In dialogue with Christian friends about certain teachings/practices, I’ve been thinking in terms of asking “5 questions down.” That is, keep peeling back layers of the same specific topic rather than flitting on to something else. And the idea is to ask the 5 questions instead of trying to answer/argue back. Here are some samples: He: I’ve started standing inside…
Christian friends are asking each other’s opinion about various spiritual practices/teachings that originated in Eastern religions and the occult—things like mantra meditation, sacred objects, smudging, chakras, reiki … As mentioned in Part 1, we can’t assume that even a Christian friend believes the Bible is the final word on things. But if that’s established, then still, before going into the…
J. Warner Wallace has a series called “Quick Shots.” (Search for that among the many good helps on his site.) The feature is designed mainly to tutor Christians in answering questions that skeptics typically ask. As he explains—and this is my position too—when you care and want people to know the truth, the goal is to keep the conversation going.…
J. Warner Wallace has a huge compilation of research related to why young people are leaving the church. He lists a bunch of books/surveys, then summarizes what those found. Here I’ve pulled a few clues that seem most helpful for parents. If you go to the link and search within for the bits I have in quotes here, you’ll land…
I recently came across apologist Greg Koukl and his Stand to Reason ministry. But I was fascinated by his article “Tactics for Atheists.” Koukl is digging into (and exposing) strategies for turning Christians into atheists—that he found in a book titled A Manual for Creating Atheists. One key is that the author of that book has defined faith as “belief…