<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Summary: Being a student of other\u2019s views is one of the best ways you can love your neighbor, learn more, and share Christ. We can start by asking a simple question, \u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour initial goal is to gather as much information from the other person as you can before you move on. You want him to talk as much as possible about his own convictions first. This approach gives you the best chance of \u201cmaking the most of the opportunity,\u201d as Paul put it in Colossians 4:5.\u201d (Location: 867)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Note:There is a second side to this as well. Most people have very few opportunities where another individual is genuinely interested in them. Even with social media, many people are pumping out information for everyone to see because they don\u2019t have anyone specific asking them about it, or showing real interest. What a gift we could give to someone else, the chance to be heard and understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould you like a model question that will help you get going? Here\u2019s the one I use: \u2018What do you mean by that?\u2019\u201d (Location: 893)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Note:There is a reason this is the first question. It is so crucial. But many times I just assume I know what they mean and have formulated an argument even before they have finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen someone says to me, \u2018Reincarnation was originally part of Christian teaching but was taken out of the Bible in the fourth century,\u2019 I ask them to explain how that works (a variation of our first Columbo question). The devil, as they say, is in the details of such a challenge.\u201d (Location: 913)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Note:There are so many of these textual statements made from individuals who have no idea what \u201ctextual criticism\u201d even is. Taking a moment and listening to what they think happened is a good opportunity for someone to see they don\u2019t know what they are talking about. It is also a challenge to me, how many things am I repeating which I have no idea of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are three reasons why gathering information is important. First, you don\u2019t want to misunderstand the person you\u2019re talking with. Second, you don\u2019t want to misrepresent him. Third, you don\u2019t want him to misunderstand himself.\u201d (Location: 921)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes the reason you are confused about another person\u2019s meaning is because she is confused too. She objects to Christianity for reasons she hasn\u2019t carefully thought through, and her objection flourishes because no one has challenged the lack of clarity that led to her muddled thinking in the first place. Your first question compels her\u2014maybe for the first time\u2014to be more precise.\u201d (Location: 952)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Note:We often don\u2019t really know what we believe until we say it. And once this person has said it, they need to own it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know that sounds surprising, but it\u2019s true. Even though people have strong opinions, they rarely reflect on their views. Often they\u2019re merely repeating slogans. When you ask them to flesh out their concern, opinion, or point of view, they\u2019re struck mute. They\u2019re forced to think about what they do mean, so be patient with the pause in the dialogue. You\u2019re doing them a favor by requesting clarification.\u201d (Location: 961)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd be forewarned. When someone says there\u2019s no proof of God\u2019s existence, it\u2019s sometimes a trick. It may be a reasonable request for evidence, but often it\u2019s not. Unless you know in advance what kind of evidence would count (scientific data? historical documentation? philosophical arguments? revelation?) or what kind of proof would be satisfying (absolute proof? proof beyond a reasonable doubt? proof based on the preponderance of evidence? proof that\u2019s a reasonable inference to the best explanation?), you\u2019ll probably be wasting your time. If you\u2019re not clear on his criteria for proof, it will be too easy for an intellectually dishonest person to dismiss anything you offer. \u2018Not good enough,\u2019 is all he needs to say. \u2018That\u2019s not proof.\u2019\u201d (Location: 988)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cBelieving in leprechauns is irrational. Believing in God, by contrast, is like believing in atoms. The process is exactly the same. You follow the evidence of what you can see to conclude the existence of something you cannot see. The effect needs a cause adequate to explain it.\u201d (Location: 997)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Note:There are those who would belittle others for believing in God, stating that they are \u201cweak minded\u201d, \u201cignorant\u201d, \u201cdeniers of science\u201d, etc. The questionis, though, who is more open minded: the one who disregards any possibility of God before considering the evidence, or the one who believes that their own senses and scientific method could be missing something, and thus there could be a God? I think Keller\u2019s book, Making Sense of God, is a great resource for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you want skeptics to believe in the Bible, don\u2019t get into a tug-of-war with them about inspiration. Instead, invite them to engage Jesus\u2019 words firsthand, then let the Spirit do the heavy lifting for you.\u201d (Location: 1,045)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Note:Yes! Read \u201cOne to One Bible Reading\u201d for an excellent example of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs to legislating morality, Aristotle famously observed that all law rests on a necessary foundation of morality. If the government\u2019s use of force is not in the service of the common good, then its actions are illicit. Put simply, morality is the only thing you can legislate. Anything else is simply a raw exercise of power.\u201d (Location: 1,058)<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summary: Being a student of other\u2019s views is one of the best ways you can love your neighbor, learn more, and share Christ. We can start by asking a simple question, \u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d \u201cYour initial goal … Continue reading