Skip to main content

Review: How to Talk to a Skeptic by Donald J. Johnson



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.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot by Mo Isom

Review: Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot Mo Isom Baker Books 2018 I picked this one up after I’d seen a video promo by the author, http://moisom.com/sexandjesus#.   Sounded like she had something to say.   She does.   And even if you don’t think it applies to you it does in ways that aren’t necessarily related to sex, but just as a human being with desires.    Isom subscribed to many of the conversations that govern relationships in general, and those with men, for her generation, the millennials.   This book is not her life story, but it does describe some moments that were important to her journey then and now.   Her openness to share those times surprised me.   Her point without spoiling the book is that she had not understood what linked sexual intimacy to ordinary life, the why’s, if you will.   Was it not taught, discussed?   Or was she not interested in hearing might be a valid...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: When God’s Ways Make No Sense by Dr. Larry Crabb

Review: When God’s Ways Make No Sense Dr. Larry Crabb Baker Books 2018 I chose this book because the title intrigued me.   When God’s Ways Make No Sense.    There have been plenty of times when that seemed truer than I’d like to admit.   Are we even allowed to say something like that?   Even if we think it.   So, an author willing to take on that topic had my attention. And mostly because I wanted his take on what to do about it? As it turns out Crabb pretty much gave away his case very early on in his book with a single scripture quote.   The basic idea is God is GOD and we are not.   His motives and actions are incomprehensible to mankind and He owes no explanation for them either.   Crabb admits near the end of his book that he is not a theologian which I knew going into this book, but his arguments are theology.   Or at least I think so.   I found his repeated circling the topic a bit frustrating. ...
1 comment
Read more

Review: The World of Jesus: Making Sense of the People and the Places of Jesus’ Day by Dr. William H. Marty

Review: The World of Jesus: Making Sense of the People and the Places of Jesus’ Day Dr. William H. Marty Bethany House Publishers 2013 If you have ever tried to keep track of who is who during the period that is the between the testaments time and afterward you will have a good appreciation for what Dr. Marty has done with this short book.   It’s still like reading a soap opera plot but at least this help keep the characters sorted out.   The political and social changes came fast and frequently back then with the land of the Jews right in the midst of it all.   For me this is a reminder that it was not any easier back then in that region than it is today.    So if you are looking for a place to start an exploration of that period this might be a good overview to pick up first.    This book was provided in exchange for a review by the publisher.
Post a Comment
Read more