia

Based on the approach of ‘Original Apologetics’, returning to the Petrine call to all faithful that they learn the faith and respond to others in a Christian manner (1 Pt 3:15), this paper sets out how these ideas have been presented ordinarily in the parish setting to clergy and laity, consistent with the call of Gaudium et Spes 62.

By describing the general content and progression in an initial format of four presentations, the course’s main points can be seen to develop in each of these. The presentations introduce the original Petrine call, then identify similar scriptural calls by Paul and Jude. Alongside these, several calls from Second Vatican Council documents based upon these sources are given. Supporting content includes the Two Ways theme and a brief history of apologetical development. These lead to the final presentation which presents the Council’s many calls in Apostolicam Actuositatem and Presbyterorum Ordinis for clergy and laity to work together to develop the capability to respond to others’ questions or challenges about the faith, which should ideally be developed within the parish setting. The final part describes the rationale of the content and intentions to give a concise outline and further explanation of these.

The paper seeks to establish the feasibility of presenting Original Apologetics, an academically-formed approach, to ordinary faithful, to outline possible developments of the original study in presentations, and thus to provide an example of how the Original Apologetics ideas can be developed for use in parishes and beyond. This can enable others to view the content in general and is a starting point for developing similar courses, including adaptations for other denominations and creating academic courses. Overall, the aim is to aid transformation of the theological-apologetical ideas of Original Apologetics into their practical application in the parish or a similar setting.

Keywords: apologetics, Peter’s call, Second Vatican Council, Apostolicam Actuositatem, Presbyterorum Ordinis, parish, Original Apologetics, apologetics preparation, laity, clergy

Received: June 27, 2026; Accepted: June 27, 2026; Prepublished online: July 27, 2026; Published: July 29, 2026  Show citation

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Nicolson, S. (2024). Presenting Original Apologetics. KS Studies, 1(2), 32-48. doi: 10.32725/kss.2026.003
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