★★★★★ 4
Christians should learn how to communicate their convictions
INTRODUCTION: KOUKL AND TACTICS
Tactics is a resource for Christians who are looking to hone their apologetic skills and seeking to grow in their opportunities to evangelize more effectively. Gregory Koukl, who teaches at Biola University, is validated in the area of apologetics by many years of experience in defending the faith but also in the theological whit involved in evangelizing. Koukl is the founder of a website called Stand To Reason, which is one of the most viewed websites on apologetics. For years, Koukl has sought to help individual Christians defend their faith and share their convictions. Using tactics, Koukl attempts to challenge Christians to embody his Ambassador Model – thinking logically, loving graciously, and persuading passionately.
SUMMARY
The book is very easy to read. It is dividend into two parts, the first revealing a game plan for defending the faith. In the first part, Koukl is concerned with helping his readers grasp the concept of maneuvering effortlessly through conversations about religion. Many Christians feel awkward and uncertain when navigating through conversations about their convictions, and Koukl does an exceptional job of providing an infrastructure for the believer to be relieved of these tensions.
PART 1: COLUMBO TACTIC EXPLAINED
The main thrust of Koukl’s tactic is what he calls “Columbo”. 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” (47). The advantages of this tactic are numerous, including: the ability to start conversations, invite others in, remain neutral by asking questions, buy more time to think, and remain in control of the conversation.
Koukl’s purpose in employing this tactic is to gather information. By asking “what do you mean by that?” you force somebody to think critically of their answers and their underlying convictions. Another revealing feature of the Columbo tactic is the ability to cause others to defend their beliefs. By asking “How did you come to that conclusion?” we are forcing the other person to explain their process of reasoning and how such derived conclusions were attained.
The final purpose of the Columbo tactic is to lead an individual to what we want to accomplish. Do we want to inform, persuade or challenge them? Asking leading questions will help to steer the conversation, however, the one asking the questions must have some prior knowledge. Koukl encourages his readers by reminding them that this tactic must be honed over time. Pointing out the errors of our opponent in a gracious way will eventually help us determine the basis of their conclusions, and furthermore, we can lead them to think anew upon their beliefs by asking “Have you considered…?”
PERFECTING COLUMBO
Perfecting the Columbo tactic takes time. Those who use it should be aware of efforts from opponents’ attempts to derail them. Christians who use the tactic should always refine by rethinking their questions, reworking their own conclusions, and considering more leading questions. Christians should also be aware of assertions made by opponents. For the sake of control and clarity, Christians may refuse to answer their opponents’ leading questions. Koukl reminds his readers that it will take time to develop strong questions and convictions, but over time, the power of Columbo is unimaginable. It is like saying to somebody, “You’re naked” (102).
PART 2: COLUMBO TACTIC IN ACTION
In the second part of the book, Koukl unpacks Columbo and exposes the different opposing arguments. This part of the book is philosophical but simple enough for lay Christians to be able to grasp the concepts.
The examples that he gives in subsequent chapters include Formal Suicide (statements that violate the law of non-contradiction), Practical Suicide (statements that are not contradictory but are self-defeating), Sibling Rivalry and Infanticide (when there are pairs of logically inconsistent objections), Taking the Roof Off (reduction ad absurdum, or a claim that leads to counterintuitive or absurd results), Steamroller (how to handle situations in which people are emotional, overpowering, or hardened), The Rhodes Scholar (defending against academic claims that object to our views), Just the Facts Ma’am (discovering when people just simply have their facts wrong). Koukl ends the book with a chapter on more helpful tips and principles for evangelistic conversations.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS
There are several particular strengths in the book. Besides being a very simple writer, Koukl is also personable. At least from reading the book, one can tell how much time he spends with others. Koukl gives several anecdotes about his encounters. One interesting encounter took place when Koukl met a witch at a checkout line. On this occasion, Koukl tried to help the woman see that her beliefs were inconsistent with her convictions. In another encounter, Koukl describes a waitress who was “Sheepish in Seattle". Despite the funny subheading, the encounter instructed and helped readers learn how to ask pointed questions.
EVANGELISM
Another element of Tactics that proves helpful is Koukl’s method of evangelism. Many evangelistic programs can be either too programmatic or too simplistic.
Tactics runs between these two extremes by offering an alternative. Koukl teaches his readers how to converse with nonbelievers and believers about their convictions and beliefs in an intelligible way. “Columbo” is a method that Koukl prescribes to help people gain a handle on conversations and increase their ability to reason well.
This method helps people formulate good questions, gather information, and challenge the beliefs of others in a gracious and loving way. Koukl is mainly concerned with truth and helping others see the truth. His method is geared towards Christians who are serious about their faith. They'll confidently share there faith in a checkout out line or at the park.
SIMPLIFYING PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS
Another strength is Koukls ability to successfully reduce philosophical concepts to intelligible ideas. For example, Koukl simplifies the reductio ad absurdrum argument for the reader by describing it thusly, “Taking the Roof Off,” or “to reduce a point to its absurd conclusion or consequence” (143). Then he lists several examples. An example that is very practical is the issue of same-sex marriage. Someone might say, “Same sex marriage should be instituted by the government because once upon a time, the government was wrong about interracial marriages, so it must be wrong about same-sex marriages.” Koukl might respond, “Well, the government also wanted to institute slavery, once upon a time, but slavery doesn’t exist today, so you must be wrong.” And with that, he shows the opponent the absurdity of their claim.
Koukl offers helpful summarizing sections at the end of each chapter to help the reader grasp the concepts and ideas presented in each chapter. Koukl’s character is apparent throughout the book, with his desire to see people come to the truth. That in and of itself is a great strength to the book, because he essentially practices what he preaches.
CONCLUSION
Koukl’s desire to see people come to the truth of the gospel is very powerful throughout the book. Christians who read this and put these concepts into practice will “be able to comfortably engage in thoughtful conversations with others about your Christian convictions” (30).
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Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2017
