A deeper look at tactics and strategies and how it relates to our Christian Witness in Today's World

1. A cHRISTIAN
today’s world
WITNESS in
Tactics + sTRATEGIES
Relativism
The Bible
Pluralism
Islam
Sexual Revolution
Media
Training and Equipping Believers
to Live Out a Confident Faith

2. A cHRISTIAN
today’s world
WITNESS in
Tactics + sTRATEGIES
Relativism
The Bible
Pluralism
Islam
Sexual Revolution
Media
Training and Equipping Believers
to Live Out a Confident Faith

3. Last Week…

4. Small Groups

6. Breathe

7. mATTHEW 28:18-20
The Command: Make Disciples
Immerse them in the reality of God
Teach them to observe Jesus’ teachings
Abide in Jesus’ presence

8. What is that? How am I doing?
Don’t want to upset Jesus!
Oh, goodie! Another commitment!
The Command: Make Disciples

9. The Invitation: Make Disciples
This should be exciting!
Our job is faithfulness, God changes hearts
Be patient, and celebrate any progress

10. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
I planted, Apollos watered, but God
gave the increase. So then neither he
who plants is anything, nor he who
waters, but God who gives the increase.

11. Everyone has
Influence

12. Focus our
Influence

13. tACTICS
Skills for effective discussions

14. Tactics Help you…TACTICS
The Role of
Tactics in
Effective
Discussions
Use your knowledge in creative ways
Effectively handle challenges
Appropriately direct the conversation

16. Tactic #1:
The Columbo Tactic
“I got a question…”

17. The Columbo Tactic
To go on the offensive in a disarming
way with carefully selected questions
that productively advance the
conversation

18. The columbo Tactic Has:
3 Unique Applications
Each launched by a different question…

19. inFORMATION
Application 1
To GaIN

20. more information
Sometimes you just need
before you can proceed

21. What do you mean
by that?
(or some variation)

22. The Burden of Proof
Application 2
To Reverse

23. How did you come to
that conclusion?
(or some variation)

24. Application 2Application 1
Gain
Information
What People Believe
Reverse the
Burden of Proof
Why They Believe It

25. a Weakness or Flaw
Application 3
To Indirectly Exploit

26. Identifying weaknessesTactics
The Columbo
Tactic:
Application 2:
To Reverse the
Burden of
Proof
Are there any blatant
weaknesses in their
view?

27. Identifying weaknessesTactics
The Columbo
Tactic:
Application 2:
To Reverse the
Burden of
Proof
Do their conclusions
follow from the
evidence?

28. we MUST ASK AND
Then lISTEN
(No, really listen. Really. Listen!)

29. Good listening is the
key to spotting
Weaknesses

30. Greg and the
waitress

31. Tonight…

32. Part 2
Week 3
Tactics
Tonight:

33. 3 Other Tactics

34. The Suicide Tactic

35. The “Taking the
Roof OFF” Tactic

36. The steamroller
Tactic

37. The Suicide Tactic
The Self-Refuting Argument

38. Sallie:
“No. That’s my
new philosophy!
I don’t care what
anyone says, the
answer is “no.”

39. Charlie Brown:
“So that’s your
new philosophy,
huh?”

40. Sallie:
“Yes. I mean, no.
Ugh…you’ve
ruined my new
philosophy!”

41. The Suicide Tactic
The art of allowing self-refuting
arguments to die upon being spoken

42. I Cannot Speak A word in English
You Can’t know anything for sure

43. JP Moreland Quote

44. Easy ones
I never, never repeat a word. Never.
There are absolutely no absolutes.
My brother is an only child. Swear!

45. Let me tell you about my vow of
silence.
Easy ones
I used to believe in reincarnation,
but that was in a former life

46. “Always go to other people’s
funerals, otherwise they won’t go to
yours” - Yogi Berra

47. This page intentionally left blank

48. You shouldn’t force your morality
on me
Is that your morality?
Then why are you forcing it on me?

49. It’s wrong to try and change other
people’s beliefs
Then why are you trying to change mine?

50. God Doesn’t take sides
“So you mean that God doesn’t hold your
view either, right?”

51. All Religions are
equally true and
valid
You can only know
what has been
proven by science
Everyone’s view is
just a product of
their own prejudices
There is no truth
Why do these claims
commit suicide?

