Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions

Greg Koukl, who holds two MA degrees in both apologetics and philosophy, is a professor and public figure who debates about religion, worldviews and culture. His experience in sharing the Christian faith and the Christian worldview in the public arena makes him an ideal candidate to write about how believers can share their convictions.

In Tactics, Koukl's goal is to teach the "Ambassador Model." This model is characterized by the author as "diplomatic." This means the "approach trades more on friendly curiosity...than on confrontation (20)." His goal is to teach the reader "how to navigate in conversations so that you stay in control...(20)." To do this Koukl teaches his readers tactics.

Koukl's biblical warrant comes from Mt. 10:16 where Jesus says, "...so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Commenting on Jesus' words Koukl writes, "Even though there is real warfare going on, our engagements should look more like diplomacy than D-Day (19)." After the first chapter, where Koukl primarily introduces his ideas, he moves to defend his methodology of engagement against those who would have "Reservations" about "arguing" with unbelievers about the Christians faith. It is in chapter two where Koukl claims that arguing is a virtue (31-32).

Beginning in chapter three, Koukl introduces his arsenal of tactics. The "Columbo" tactic occupies his discussion in chapters three through six. 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)."

After walking the reader through three steps to perfecting the Columbo, Koukl begins chapter seven with a series of non-Christian ideas that "self-destruct." For example, he demonstrates how relativism (111), pantheistic monism (116), scientism (117-18), and religious pluralism (118-19) are inherently contradictory. In chapters eight and nine, Koukl shows the reader other kinds of ideas that commit "Practical Suicide," and "Infanticide."

Chapters eleven and twelve can be characterized as chapters which show the reader how to deal with certain types of opponents. In chapter eleven he provides a three-step process in dealing with a "Steamroller." This is the person who tries to overpower the Christian by interruption (159). In chapter twelve the author talks about the "Rhodes Scholar." These are the scholars who are quoted by publications, but they have no expertise in the field of religion or philosophy (168). Koukl concludes his book by encouraging his readers to stick to the facts. He exhorts the reader to "listen and read critically, reflect on the claims, check the background information, and find the truth (187)."

One of the stated goals of the author is to teach the reader "how to navigate in conversations so that you stay in control...even though your knowledge is limited (20)." Koukl continues, "You may even be a brand new Christian. It doesn't matter (20)." I believe Koukl's Columbo tactic accomplishes this goal. It does so in three ways. First, the simplicity of the Columbo tactic yields itself to effectiveness for new Christians. Second, the example of real life encounters provide the Christian with confidence. Third, the reader not only sees the most common and difficult objections to the Christian faith, but they also see responses to those objections. This produces confidence in the believer.

The Columbo tactic is very simple. Summarized, the Columbo tactic is "a disarming way to go on the offensive with carefully selected questions that productively advance the conversation (56)." The idea is that anyone can engage a person by asking questions. There is no fear on the Christian's part, when asking questions to an unbeliever, because "sincere questions are friendly and flattering (47)." Not only this, but Koukl provides the reader with the exact questions to ask (56-57).

Another advantage of the Columbo tactic is that Jesus used it. Koukl notes, "It might have occurred to you that Jesus used this method frequently. When facing a hostile crowd, he often asked leading questions meant to challenge his audience or silence his detractors by exposing their foolishness (49)." The simplicity of gathering information, reversing the burden of proof and using questions to lead the conversation is attainable to any Christian who is willing to talk to others (49).

The second way Koukl accomplishes his goal is through the examples. One thing I noted at the beginning of the book is Koukl's method of teaching through his own experiences. Every chapter has several real life examples of conversations the author has had with unbelievers. The author, because of his experience in public arena, is able to tap into a way humans learn: through good examples. The personal examples given by Koukl fuels the Christian by showing that what he/ she is learning has been used in the "real world." For Koukl this is not theory, but techniques that work in real life. Real life encounters give the new Christian confidence.

Giving the reader ample real life examples is not only a great pedagogical technique, it also supplies the reader with an extensive list of common objections and responses. If the new Christian is reading about how, in real life, the author responds to some of the most common and difficult objections, they too will have confidence to engage, knowing they have already read about them. In the final pages of the book the author states, "Here is the lesson: Don't retreat in the face of opposition. Too much is at stake (197)." Seeing difficult objections and knowing how a top Christian apologist responds provides the Christian with a boost of courage.

