---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Christian’s motive in apologetics should…"
description: "\"“Christian’s motive in apologetics should be a God-inspired grief for the lost. We should be brokenhearted over the dehumanizing reductionisms that dis..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg"
---

#  Christian’s motive in apologetics should be a God-inspired…

![“Christian’s motive in apologetics should be a God-inspired grief for the lost. We should be brokenhearted over the dehumanizing reductionisms that dishonor and destroy our fellow human beings. We should weep for people whose dark worldviews deny that their life choices have meaning or moral…” quote by Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg)

> ““Christian’s motive in apologetics should be a God-inspired grief for the lost. We should be brokenhearted over the dehumanizing reductionisms that dishonor and destroy our fellow human beings. We should weep for people whose dark worldviews deny that their life choices have meaning or moral significance. We should be moved by sorrow for people whose education has taught them that their loves, dreams, and highest ideals are ultimately nothing but electrical impulses jumping across the synapses in their brains. We should mourn for postmoderns who think that (as Schopenhauer said) the “eternal truths” are only in one’s head.””

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote urges believers to feel deep compassion for those whose worldviews deny meaning, urging a God‑inspired grief that motivates apologetics.

**In simple terms:** Feel sorrow for those lacking purpose.

Key Takeaway

Let compassion drive your apologetic work.

Themes

compassion apologetics meaning human dignity

Mood

empathetic serious

Type

motivational theological

When to use this quote

- evangelism
- counseling
- public speaking
- interfaith dialogue

Key Concepts

theology existentialism cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How can grief be balanced with logical persuasion?
- What role does empathy play in changing worldviews?

A Different Perspective

Skeptics may view grief as emotional bias rather than rational argument.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apologetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Dark world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-world/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Life Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-choice/) [Life choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-choices/)

## Related quotes

> [Yet church youth groups rarely teach apologetics, majoring instead on games and goodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/yet-church-youth-groups-rarely-teach-apologetics-majoring-instead-on/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“You were the light in my dark world that gave me a path different from the one set by my father. I’ll never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/you-were-the-light-in-my-dark-world-that-gave-me-a-path-different/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“How clear she shines ! How quietly I lie beneath her guardian light; While heaven and earth are whispering me, " To morrow, wake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-clear-she-shines-how-quietly-i-lie-beneath-her-guardian-light/)

[Emily Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/)

> [To me, it always comes down to character and script and then director. If a character belongs to me, it's mine. We belong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-taylor-joy/to-me-it-always-comes-down-to-character-and-script-and-then-director/)

[Anya Taylor-Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-taylor-joy/)

> [Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-and-death-appeared-to-me-ideal-bounds-which-i-should-first-break/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Home is the center of my being where I can hear the voice that says: 'You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/home-is-the-center-of-my-being-where-i-can-hear-the-voice-that-says/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [“I live in a world in which 40 men control wealth equal to that of nearly 80 countries, where to maintain their hegemony, countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-pineda/i-live-in-a-world-in-which-40-men-control-wealth-equal-to-that-of/)

Cecile Pineda

> [“There is complete hope for terminal illness in the power of the Almighty God. The hands of Jesus are healing hands...the hands of Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellah-mupanduki/there-is-complete-hope-for-terminal-illness-in-the-power-of-the/)

Stellah Mupanduki

> [“Children begin with detail, and learn up to the general; they begin with the contiguous, and gradually comprehend the universal. The boy seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/children-begin-with-detail-and-learn-up-to-the-general-they-begin/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [... the heroism of the average mother. Ah! When I think of that broad fact, I gather hope again for poor humanity; and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/the-heroism-of-the-average-mother-ah-when-i-think-of-that-broad-fact/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [I never, ever romanticise life in the pit. It was a hard, dirty, noisy, tiring, dangerous job in a confined space, a very dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-skinner/i-never-ever-romanticise-life-in-the-pit-it-was-a-hard-dirty-noisy/)

[Dennis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-skinner/)

> [You'll realize the transformation is not for you alone. You'll learn that you're here to use this gift to shine light on the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/you-ll-realize-the-transformation-is-not-for-you-alone-you-ll-learn/)

[Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/)

> [Sometimes the only light in your dark world is yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-only-light-in-your-dark-world-is-yourself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Oneday all will change and be well with me, my dark world shall be replaced by a bright sun and my tears shall be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sweetner/oneday-all-will-change-and-be-well-with-me-my-dark-world-shall-be/)

[Sweetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sweetner/)

> [My hero is Jesus, he is the one who gives me hope in this dark world we are living in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper/my-hero-is-jesus-he-is-the-one-who-gives-me-hope-in-this-dark-world/)

