Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition

A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions

By: Gregory Koukl, Lee Strobel - foreword

Narrated by: Gregory Koukl

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Tactics provides the game plan for defending your faith and artfully communicating the truths of Christianity with confidence and grace.

This expanded anniversary edition of the classic book of Christian apologetics includes updates and expansions of existing tactics, as well as the addition of an all-new tactic and a chapter on Mini Tactics filled with simple maneuvers to aid in discussions.

In a culture increasingly indifferent or even hostile to Christian truth, followers of Christ need to be equipped to communicate with those who do not speak their language or accept their source of authority. 

In Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition, Gregory Koukl demonstrates how to artfully regain control of conversations, keeping them moving forward in constructive ways through thoughtful diplomacy. You'll learn how to:

• Meet challenges, questions, and provocations with poise and conviction.
• Effortlessly start your own evangelical conversations.
• Present the truth clearly, cleverly, and persuasively.
• Graciously and effectively expose faulty thinking and logical fallacies.
• Most important, you'll learn how to get people thinking seriously about Jesus.

Drawing on extensive experience defending Christianity in the public square, Koukl will not only walk you through effective arguments to defend why you believe what you believe, but he'll teach you methods for engaging in meaningful dialogue and debate.

Step-by-step, you'll learn the tactics of good persuasion and defense, how to identify the tactics of your opponent, and how to build your case, patiently and practically.

©2019 Gregory Koukl (P)2019 Zondervan

Awesome Book

I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me and through the author’s of this book. My struggle as a God created dyslexic person often leaves me struggling to quote scriptures as many of my fellow Christians do. Yet I feel empowered with words and ways to express my conviction while spreading Jesus message through the guidance found in this book. Please pray for me that I may be able to speak convincing words of wisdom to the atheist I am speaking too. More prayer means more power. I will in turn do the same for all those who venture to listen or read this book.

Excellent intelligent advice

excellent ideas to appropriately frame discussion. Helpful perspective to engage everyone around you with love and curiosity while being faithful to the convictions of Christians. Enjoyable listen

this is a must read for a serious Christian

if you think what you believe is exportable but have not been as effective in communicating it to your unbelieving friends and acquaintances you will love this book. it will give you some simple tools to use to keep you in the driver's seat as you communicate with those who misunderstand the real message of Christ. You don't have to end every conversation at the foot of the cross. sometimes the most effective thing you can do is put a stone in his shoe as he walks away that allows the Holy Spirit to better do His work that only He can do. This book will show you how.

A great update to a great book.

In this 10th anniversary edition of tactics Greg Koukl updates his Previous book with several new tactics, and updates to several old tactics. This book was great before the update and it’s even better now. In this book Greg teaches you how to share your Christian convictions in a way where you come across with diplomacy rather than having the conversation turned into a fight.

The only fault I find is that the spoken material does not exactly match Word for Word the printed material. I’m not sure whether Greg was reading from a version of the book that was not finalized or what. This is a minor issue. For the most part he matches the book. A second tiny fault is if you get the Kindle edition whispersink is out of sync by about two seconds.

In spite of these two minor flaws this is a great book that I highly recommend to all Christians and should be required reading for all Christian leaders.

Very informative and insightful

A great listen. Easy to understand and lots more to gleen. Will go through again.

Every Christian Needs This Book

Great techniques to help share Jesus with people.
This is a must read and study for anyone who is serious about sharing their faith.

Essential

This book is essential for any Christian who hopes to represent their views to others in a productive way. Already using the methods and they have been enormously helpful in advancing all difficult conversations, Christian or otherwise.

Crucial conversation skills for evangelism

Excellent guide to effectively/respectively introduce others to Jesus. Tips are applicable to any communication topic.

Some plant some water

A proper way to recognize the best answer for every man to help him/her on to a path of truth that leads to salvation.

A must read for all Christ followers

This book taught me how to share my faith confidently, weather you are a new believer in Christ or someone who has been in the faith their whole life.

Excellent techniques, simplistic arguments

Overall, this is an excellent book, describing how to discuss our faith and enter into meaningful discussion with others. The narration is very good too. Easy to listen to.

The author presents a conservative theology. While I didn’t find that problematic, there is an underlying suggestion that people whose theology differs from the author’s are not actually Christians. His responses on some of the “hot” topics around Christianity are easily combatted, and miss the complexity around them. He’s right, though: most people won’t have thought through their views and therefore the technique will often still work.

His initial example of “questioning” someone he just met on abortion may again have worked: however if she had actually HAD an abortion he may have created a serious pastoral issue, which I hope he was ready to deal with.

Overall, good techniques: adapt to your own personality, and be aware that many atheists are using the same techniques in debate.

very helpful new way of witnessing

wow! Really helpful it's been awhile that I've done proper witnessing so this has really helped. Thank you Mr Koukl.

Refreshing

Great to get an overview of the difficulty we Christians have in speaking with confidence. Truth Is mighty, and handled properly, effective.

Vital Listening for Christians and Non-Christians!

TL;DR: one of the most useful books you'll ever consume, regardless of whether you're a Christian or not - it'll change the way you present your ideas and debate!

Gregory Koukl provides an entertaining and highly educational book of advice on how to discuss ideas - either in a debate or in casual conversation.
The focus is Christianity, but the lessons presented here are useful to anyone of any conviction. He clearly presents each bit of advice (or, 'tactic') in a chapter of its own, entertainingly illustrated with examples of how it can be used and how he has used it. It also helps that he narrates this audiobook, as he's able to provide the intended emphasis and it feels more personal.
The lessons you learn from this will change the way you present your ideas and debate - even if you're a seasoned debater!

I've been recommending this to everyone who might be interested and I'll be listening to it again as well as buying a print copy to make sure I get the most out of it.

Excellence book and an easy read

This book should be required reading for those who are into holding civil discourse. Enjoyed the book as well as found information useful and surprisingly it seems to be sticking!

Great but don’t agree with everything

Beautifully written, easy to understand and has some great tips. However I don’t agree that the gospel alone is not enough to bring a person to Christ. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. But everything else is very helpful.

Brilliant book

What a fantastic book. This made me so excited to get out there and 'give them heaven'. 💙✝️

Helpful

A helpful book. whether you agree with all the stances or not definitely something that will help when evangelising.

Overall good advice on debating tactics, but...

1. targets specific denomination of christians by introducing theocratic dogmas as facts;

2. author disregards all of his own advise in the closing chapter, undoing much of the good he has built up in the preceding chapters:

Chapter 16: 'Just the facts mam'
The persons at his door couldnt provide a satisfactory answer, triggering the author to launch a whole bunch of allegations and namecalling about these people, based on a very brief contact. Considering the fact that if somebody cant meet his expectations the author disqualifies them as proper christians, should Jezus' desciples be disqualified too? (Mrk9:18;Mt17:24-26;John16:32). In another chapter the author states 'dont feel discouraged if you feel outmatched, feel encouraged because you went out there', i guess that only applies to himself.

Chapter 5: Reversing the burden of proof
Because of this encounter the author questions the sincerity of the faith of the people at his door. If he himself would have been sincerely interested in the answer to his question on the specific dogma, he would have invited a more experienced representative to discuss the matter before penning down a victorious story full of assumptions based on an encounter of a few seconds.

So, if its just some advise on debating you're looking for and your good at cutting out weeds, go for it. But if you are allergic to people that dont follow their own advice then give this book a pass.

Brilliant.

Very easy to understand, well thought out and a great tool. Definitely an essential read.