There are three points where I find Tactics problematic. The first is the author's overzealous and overconfident attitude towards apologetics. Second, the author's argument that arguing is virtuous is also problematic. The third problem is related closely to the second, and that is, the author equates arguing and love.

The objection that Koukl presents an overzealous and overconfident attitude towards apologetics is based primarily on his words in chapter one. He is writing about being an effective ambassador for Christ when he says, "It only requires that you pay attention to the guidelines in the chapters that follow and then begin to apply what you have learned (24)." This kind of statement is found in many apologetic circles where they offer a sort of "silver bullet" to dealing with skeptics and unbelievers. I fear, despite the apparent effectiveness of Koukl's model, that he is offering the reader a "silver bullet" for apologetics. Ironically, Koukl offers no stories that end with the person converting to Christianity or saying that they were now convinced of his arguments.

Additionally, the author's attitude presents evangelism as a mechanical enterprise. Evangelism simply requires you to "put in the code" or "follow the steps for success." The attitude of Koukl's statement reveals the lack of relational quality that follows from many "defenders of the faith." Sometimes it can be more about having a good argument than sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In chapter two the author makes the case that, "arguing is a virtue." Foundational for this statement is "The mind, not the Bible, is the very first line of defense God has given us against error (32)." His claim is when Christians disagree on an interpretation of a biblical passage and give reasons why our view is better than another's we prove the mind and not the Bible is the primary defense against error (32). Unfortunately, the author offers little to no biblical evidence for such a claim. Why would the author think our first line of defense against error is our corrupt and sinful minds and not the pure Word of God? The mind is important of course, but to stand upon one's ability to reason well is shifting sand. Even the best, brightest, and most logical mind can find itself deceived by sin (i.e. Romans 7). Paul in 1 Tim. 6:3 says, "If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing." The foundation for truth is the "sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ," not Timothy's mind or ability to reason well.

In an attempt to demonstrate arguing is virtuous, Koukl lessens the importance of the Christian virtue, love. A perfunctory reading of the New Testament will reveal the utmost importance of Christian love (Mt. 5:43-45; John 17:1 Cor. 13; Gal. 5:14, 22; 1 John 3:16, John 17:20-23). It is simply not the case that "reason" or "arguing" is even considered a primary function of a disciple of Christ. Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), arguing is not. Love brings unity (John 17), arguing does not. To equate the two in any way is a considerable misreading of the New Testament and reveals the author's bias.

Despite Koukl overreaching on the issue of arguing being virtuous and overstating his case for the importance of apologetics, the book is recommended. New Christians would be encouraged to read the book to gain confidence as they look to share their faith.

I'm going to make this short and to the point. This is not a good book for Christians. First, trying to play games with other people to get them to your point of view or to defend yours is a just that, a game that will do nothing in the long run but create resentment. Second, our relationship with God and Christ is so far beyond this human wisdom stratagem that the author promotes. The right way to defend the faith and to influence others is to get to a real conversation with those around you, where the free flow of ideas and thoughts can be shared and discussed. This book is for philosophers who will never truly understand the faith.

I liked this book. It is short and to the point. It has some excellent ideas for engaging in conversation with people in a logical manner. However, I'm giving it four stars for a few minor errors and/or disagreements that I have with the author.

1. The author claims that God must takes sides and shares a very short reasoning dialogue that could easily lead one to believe that he is correct. However, I suggest that the author presents a false dichotomy. The author believes that you must believe that God either takes one side or the other of two sides. However, this is not necessarily true. There could be a third choice and that is that he chooses neither side. In other words, as Christians, we are to move to God's side. He is not required to be on our side.

2. On page 170, the author defines science as being a methodology. I must admit that this is the definition rendered in modern dictionaries. However, I submit that the word itself has been hijacked. It really means "knowledge" and was coined as such. Furthermore, the author argues that "science insists..." and "Modern science does not conclude..." Sorry to say, but science doesn't conclude or insist anything. People do that. Nevertheless, the general arguments made in this section are sound.

