Terryl L. Givens, “Apologetics and Disciples of the Second Sort” (2019 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture)

The thirteenth annual Neal A. Maxwell lecture was presented by Terryl L. Givens on November 16, 2019 at Brigham Young University. In the New Testament, the apostle Peter called disciples to the task of apologetics: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” That phrase—“give an answer”—is a translator’s rendering of the Greek word apologia—an apology or defense; an explanation about how our faith gives us reason to hope. What form might we best use to communicate our reasons? And what does it mean to offer our witness, as Peter urges, “with meekness and fear”? In this lecture, Terryl L. Givens discusses how apologetics and disciple-scholarship more broadly requires a particular quality of mind and also heart.