Review: How to Talk to a Skeptic
Donald J. Johnson
Bethany House Publishers
2013
Finally! Someone has
finally said it---you have to know what you are talking about to speak
intelligently to skeptics (and anyone else) about God, Jesus, Christianity and
all the topics that surround that.
People are looking for real answers to questions. Many of them anyway. That means any Christian that wants to join
the conversation has to have worked through what and why he holds the beliefs he
does. The Christian that wants to join
the conversation must be aware of the world around them.
What Johnson has done to give his readers an example of how
that is done. From his own admissions, it’s
not an easy task. In a first step his
advice is not to be baited into an argument.
It is to be a conversation. Start
with some information as to where the skeptic is “coming from” or discover how
his vision of how things are affect him.
Start where they are. Many questions
are legitimate, concerns valid, observations true. Plan on spending some time working on
this. Be alert for a common point of
reference, a point on which both of parties can agree. Definitions of terms is a must. Help them understand and discover things for
themselves.
Johnson works his way through most of the typical objections
and charges that currently exist in the world of the skeptic, agnostic, or atheist.
He identifies the holes in their arguments and logic. He does the same for some common Christian
positions too. Along the way he suggests
further reading that he found helpful in his learning process. Remember he said it wasn’t easy.
This book should be helpful for nearly any one looking to
improve his skills. But, I think the
most important thing this book has to offer is the challenge to the Christian
community to look at what it is to be Christian.
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for
review.
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