Review: Tactics - Greg Koukl

I tend to give book recommendations as often as a postman hands out letters, and the book that I find myself recommending most frequently is Greg Koukl’s Tactics. Tactics, subtitled, A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, is is an eminently practical (and readable) handbook for doing apologetics.

Tactics’ strength is twofold. First, it encourages, nay, obligates Christians to do their apologetics and witnessing with compassion and humility. Second, Tactics provides a clear and concise way to understand and uncover common logical fallacies.

Debating religion often raises one’s blood pressure, but Koukl reminds us that the point of tactful witnessing isn’t to win arguments, but to win people. Koukl calls this the Ambassador Model. He writes, “This approach trades more on friendly curiosity––a kind of relaxed diplomacy––than on confrontation.” Koukl also provides a manageable goal, which takes the pressure off those of us who feel that we must have a convert at the end of every conversation.

“It may surprise you to hear this, but I never set out to convert anyone. My aim is never to win someone to Christ. I have a more modest goal, one you might consider adopting as your own. All I want to do is put a stone in someone’s shoe. I want to give him something worth thinking about, something he can’t ignore because it continues to poke at him in a good way.”

Not only does this help relieve the pressure, it reminds us that it isn’t our duty to convert anyone. That job belongs to the Holy Spirit. Koukl writes,

“Understanding God’s central role in the process removes a tremendous burden. We can focus on our job––being clear, gracious, and persuasive––and then leave the results to God (what I call “100% God and 100% man”).”

The core of Koukl’s method is the well-placed question (which is also every good conversationalist’s secret). The first half of the book explains how to use questions effectively. The second half of the book is dedicated to common logical fallacies (which gives you something to ask about).

Logic is often confusing. A friend once accused me of “twisting words” when all I was trying to do was show her that one of her views was logically inconsistent. Perhaps the fault was mine, but what seems self-evident to logicians is often confusing to everyone else. Koukl, however, succeeds in explaining his list of fallacies simply and clearly. To supplement his explanations, Koukl follows each with practical examples––often real cases from his career as an apologist.

If you’re serious about the Great Commission, you’ll want a copy of this book.

(For a more thorough treatment, see GoingToSeminary.com's review HERE.)