Tactics| Book Review

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl

As someone who likes to learn things, it is not surprising that I like to engage in different kinds of conversations. Oftentimes, with people, I don’t agree with! Tactics by Greg Koukl is a wonderful guide. The book is a product of experience and a sincere desire to foster better conversations. I love it.

I had this book for some years now, 2 or so but I haven’t been able to read it. Dear Greg, I’m sorry for this error.

The insight conveyed in the book is helpful, not just for conversations with people who disagree with you, but even in normal conversations. The tactics relayed inside are pretty powerful. They are common sense guides that I’ve tried as I was reading, the impact was dramatic. A simple question such as “Can you explain that again?”, “Let me get you, you mean …..” could be a game-changer in a conversation. Greg wrote the book as a practical tool, not some theoretical gibberish that could only be read. One would think that such a book will lead to aggression or cleverness, rather Greg emphasizes humility. Indeed, he makes the argument that the Christian apologist cannot be proud at all. Humility is a characteristic of Christ's ambassador.

Something I found interesting in this book is how conversations can expose the wrongness in the thinking of a person. He called them “bad thinking”. Our role as ambassadors and conversationalists is to help others see the wrong thinking that is holding them from believing. Greg insists that it is not within our power to change a person, all that we are called to do is to “GO”, and by going, it means we are to present the case for Christ and help the other person clear up the thinking that is stopping them from receiving the gift of Christ, the real work of conversation is not ours. This is relaxing to know, really.

You know, the thing with Christianity is that Christ has called all of us to represent him, and since that is the case, it is important for us to prepare ourselves to be good ambassadors in presenting our case. This book will equip you with the tools you need to make such a case. It will provide insight to help you navigate situations that are frosty, and yes, it also teaches that there are times when you need to say “I don’t know so much about this at the moment, can you allow me to check on it and get back to you?”. I will recommend Tactic for every Christian.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.