Sye argues that apologists start with God in church but abandon that starting point when engaging unbelievers — an inconsistency; cites Proverbs 26:4

In a church context, Christians speak with certainty and start with God. But when doing apologetics with unbelievers, most apologists put God 'on the shelf' and argue from neutral ground. Sye cites Proverbs 26:4 — 'Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him' — as a command not to adopt the fool's presupposition (there is no God) when doing apologetics. Winger counters that Proverbs 26:4-5 must be read together.