John Cooper

## More by Nancy Pearcey

> [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Redemption is not just about being saved \*from\* the consequences of sin, it is also about being saved \*to\* something- to resume the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/redemption-is-not-just-about-being-saved-from-the-consequences-of-sin/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Author conveys contemporary respect for Methodist preachers who rode the circuit of frontier settlements to put themselves at risk for the Gospel near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/author-conveys-contemporary-respect-for-methodist-preachers-who-rode/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/literary-theory-has-become-a-parody-of-science-generating-its-own/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Many of us don't even know what it means to have a Christian perspective on our work. Oh, we know that being a Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/many-of-us-don-t-even-know-what-it-means-to-have-a-christian/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/people-are-not-relativistic-when-it-comes-to-matters-of-science/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Knowing the truth has meaning only as a first step to living the truth day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/knowing-the-truth-has-meaning-only-as-a-first-step-to-living-the/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [The most consistent versions of materialism deny the reality of anything beyond matter - no soul, no spirit, no will, no mind. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-most-consistent-versions-of-materialism-deny-the-reality-of/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the-birth-of-jesus-in-bethlehem/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [In many cases students are never exposed to competing ideas within their families, churches, or Christian schools, and as a result they go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/in-many-cases-students-are-never-exposed-to-competing-ideas-within/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“The sword of the Spirit has been muffled up and decked out with flowers and ribbons," author writes, conveying the sentiments of a Congregationist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-sword-of-the-spirit-has-been-muffled-up-and-decked-out-with/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“No matter how hard people work to suppress their knowledge of God, creation itself keeps challenging them. “Human life is a continual wrestling match…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/no-matter-how-hard-people-work-to-suppress-their-knowledge-of-god/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [The loss of objectivity in moral thought does not lead to liberation. It leads to oppression. Secular ideologies preach liberty, but they practice tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-loss-of-objectivity-in-moral-thought-does-not-lead-to-liberation/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Christianity explains why truth is not merely a human construction. The world is not a creation of my own mind. It is the handiwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christianity-explains-why-truth-is-not-merely-a-human-construction/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Because a human is a someone and not a something, the source of human life must also be a Someone - not the blind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/because-a-human-is-a-someone-and-not-a-something-the-source-of-human/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

[Explore all 132 Nancy Pearcey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

## More Apologetics quotes

> [“Religion, like science, is only noteworthy when it emphasizes a matter of what is true rather than whose belief is greater or lesser or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/religion-like-science-is-only-noteworthy-when-it-emphasizes-a-matter/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [“The Myth of Sisyphus makes us wonder if we too are like the ones who are so distracted making friends with important people, staying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-morrison/the-myth-of-sisyphus-makes-us-wonder-if-we-too-are-like-the-ones-who/)

[Jon Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-morrison/)

> [“Diversion consoles us - in trivial ways - in the face of our miseries or perplexities; yet, paradoxically, it becomes the worst of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-groothuis/diversion-consoles-us-in-trivial-ways-in-the-face-of-our-miseries-or/)

[Douglas Groothuis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-groothuis/)

> [“People naturally have questions. They always have and always will. One of the key functions of apologetics, then, is to respond to questions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/people-naturally-have-questions-they-always-have-and-always-will-one/)

[Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/)

> [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“The truth that there is an infinite, eternal, and personal mind behind the realities of the universe that can be detected through human reflection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-samples/the-truth-that-there-is-an-infinite-eternal-and-personal-mind-behind/)

Kenneth Samples

> [The purpose of apologetics is not just to win an argument or a discussion, but that people with whom we are in contact may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/the-purpose-of-apologetics-is-not-just-to-win-an-argument-or-a/)

[Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/)

> [“The wrong approaches to faith and to skepticism are equally detrimental to the path. For the former declares its answers too soon and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-wrong-approaches-to-faith-and-to-skepticism-are-equally/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [“The task of the apologist is not simply to show that there is no hope of eternal salvation outside of Christ, but also that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-l-bahnsen/the-task-of-the-apologist-is-not-simply-to-show-that-there-is-no-hope/)

[Greg L. Bahnsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-l-bahnsen/)

> [“Every argument against the God of the Bible is based on made-up stuff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petros-scientia/every-argument-against-the-god-of-the-bible-is-based-on-made-up-stuff/)

Petros Scientia

> [“Some of the simplest of truths are also some of the most difficult of truths, but such is Christianity: 'If it's not about Christ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/some-of-the-simplest-of-truths-are-also-some-of-the-most-difficult-of/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [“Christianity is at its purest a philosophy about a person, Jesus Christ, and at its dirtiest a philosophy about requirements and law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/christianity-is-at-its-purest-a-philosophy-about-a-person-jesus/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [ “In a culture where image is more important than information, style more important than substance it is not enough to possess the truth. \[Christian\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-warner-wallace/in-a-culture-where-image-is-more-important-than-information-style/)

[J. Warner Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-warner-wallace/)

> [“When you find that a theology has nothing more to offer than what the world already offers, then that theology as a theology is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/when-you-find-that-a-theology-has-nothing-more-to-offer-than-what-the/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [“Cop-out excuses and catch-phrase dismissals can only work so long before the holes in the religious argument cannot be ignored any longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-dustcircle/cop-out-excuses-and-catch-phrase-dismissals-can-only-work-so-long/)

Steve Dustcircle

[Browse all 155 Apologetics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetics/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Christian’s motive in apologetics should be a God-inspired grief for the lost. We should be brokenhearted over the dehumanizing reductionisms that dishonor and destroy our fellow human beings. We should weep for people whose dark worldviews deny that their life choices have meaning or moral significance. We should be moved by sorrow for people whose education has taught them that their loves, dreams, and highest ideals are ultimately nothing but electrical impulses jumping across the synapses in their brains. We should mourn for postmoderns who think that (as Schopenhauer said) the “eternal truths” are only in one’s head.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nancy Pearcey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should-be-a-god-inspired-grief-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Apologetics"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should-be-a-god-inspired-grief-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/nancy-pearcey-3368_apologetics_christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should_2204343.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Christian’s motive in apologetics should be a God-inspired grief for the lost. We should be brokenhearted…” — Nancy Pearcey",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Nancy Pearcey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Christian’s motive in apologetics should be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should-be-a-god-inspired-grief-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christian-s-motive-in-apologetics-should-be-a-god-inspired-grief-for/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
