Apologetics
Apologetics has been described as that branch of theology devoted to defense of a religious belief which is under verbal or written attack. As such, it is not a term much used by Bahá'ís. However, Bahá'u'lláh has urged those who are able to vigorously defend the Faith against attack to do so:
It is incumbent upon all men, each according to his ability, to refute the arguments of those who have attacked the Faith of God.[1]
The most significant Bahá'í apologist to date has been Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani, whose works such as "The Brilliant Proof" were written to defend the Bahá'í Teachings.
In more recent times, the book Making the Crooked Straight stands out as a significant work of Bahá'í apologetics. This is the English translation of the work "Disinformation als Methode", written by Udo Schaefer, Ullrich Gollmer and Nicola Towfigh. It was in response to a tendentious work by an embittered ex-Bahá’í in German, and which was seriously damaging the Faith in the eyes of German academics and institutions.
A British academic, Robert Parry, presented a paper on apologetics in the late twentieth century, which included the following:
Apologetics is not shouting, neither is it passive listening to the criteria of the "world". It is responsible engagement. Responsible, because it strikes at clarity and is undergone in responsibility and honesty by responsible believers; engagement because it is not afraid.[2]
