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    Arguing with Atheists: and Other Non-Believers: Radical Disciple, #6
    Arguing with Atheists: and Other Non-Believers: Radical Disciple, #6
    Arguing with Atheists: and Other Non-Believers: Radical Disciple, #6
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    Arguing with Atheists: and Other Non-Believers: Radical Disciple, #6

    By Freddy Davis

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    About this ebook

    If you knew that you were about to get into a conversation with an Atheist (or a Buddhist or a Wiccan) how would you feel about it? Fear? Frustration? Nervousness? If so, why?

    Unfortunately, most Christians simply do not know how to effectively express and defend their faith with people who have different beliefs.
    But it doesn't have to be that way. The fact is, dealing with people who believe differently is not difficult at all if you know how to do it. This does not mean that you can merely read a book and everything is okay. If you want to be good at anything you have to put the effort into it to become good.

    Now honestly, some things are not worth the effort it takes to do that. But when it comes to holding our own with our Christian faith, it is impossible to put too much effort into it. God has literally commissioned us to put a priority on sharing the gospel. This booklet is a great place to start. Here you will find the tools for arguing laid out nicely for you. From there, all you will need to do is pick them up and get good at using them.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFreddy Davis
    Release dateDec 31, 2011
    ISBN9781465840660
    Arguing with Atheists: and Other Non-Believers: Radical Disciple, #6
    Author

    Freddy Davis

    Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is married to Deborah and has one son, Ken. Freddy did his undergraduate studies at Florida State University in Speech Communications and received his MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to his pastoral ministry and work with MarketFaith Ministries, Freddy served overseas as an international missionary for nearly 17 years (in Japan and in the former Soviet Republic of Latvia). Freddy is the author of numerous books, workbooks and other works.

    Read more from Freddy Davis

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      Book preview

      Arguing with Atheists - Freddy Davis

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      Arguing with Atheists

      And Other Non-believers

      Freddy Davis

      Arguing with Atheists: and Other Non-Believers

      By Freddy Davis

      Copyright © 2010 Freddy Davis

      Smashwords Edition

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 - Background for Arguing

      Chapter 2 - Who Might We Argue With?

      Chapter 3 - The Process of Arguing

      Chapter 4 - Purposes for Argumentation

      Chapter 5 - Venues for Arguing

      Chapter 6 - Assess the Receptivity of the Hearers

      Chapter 7 - Steps in Breaking Down a Belief System

      Chapter 8 - Arguing Offensively

      Chapter 9 - Defending the Faith

      Chapter 10 - The Final Argument

      Appendices

      Appendix 1 - Worldview Explanation

      Appendix 2 - Checklist for Arguing

      Appendix 3 - Steps in Breaking Down a Belief System

      Appendix 4 - What Are the Weaknesses in the Four Worldviews?

      Appendix 5 - Examples of Interactions with Non-believers

      Appendix 6 - Worldview and Apologetics Resources

      Introduction

      Right off the bat you need to realize that the use of the word arguing in this book is not necessarily a reference to heated interactions between people who have different points of view. Now certainly, in our interactions with people where diverging views emerge, it is possible for some heat to be generated. But the purpose of this book lies in a different place. Arguing simply for the sake of arguing is not really productive in the process of sharing a witness and is not being advocated here. That kind of interaction with people is a pointless and time wasting exercise. If you are going to argue with someone about anything, at the very least it ought to have a purpose. Even more than that, it ought to have a constructive purpose. If your arguing does not have that constructive purpose, it is neither productive nor, dare I say, even Christian.

      But there is a place for constructive argument – particularly when it comes to how we stand up for our Christian faith in the marketplace of ideas. As Christians we are admonished in 1 Peter 3:15-16 to, Always be prepare d 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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. NIV The purpose of this booklet is to give you a basis for effectively following that Biblical admonition.

      The fact is, most Christians are totally afraid of speaking up for their faith. The specific reasons for the fear vary quite extensively.

      But at its most basic level, it usually gets down to a simple lack of knowledge about their own faith and the faith of those they are engaging. The person who has an adequate knowledge base has nothing to fear. The Christian faith is absolutely defensible and every other belief system has profound weaknesses. When we become educated about our faith and the faith of others in the right way, we have nothing to fear.

      But arguing well is not just about knowing the right facts. It is also about having the right purpose and attitude. When we argue, we are not merely trying to win an argument. Rather, as Christians, our purpose is to point people to faith in Jesus Christ. This doesn’t mean that every encounter we have with a non-believer will result in their conversion. However, each interaction ought to be taken as an opportunity to point people to Christ.

      The purpose of this booklet is not to give you all the answers to all of the questions you will face as you interact with atheists and other non-believers. To get that knowledge, you will be required to do your due diligence in acquiring the necessary information and skills in the various arenas of knowledge by your study of many sources. What you will find here is a toolbox to point you in the right direction so that you can gain and use your knowledge in order to be effective in your arguments.

      We live in a world which is very diverse and there are scores of belief systems in the mix. The adherents of some of those systems are very aggressive in either trying to convert Christians to their point of view, embarrass them in the public square, or even destroy their faith. We need to be able to answer their taunts and, in the process, be faithful witnesses of the truth of the Gospel.

      Additionally, there are millions of people in the world who are separated from God and are on a path to eternal destruction. We need to be able to argue effectively in order to share with them about salvation in Jesus Christ. It is my hope that this book will be a powerful weapon in your arsenal to help you become an effective arguer (witness) for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

      Chapter 1

      Background for Arguing

      What Do We Mean by Arguing?

      As we enter the arena of discussion with other people about matters of faith, we are bound to run into folks who have different beliefs than we do. When that happens, there are two possible ways an interaction can play out. Either the topic of faith is engaged or it is avoided. But even if it is engaged, there are numerous ways that the engagement can take place.

      One possible way is for there to be a strong confrontational stance between the parties – getting in each other’s faces. Another possibility is for one party to be overbearing while the other runs away or cowers in fear and dread. Still another way this can play out is for the discussion to be totally passionless with each person accepting the positions of the other as mere intellectual constructs (even though they both can’t be right). There are other possibilities, as well, such as being inquisitive about one another’s beliefs and using the discussion as a learning opportunity, or talking about faith occasionally but only as an unimportant point in a shallow conversation.

      But what we are dealing with in this booklet relates to something a bit more purposeful. Our definition of arguing requires that purpose be

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