How do you like walking around with a stone in your shoe? What if someone deliberately placed that stone in your shoe just to make you uncomfortable? That’s what author Greg Koukl trains you to do in Tactic: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions.
I like it. It is a simple way of describing how Francis Schaeffer approached Christian apologetics by “taking the roof off.” To “take the roof off” is to show people the contradictions and logical conclusions of their worldview. This is what Greg Koukl trains his readers to do in Tactics. I would describe the book as a combination of evangelism and apologetics because Koukl teaches us on how to engage others in evangelistic conversations and how to stay in the offensive position instead of the defensive position. Koukl describes his goal like this,
Koukl is so committed to being gracious that he says, “With these kind of caustic disputes, I have a general rule: If anyone in the discussion gets angry, you lose” (p. 30). You lose because you are not trying to win an argument, but be a means of God’s grace.
Lieutenant Columbo
This is a “tactic” that anyone could use with his “Columbo style” of asking questions. The first half of the book describes his Columbo series of questions that are easy to learn and perfect when you find yourself in speechless situations. The chapters are filled with helpful illustrations and regular reminders of the steps you should be taking to “get in the driver’s seat.”
Offense, Offense, Offense
In the second half of the book, Koukl helps you identify and respond to specific things people say and believe. He helps you identify when people contradict themselves, or believe arguments that are self-defeating, or identify rhetoric as a substitute for substance, or how to show someone the absurdity of their beliefs. He deals with Darwinism, and the reliability of Scripture, and atheism, Wicca, and all sort of topics relevant to sharing the gospel. Again, the chapters are filled with helpful illustrations that put you in an offensive position.
Highly Recommended
I would highly recommend Koukl’s Tactic. I am not only going to recommend this book for the CrossWay Book Store, but purchase a copy for all Exploring Christianity Discussion Group Leaders! I’ll let Koukl have the last word,
“It may surprise you to hear this, but I never set out to convert anyone. My aim is never to win someone to Christ. I have a more modest goal, one you might consider adopting as your own. All I want to do is put a stone in someone’s shoe. I want to give him something worth thinking about, something he can’t ignore because it continues to poke at him in a good way.” –page 39“Taking the roof off”
I like it. It is a simple way of describing how Francis Schaeffer approached Christian apologetics by “taking the roof off.” To “take the roof off” is to show people the contradictions and logical conclusions of their worldview. This is what Greg Koukl trains his readers to do in Tactics. I would describe the book as a combination of evangelism and apologetics because Koukl teaches us on how to engage others in evangelistic conversations and how to stay in the offensive position instead of the defensive position. Koukl describes his goal like this,
“My goal, rather, is to find clever ways to exploit someone’s bad thinking for the purpose of guiding her to truth, yet remaining gracious and charitable at the same time. My aim is to mange, not manipulate; to control, not coerce; to finesse, not fight. I want the same for you.” –page 29.Committed to Grace
Koukl is so committed to being gracious that he says, “With these kind of caustic disputes, I have a general rule: If anyone in the discussion gets angry, you lose” (p. 30). You lose because you are not trying to win an argument, but be a means of God’s grace.
Lieutenant Columbo
This is a “tactic” that anyone could use with his “Columbo style” of asking questions. The first half of the book describes his Columbo series of questions that are easy to learn and perfect when you find yourself in speechless situations. The chapters are filled with helpful illustrations and regular reminders of the steps you should be taking to “get in the driver’s seat.”
Offense, Offense, Offense
In the second half of the book, Koukl helps you identify and respond to specific things people say and believe. He helps you identify when people contradict themselves, or believe arguments that are self-defeating, or identify rhetoric as a substitute for substance, or how to show someone the absurdity of their beliefs. He deals with Darwinism, and the reliability of Scripture, and atheism, Wicca, and all sort of topics relevant to sharing the gospel. Again, the chapters are filled with helpful illustrations that put you in an offensive position.
Highly Recommended
I would highly recommend Koukl’s Tactic. I am not only going to recommend this book for the CrossWay Book Store, but purchase a copy for all Exploring Christianity Discussion Group Leaders! I’ll let Koukl have the last word,
“I encourage you to consider the strategy I use when God opens a door of opportunity for me. I pray quickly for wisdom, then ask myself this: What one thing can I say in this circumstance, what one question can I ask, what seed can I plant that will get the other person thinking? Then I simply try to put a stone in the person’s shoe.” -page 40
