Shutting People Up

A ref21 reader has written to remind me of another good use for apologetics.  According to Calvin, we need apologetics not so much "to convert the hearts of the ungodly but to stop their obstreperous mouths."  One wonders what Richard Dawkins would have to say about that! 

I am reminded of something Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, possibly with reference to Romans 3:19: "A Christian is someone whose mouth is shut."  In other words, a Christian is someone who has stopped talking (and especially stopped talking back to God) long enough to listen to his saving gospel.