---
title: "2 Apologetics Quotes By James K.A. Smith"
description: "2 Apologetics quotes by James K.A. Smith. Plus more from James K.A. Smith and more Apologetics sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-ve_969647.png"
---

> [“classical apologetics operates with a very modern notion of reason; “presuppositional” apologetics, on the other hand, is postmodern (and Augustinian!) insofar as it recognizes the role of presuppositions in both what counts as truth and what is recognized as true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-very-modern-notion-of-reason/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-ve_969647.png)

> [“Or, to put it another way, presuppositional apologetics--such as that developed by Francis Schaeffer, but also by Cornelius Van Til and, to a degree, Herman Dooeyeweerd--rejects classical apologetics precisely because presuppositionalism recognizes the truth of Derrida's claim that everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/or-to-put-it-another-way-presuppositional-apologetics-such-as-that/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_or-to-put-it-another-way-presuppositiona_1338807.jpg)

## Other authors on Apologetics

- [Criss Jami 37 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/criss-jami/)
- [Jon Morrison 19 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/jon-morrison/)
- [Michael Ben Zehabe 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/michael-ben-zehabe/)

## More by James K.A. Smith

> [“Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/jesus-is-a-teacher-who-doesn-t-just-inform-our-intellect-but-forms/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“So it is precisely our allergy to repetition in worship that has undercut the counterformative power of Christian worship—because all kinds of secular liturgies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/so-it-is-precisely-our-allergy-to-repetition-in-worship-that-has/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“too often we look for the Spirit in the extraordinary when God has promised to be present in the ordinary.5”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/too-often-we-look-for-the-spirit-in-the-extraordinary-when-god-has/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Formative Christian worship paints a picture of the beauty of the Lord--and a vision of the shalom he desires for creation--in a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/formative-christian-worship-paints-a-picture-of-the-beauty-of-the/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Too much of our cultural analysis is rooted in thinking-thingism: we scan culture, listening for “messages,” bent on rooting out “false” teachings. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/too-much-of-our-cultural-analysis-is-rooted-in-thinking-thingism-we/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“We confess knowledge without certainty, truth without objectivity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/we-confess-knowledge-without-certainty-truth-without-objectivity/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Worship, then, needs to be characterized by hospitality; it needs to be inviting. But at the same time, it should be inviting seekers into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/worship-then-needs-to-be-characterized-by-hospitality-it-needs-to-be/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Discipleship, we might say, is a way to curate your heart, to be attentive to and intentional about what you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/discipleship-we-might-say-is-a-way-to-curate-your-heart-to-be/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Your deepest desire,” he observes, “is the one manifested by your daily life and habits.”6 This is because our action—our doing—bubbles up from our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/your-deepest-desire-he-observes-is-the-one-manifested-by-your-daily/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Foucault. The seemingly disturbing, even Nietzschean claim that “power is knowledge” should push us to realize what MTV learned long ago: (a) the cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/foucault-the-seemingly-disturbing-even-nietzschean-claim-that-power/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“The doubter’s doubt is faith; his temptation is belief, and it is a temptation that has not been entirely quelled, even in a secular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/the-doubter-s-doubt-is-faith-his-temptation-is-belief-and-it-is-a/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Worship works from the top down, you might say. In worship we don’t just come to show God our devotion and give him our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/worship-works-from-the-top-down-you-might-say-in-worship-we-don-t/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“While formally or structurally speaking, there are mechanisms of discipline operative in both the convent and the prison, in both the factory and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/while-formally-or-structurally-speaking-there-are-mechanisms-of/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Antoine de Saint-Exupéry captures this well: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-captures-this-well-if-you-want-to-build-a/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

> [“Because of this Christian materialism, a catholic postmodernism (or postmodern catholicity) affirms sacramentality on two levels. On the one hand, it affirms a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/because-of-this-christian-materialism-a-catholic-postmodernism-or/)

[James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/#itemlist",
            "name": "2 Apologetics Quotes By James K.A. Smith",
            "numberOfItems": 2,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“classical apologetics operates with a very modern notion of reason; “presuppositional” apologetics, on the other hand, is postmodern (and Augustinian!) insofar as it recognizes the role of presuppositions in both what counts as truth and what is recognized as true.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "James K.A. Smith"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-very-modern-notion-of-reason/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-ve_969647.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-ve_969647.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-ve_969647.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“classical apologetics operates with a very modern notion of reason; “presuppositional” apologetics, on the…” — James K.A. Smith",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Or, to put it another way, presuppositional apologetics--such as that developed by Francis Schaeffer, but also by Cornelius Van Til and, to a degree, Herman Dooeyeweerd--rejects classical apologetics precisely because presuppositionalism recognizes the truth of Derrida's claim that everything is interpretation (though I am admittedly radicalizing their intuitions).”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "James K.A. Smith"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/or-to-put-it-another-way-presuppositional-apologetics-such-as-that/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_or-to-put-it-another-way-presuppositiona_1338807.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_or-to-put-it-another-way-presuppositiona_1338807.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_or-to-put-it-another-way-presuppositiona_1338807.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Or, to put it another way, presuppositional apologetics--such as that developed by Francis Schaeffer, but…” — James K.A. Smith",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/",
            "name": "Apologetics Quotes by James K.A. Smith",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/james-k-a-smith-11405_apologetics_classical-apologetics-operates-with-a-ve_969647.png"
            },
            "description": "2 Apologetics quotes by James K.A. Smith. Plus more from James K.A. Smith and more Apologetics sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Apologetics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "James K.A. Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/james-k-a-smith/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
