An "apologist" is a person who engages regularly in the study and practice of "apologetics". In turn, apologetics is the study and practice of the intellectual defense of a belief system -- in our case, the Christian faith. The words derive from the Greek apologia("defense") and apologeo ("to defend"). Rich's "Apologia" report bears that name for this very reason. The word apologia is found in 1 Peter 3:15, commonly regarded as the classic text regarding apologetics.

The purpose of apologetics is to give reasons or arguments in support of Christian beliefs. These arguments may be either defensive, in which objections to Christian faith are answered (e.g., why does God permit evil?), or offensive, in which positive cases are made for Christian beliefs (e.g., the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus).

Anyone who takes the study and practice of apologetics seriously may be called an apologist. Of course, some persons are especially gifted and equipped for this ministry, and in a narrower sense these are the people we mean when we speak of apologists. But in the broader sense, to paraphrase Moses, would that all of the Lord's people were apologists!