It’s common for those who fail to see the value of learning apologetics to claim that all we need to do is simply present the truth to those in error, and then trust the Lord to convict their hearts.  There is no reason to present people with reasons to believe that what you claim is true is indeed true; we just proclaim the truth and trust God to do the rest.  The unbeliever either sees it, or they don’t.  If they don’t see it, it must be because they don’t love God and have chosen to reject the truth.

What I find interesting about those of this opinion is that they often argue with those of us who see the value of presenting the unbeliever with reasons to believe, claiming that our approach is not based on faith.  “We need to trust in God to change their minds,” they claim.

Did you catch the contradiction?  While they claim to trust in God to convince unbelievers of the truth apart from a rational defense of the truth, they do not trust God to convince us of what they believe to be true: that our rational-support approach to truth is in error.

So the next time an anti-rationalist accuses you of not having enough faith in God to convince unbelievers of the truth, ask him/her “If you have faith in God, why are you confronting me on this issue?  Why are you giving me reasons to ignore reason and ‘just have faith?’  Why didn’t you just pray and trust God to change my mind on this issue?”

They didn’t pray for God to change your mind because they understand that persuasion comes through information, not just spiritual conviction.