Not quite expedience. This is a tradition that dates back to the very earliest years of the Church (c.a. 160 AD), starting with Justin Martyr and his writings t

Not quite expedience. This is a tradition that dates back to the very earliest years of the Church (c.a. 160 AD), starting with Justin Martyr and his writings to the Emperor of Rome (known as "apologies"). Justin was a philosopher convert to Christianity and was known for using the language and reasoning common to philosophers of the time to defend the early Christian Church. He reasoned that if he was going to make a case for the Church, he would have to frame his argument with principles familiar to his audience. This was a novel approach at the time, but it has been emulated by countless people since.