Tactics
Author: Gregory Koukl
Zondervan, 2009

Tactics by Gregory Koukl is an easy-to-read book for everyone who wants to become better at talking about their faith with non-Christians.

The book has two main parts. In the first section the author introduces a way of speaking to people that forces those who attack the Christian faith to explain what they believe. This is done mainly by asking good questions that leads the conversation in a certain direction. “The key is to go on the offensive in an inoffensive way by using carefully selected questions to productively advance the conversation. Simply put, never make a statement, at least at first, when a question will do the job,” writes Koukl. The Tactics author has long-term experience in Christian apologetics and he is the leader of the organization named Stand to Reason.

In part two of the book Koukl explains how Christians can find weaknesses in the arguments against The Christian faith. His starting point is clear. Everyone is created by God and lives in God’s creation. Those who do not believe in God will have to create explanations of reality that rules God out. This is often their week point.

Every person who rejects the truth of “the God who is there is caught between the way he says the world is and the way the world actually is,” states Koukl. He has found that most non-Christians are not able to explain what they believe when they are asked.

You may be surprised to know that most critics are not prepared to defend their faith. Many people have never thought through their views and don’t know why they hold them, writes Koukl.

We recommend Tactics for all Christians. It will help the readers to fulfill the calling the followers of Jesus have got in 1 Pet 3:15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” It also helps the reader to see that the Christian faith is a logical faith.

Tactics is written in a way that engages the reader and it is full of practical, real-life examples. One of them is from the University of California in San Diego. Koukl had heard that the general attitude on campus was that Christians were stupid. He opened his talk to the students in this way:

– “I understand that many of you think that Christians are stupid. Well, many of them are. But many non Christians are stupid, too, so I don’t know how that helps you. What I want to do this evening is show you that Christianity is not stupid.”