3. The author states on page 185 that "all current English translations of the Bible start with manuscripts written in the original language - Greek..." This is not exactly correct. Most modern translations are based on the United Bible Societies revised version of the Greek text originated by the unregenerate Brooke Westcott, Fenton Hort and others and much of it was based on corrupt Greek manuscripts from the 4th century A.D. and later. There are other Greek texts and one in particular that is more trustworthy than these. It is known today as the Textus Receptus. Before it was known as the TR it was just the "real" new Testament to the true Christians. It traces its roots to the first century A.D.

Lastly, I would have appreciated it more if the author had injected a suggestion for more reliance on the Holy Spirit during one's conversations. He did suggest this at least once, but it should have been sprinkled throughout the book and emphasized more than it was. Without regard to these "complaints," I liked the book and I do recommend it.

This book shows how easy it is to disprove a mainstream outspoken atheist who doesn't do their homework. It also gives you ways to control the argument at hand, and show a good way to be an ambassador for Christ.

Columbo tactics, Suicide tactics, Rhodan Scholar tactics all work very well. This book perfects your discussions by getting clear and concise answers from your opponents. The motto is ask questions to sway away from confusion.

Questions can be useful in many occasions, sometimes you think you have an idea of what your opponent is saying, but your not completely sure and you don't want to commit a strawman or a red herring. So just simply ask, be polite, and listen. Sometimes you will see contradictions and then you can point them out and leave them stunned. Sometimes they won't have an answer, because they just simply rely on slogans and never truly thought about why they believe what they believe.

This book is a masterpiece and a must have in your apologetic library, plus you don't even have to use these tactics specifically for apologetics, there are many other cases in life where you can use these tools in conversations.

To sum up the whole book: Instead of defending your views, the author suggests making the other person defend theirs instead. A bit of a disappointment actually. Some nice ideas in here but definitely not what I was hoping it would be.

Nothing earth-shaking, but some good pointers on defending the Christian faith without being offensive. Be prepared with good and sufficient reasons for what you believe.

By far the most brilliant piece of Apologetic literature I have ever read! I am not a Christian and this book has numerous thing with which I blatantly disagree but only in the actual message, not with the delivery. This book offers a step-by-step process with which Christians can comfortably and effectively control confrontation with... well... people like me! I think this is a great book for people of all religions to read so they can learn to discuss their faith views effectively and peacefully. If there is a way to convert people to Christianity, I feel Mr. Koukl's book and his method have the best chance.

This book gives a lot of good ideas on how to handle objections to basic Christian values which people might say when you're talking with them. It is full of examples of how to respond to negative statements made by people regarding the Bible and social issues that seem to conflict with Biblical values. His explanation of a "Colombo" approach is very entertaining. The Colombo approach shows specifically how to interact with people in a non-provocative way that gets them to think about what they're saying. I liked his approach in not necessarily trying to get a full blown conversion each time you talk with someone, but rather, to place a "stone in their shoe" that gets them thinking about what it is they are saying. Great book! Especially valuable for those who are debaters, and also for Christians who wished they knew what to say when somebody expresses an opinion that conflicts with their own.

This book was a very easy read, but also quite informative for Christians who want to enhance their witnessing efforts. As the title suggests, this book covers a variety of tactics that Christians can use to winsomely express their convictions in an increasingly hostile landscape.

The book is broken into two sections, and the general layout of the book is very well planned. The first section covers general practices that you should employ in everyday conversation. The purpose of these general practices is to give you a "Game Plan" (the title of that section) for interacting with anyone in general - be they atheists / agnostics, deists, theists of a different stripe, or even others in your church. The tactics presented in this section largely relate back to the lovable television character, Columbo. You will also find this sort of technique applied by other Christian apologists like Bill Jack, and it is a very effective way of both understanding another person's point of view as well as probing them to make sure they understand it as well. I don't want to give away too many details as Koukl does a great job of explaining them in the book. Suffice it to say, this section is immediately useful with very little effort.

The second and final section of the book goes into more detailed tactics, some of which have been discussed at length by other apologists and philosophers over the years. These more specific tactics are then looked at from a practical perspective and in the light of the tactics learned in the first section of the book. Putting these two main concepts together results in a very powerful but cordial way of sharing your beliefs with those around you.

I can fully and highly recommend this book to any Christian who has a desire to fulfill the great commission. It has immediate value to anyone who reads it, and I can see myself going back to review it at a later date to refresh and perhaps catch some minor helpful detail that I may have missed the first time through.

The quality was great..better that i expected.It was like i had bought a brand New book off the shelf of an Book store...