52. All Religions are equally true and
valid
“Christianity is a religion that claims to be
true, and others false. Is that valid?”

53. You can only know what has been
proven by science
“Is that a scientific statement?”

54. Everyone’s view is just a product
of their own prejudices
“So, that view is also just a product of
your own prejudices, right?”

55. There is no truth
“So should I believe that or not?”

56. The Suicide TacticTactics
They become false as soon as
they are spokenThe Key to The
Suicide Tactic
Require us to be listening
very well to spot them

57. The Suicide TacticTactics
The Key to The
Suicide Tactic
Can usually be spotted by
their “all or nothing” kind
of language.
Listen for extreme claims!

58. Taking the Roof off
Following a Bad Argument

59. “Taking the Roof off”
Tactic
Reduce an idea to its simplest form,
follow its natural consequences,
invite them into the results

60. Taking the Roof offTactics
1) Adopt the other
person’s view for the sake
of argument
The “Taking
the Roof Off
“Tactic
2) Carefully follow the
consequences of the view

61. Taking the Roof offTactics
3) Invite the other person
into the consequences of
where their view leads
The “Taking
the Roof Off
“Tactic
4) Listen to how they
respond

62. Matthew 12:24
Now when the Pharisees heard it they
said, “This fellow does not cast out
demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler
of the demons.”

63. Matthew 12:25
But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said
to them: “Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation,
and every city or house divided against
itself will not stand.

64. Matthew 12:26
If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided
against himself. How then will his
kingdom stand?

65. Matthew 12:27
And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub,
by whom do your sons cast them out?

66. Because I was born with
homosexual desires, they are
therefore ok to act upon
1) Clarify 2) Follow 3) Invite 3) Listen

67. Simplest form
of argument:
Follow where
argument leads:
If you are born with it, that
makes it ok
Any desire that we are “born
with” is ok to act out

68. Columbo
question to
“take the
roof off”:
Reason it is
absurd:
“I have always had a desire to
spy on young girls in their
bedrooms. That’s ok, right?”
Just because something is
“natural” doesn’t mean it’s the
right thing we should do!

69. Morals are not universal, they
are relative to different people
and different cultures
1) Clarify 2) Follow 3) Invite 3) Listen

70. Morals are just cultural, not
universal
Right and wrong are just
cultural preferences
Simplest form
of argument:
Follow where
argument leads:

71. “So its ok to sacrifice children to
gods if that culture believes its
ok, right?”
We all know some things are
simply wrong, even if our
culture happens to permit it
Columbo
question to
“take the
roof off”:
Reason it is
absurd:

72. “Values Clarification”

73. The Steamroller
Dealing with aggressive people

74. The Steamroller Tactic
How to graciously deal with someone
who constantly interrupts you

75. Steamrollers are…TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Agressive people who cut you off
Constant interrupters, bad listeners
Big personalities and big mouths

76. Step #1:TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Stop and negotiate
When interrupted,
graciously stop and
negotiate an agreement

77. Step #1:TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Stop and negotiate
“If it’s ok with you, let me
finish where I was going, and
you can jump in, ok?”

78. Step #1:TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Stop and negotiate
“You have some great
questions, let me take them
one at a time. Is that alright?”

79. Step #2:TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Graciously Shame
“You asked for my thoughts,
but you keep interrupting me.
Would you still like me to
respond to your question?”

80. Step #2:TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Graciously Shame
“How about this. Let me finish
without being interrupted,
and I will give you the floor
after that.
How does that sound?”

81. Step #3:TACTICS
How to Deal
with a
Steamroller
Buh-Bye!
Do not continue to talk with a
steamroller if they have
repeatedly broken your
agreement.

82. Review

83. ReviewTactics
Review of the
Tactics We
Learned
Tonight
The Suicide Tactic
Discovering self-refuting arguments
Taking the Roof Off
Adopting someone’s view and then
following it to it’s logical conclusion
Steamroller
How to deal with aggressive people

84. Discussion and Practice
Week 4
Tactics - pART 2
Next Week:

85. sEE yOU next Week!