Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
In a world indifferent or even opposed to Christian truth, followers of Christ must be better equipped to communicate the timeless of the Christian faith. But how do you have a conversation with someone who is intent on proving you wrong and won't accept the Bible as a source of authority?
In Tactics, Gregory Koukl demonstrates how to artfully regain control of conversations, keeping them moving forward in constructive ways through thoughtful diplomacy. You'll learn how to maneuver comfortably and graciously through the minefields of a challenging discussion, how to stop challengers in their tracks, and how to turn the tables on question or provocative statement. Most importantly, you'll learn how to get people thinking about Jesus.
Drawing on extensive experience defending Christianity in the public square, Koukl shows you how to:
- Initiate conversations effortlessly
- Present the truth clearly, cleverly, and persuasively
- Graciously and effectively expose faulty thinking
- Skillfully manage the details of dialogue
- Maintain an engaging, disarming style even under attack
Tactics provides the game plan for communicating the compelling truth about Christianity with confidence and grace.
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Top Highlights
“The key to the Columbo tactic is to go on the offensive in an inoffensive way by using carefully selected questions to productively advance the conversation. Simply put, never make a statement, at least at first, when a question will do the job.” (source)
“I have a general rule: If anyone in the discussion gets angry, you lose.” (source)
“The tactical approach requires as much careful listening as thoughtful response.” (source)
“These three applications comprise the game plan I use to tame the most belligerent critic. Sometimes I simply want to gather information. Other times, I ask a question to reverse the burden of proof, that is, to encourage the other person to give the reasons for her own views. Finally, I use questions to lead the conversation in a specific direction.” (source)
“Simply put, when arguments are few, error abounds.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
- Author: Koukl, Gregory
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Publication Date: 2009
- ISBN: 9780310574750
Reviews
2 ratings
Mark Dietsch
7/20/2023
Patrick
1/19/2022
What Koukl does here isn't your normal apologetics but it's the process of having the conversation with others about Christianity. So not quite showing you a positive or negative case presentation but how to respond in the best way possible to those who have questions or criticism of Christianity. Koukl inspires Christians to be measured in their approach and provide a loose process with responding to others or engaging in conversation with others. So having an understanding this isn't the "what to say" but "how to say it". What he also does well is to encourage people to do an internal critique of the other side well. While Koukl isn't a presuppositionalist, he has some good work here that would benefit someone who subscribes to that apologetic method. The book also adds a lot of examples which is perfect for the material laid out. While some may not like the little depth he goes into important issues, it's good to know that's not the purpose of the book and those subjects should be tackled in other books. Overall, this was a great book that really gave me a lot of ideas to think about my own presentations. The hardest part is actually trusting "the system" as we all tend to want to give the immediate reply rather than seeing if there's a better way. I would recommend this book and the Cave To The Cross Apologetics podcast that covered the book chapter-by-chapter (biased plug there). Final Grade - A-