JEFFERSON CITY –The MBC has launched the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network, a group of church leaders committed to the defense of the Christian faith and called to equip believers to more effectively share their faith.
Julie Loos, a member of First Baptist Church, Ellisville, and director of Ratio Christi Boosters, acknowledges she’s not a typical apologist. Not a preacher or seminary graduate; she’s just an ordinary woman who started studying at “point zero” and has become an advocate for defending the faith. Today she serves as a member of Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network.
“I want to make apologetics appealing, especially to moms and women so they can teach themselves, then train their kids and then I believe we can transform the world,” Loos said. “All you have to do is look at the culture to see that we have to step it up.”
Those who may have been intimidated by apologetics will be encouraged by Loos’ story. As her children entered middle school, she took a class at First Baptist Church, Ellisville, on comparative world religious so she could help answer her children’s questions. The study fascinated her, but also raised a question she couldn’t answer.
“How do you talk to others who don’t esteem the Bible without relying solely on Scripture?” Loos asked the teacher. He directed her to apologetics. As she dug into it, she was thrilled to discover the reasons behind what she believed. “I just kept studying and it became a passion.”
Loos has received training at Frank Turek’s Cross Examined Instructors Academy and is pursuing a Certificate in Apologetics at Biola University. She has developed an overview of most apologetics topics and especially enjoys connecting people with resources to help them grow deeper.
“For all Christians, it’s part of our calling. We all need to be ready to give a defense and do it in a way that is respectful and gentle,” she said. “We don’t have to be argumentative; we should take a logical and reasonable approach.”
Loos is also involved in Moms in Prayer International, which leads women to pray for their children and schools. She now has two sons in college and research opened her eyes to the hostile environment Christian students face in college.
“I use what I’ve learned through studying apologetics and the Christian worldview to equip moms of college students to pray more strategically for the college campus.”
Last year, Loos came on staff with Ratio Christi, an apologetics campus organization for college students and professors, which will soon be working with high school students as well. As Director of Ratio Christi Boosters, she is currently working on a collaborative project to share with churches about the causes, the problems and the solutions behind the disturbing youth exodus from church.
As a member of the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network, Loos is available to facilitate workshops and training for women’s ministries. She has equipped mothers to be role models for their families in encouraging them to ask hard questions and working together to find the answers.
“It will take both the family and the church to better train kids in what they believe and why,” she said. “It’s not about just teaching it, we have to give them real world training where they can defend their faith.”
Loos recommends the following resources:
• Ratio Christi: www.ratiochristi.org
• Ratio Christi Boosters (community outreach and involvement): www.ratiochristi.org/boosters
• Resources page especially for parents who want to begin learning more about apologetics ratiochristi.org/boosters/prepare
• Moms in Prayer International: www.momsinprayer.org/groups/types-of-groups/college
• Archived monthly messages which are often influenced by apologetics: https://www.momsinprayer.org/Groups/Types-of-Groups/College/Monthly-Message-Archives