In this sound-bite age, engaging in thoughtful dialogue with others about issues that matter most is difficult. We lack patience. We want morsels of knowledge packaged in 240 character epigrams. Rarely do we know what we believe about God, the world, or self. Even more rare is knowing why we believe what we believe. For those of us who are Christians—and know what this means and why it is true—the question becomes: how does the gospel get a fair hearing in the age of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram? How can we engage others in a conversation about things that matter most in such a way that progress is made toward truth?
Simply having the truth, as Christians do, is not enough. We must learn how to be effective communicators so that the truth of Christianity will be (1) understood and (2) seen as plausible and desirable. In short, we must add to knowledge of the truth an artful method of communicating the truth. We must learn how to gently take our partner (read: the person you are having a conversation with) and lead them toward the truth. We want to help them hear the music of the gospel.
To this I say a hearty amen! So much of apologetics these days focuses on the content of Christianity. Rightly so, after all Christianity is a knowledge tradition and we Christians think that knowledge of reality matters. Less attention (but see Os Guinness’s recently released Fool’s Talk) is given to having an artful method. Koukl’s Tactics is therefore a must have/must read/must practice tool for those who want to be effective apologists.
The book is filled with helpful advice, real-life anecdotes, and easy to employ tactical questions and maneuvers for leading others to the truth.
Do you need time to think or understand someone’s view? Then ask a Columbo question “What do you mean by that?” or “Why do you think that?” Are you being bullied by a steamroller that won’t let you get a word in and interrupts you when you do? Then apply Koukl’s tactics: stop him, gently confront him, or leave him. Are you being charged with holding views that you don’t even hold and asked to defend them? Shift the burden of proof. Are you confused about what to think from a professor who smugly proclaims that science has disproved God? Apply the Rhodes Scholar tactic. Do you spot an inconsistency in your dialogue partner’s worldview? Take the worldview for a test drive, take the roof off, and point out the inconsistency. Are you being bullied with assertions that are false? Then supply Just the Facts Ma’am. Each of these tactics (highlighted in bold) and more are discussed in a way that, through practice, can be applied to any conversation with wisdom and tact.
The overall point is this. Begin to think about apologetic conversations as a kind of dance. As you listen to the music of the gospel in your own life, let its rhythm overflow and move you to dance. And as you dance, invite others into conversation. Help them hear the music of the gospel. Take their hand and help them feel the rhythm. Help them see the truth. Help them begin to hear for themselves the music of the gospel, the only balm for a weary, bent, and broken soul.
Turn up the volume, listen to the music of the gospel, and invite others to join in the dance.
Here is one of my favorite videos of all time. It powerfully illustrates how we love to dance. Music moves us. And the music of the gospel, the good news of God’s mercy and grace to us, ought to move us to dance as well. Invite others to the dance.
As is now my custom, I am excited to list my favorite reads of 2024, in the categories of philosophy, apologetics/theology, spiritual formation, fiction, and non-fiction. I read 44 books in 2024. For each book read, I enter the date completed, title, author, and a one sentence summary of the book in my book log. Here are the top three books for each category.
Fueled by the conviction that stories sustain us because we were made to be nourished on the good, the true, and the beautiful, I determined to read one fiction book a month for this past year. And I read some very good stories! In addition to fiction, I have benefitted greatly this year from some solid works in philosophy, theology, biography, and spiritual formation. Without further ado, here are my favorite books read in 2023. As is custom, in my book log, I record the book title, author, and date completed, along with a one sentence description. This has been my practice since 2009. My book log now includes 635 entries. This year I read 43 books.
I love to read. Of course, being a professor helps. I get to read as part of my job. That’s good. But I also love to read for the sheer pleasure of it. When it comes to fiction, I love entering into secondary worlds and journeying along with the characters of the story. Often non-fiction reads like a good story too: life is life, story is story, and often the two kiss (a loose paraphrase of one of my favorite nonfiction stories of the year, All that is Sad is Untrue). (more…)
Fueled by the conviction that stories sustain us because we were made to be nourished on the good, the true, and the beautiful, I determined to read one fiction book a month for this past year. And I read some very good stories! In addition to fiction, I have benefitted greatly this year from some solid works in philosophy, theology, biography, and spiritual formation. Without further ado, here are my favorite books read in 2023. As is custom, in my book log, I record the book title, author, and date completed, along with a one sentence description. This has been my practice since 2009. My book log now includes 635 entries. This year I read 43 books.
I love to read. Of course, being a professor helps. I get to read as part of my job. That’s good. But I also love to read for the sheer pleasure of it. When it comes to fiction, I love entering into secondary worlds and journeying along with the characters of the story. Often non-fiction reads like a good story too: life is life, story is story, and often the two kiss (a loose paraphrase of one of my favorite nonfiction stories of the year, All that is Sad is Untrue). (more…)