Ecumenical apologetics is "an explanation (defense) of the Christian Faith, in an ecumenical fashion";^[1] presenting a defense of one's own faith while advocating and recognizing "a greater sense of shared spirituality"^[2] with those of other confessions or faith traditions.

While neither apologetics nor ecumenism is a new term, "ecumenical apologetics" came into use early in the 21st century in an effort to combine the two, which were previously presumed to be opposing efforts or ideas.^[3] Likewise, both apologetics and ecumenism are terms used by people of different religious orientations; however, the term is used primarily, if not exclusively, to refer to a form of Christian apologetics.^{[citation needed]}