Customer Reviews

How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator

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If you speak to do well - but also to do right - How to Argue Like Jesus is a worthy addition to your library. I say this not only as an occasional instructor of public speaking classes but also as an agnostic who, nonetheless, is impressed with the message contained in this book.

The authors lay out an impressive goal: to employ an Aristotelian framework that unpacks the rhetorical strategies of Jesus (even as Jesus offers a means to illuminate Aristotle's notions of ethos, pathos, and logos). Given my interest in logos, I am particularly drawn to the reminder that, "While many modern anti-thesists argue for the irrationality of religion, Jesus is an exemplar of reason, rationality, and logic" (p. 44). The authors then expand their gaze to explore Jesus' use of imagery, his strategies for message dissemination, and the ways in which his rhetorical principles may be applied to contemporary speaking challenges.

This is, after all, a practical book. The authors expertly shift from historical context to rhetorical analysis to personal application, demonstrating how even complex concepts and strategies may be employed in familial, academic, and corporate environments. Notable contributions include a rich description of argumentative strategies and a section exploring the five C's of effective parables that will prove useful to those who would motivate people in both businesses and places of worship (pp. 94-95) -- though I would add that the bright line between grows ever more dim.

Perhaps the most fascinating component of this book appears (at first) to be its least rhetorical: a discussion of the cellular process or organization growth and maintenance. The authors state, "So Christ commanded his disciples not only to stick together but to disperse" (p. 119). From this point, the authors offer an insightful discussion of the role of communication in a world of increasingly detached human relationships.

While written as a textbook - with a list of key terms, questions for consideration, and even footnotes - How to Argue Like Jesus is designed for a "lay audience." It is not for scholars or would-be scholars; it is for those who simply wish to be more effective speakers. The authors wisely write in a manner that is not pedantic but is rather practical, direct, and engaging.

I would further add that How to Argue Like Jesus may be termed a sort of ministry for folks like me who have not thought carefully about the various lessons, warnings, and opportunities offered by Christ but, in studying his words from a technical perspective, gain some sense of the deeper purpose of the work. As such, I can highly recommend this book.

This exceptionally readable volume is both a fine introduction to Jesus' use of rhetoric for those studying that subject, and an insightful study of Jesus and his effective use of language for those seeking to know more about him. It is not a devotional book on the one hand; on the other, it is not a mechanistic manual of rhetorical devices. But it succeeds admirably in teaching the reader things about argument and about Jesus that chances are the reader has not learned before--or surely not with such effect.

While there is much about the writing and content of this book that is noteworthy, where I think the authors have truly made their mark is in producing a book so suitable for so many audiences. Beyond the many individual readers, Christian and non-Christian alike, who will benefit from this overview of Jesus' use of rhetoric, the book is an exceptional resource for undergraduate and seminary courses on Jesus, for homiletics classes, for introductory rhetoric classes, for church and college book groups, and for church school classes. The subject matter and presentation lends itself to all of these groups, but the addition of study questions and case studies ensures that any group can easily adopt this book for its situation. Likewise, the book's content would not be intimidating for better high school students, but in no way is too elementary for those with advanced degrees. This achievement itself is an endorsement of the authors' skill and understanding of the very subject matter they present.

Joe Carter and John Coleman are to be commended for what this reader hopes will be the first of many such books. Crossway has enhanced its reputation further by publishing this superb and perceptive book.

How to Argue Like Jesus by Coleman & Carter is a powerful yet easy to comprehend guide book allowing the common reader to understand and master the skills of our world's greatest philosophers and leaders from throughout time. From Aristotle and Socrates, to understanding why Martin Luther King's "I Had A Dream Speech" is so powerful, Coleman & Carter teach the most crucial moments of history & bible and how we can use them to make a difference in our lives, work, and communities.

Distilling the essence of argument and impact, the book endows us with an understanding of the skills that have provided the greatest leaders/speakers with the platform for driving impact and making a difference.

I sincerely recommend reading this book if you are interested in leadership and driving impact, persuading those around you, or better understanding the underpinnings of how Jesus and other great leaders of the past used rhetoric to change the world.

How to "argue" is a bit misleading, but if you substitute "persuade" it makes more sense. I like this book alot and wrote a review at my blog.
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Worth reading for sure.

In "How to Argue Like Jesus," readers are introduced to the pillars of Aristotelian argumentation in an easily readable format, which is an achievement in itself. Readers who are new to theory on argumentation and debate will not be alienated, but experienced debaters will still learn some things they hadn't known before.
However, what sets this book apart is how it takes Jesus as a prime example of each of the pillars of a good argument. The authors cite countless Biblical references and numerous examples from other great debaters and leave Christians with a new understanding of how to effectively promote their message.
Anyone who enjoys analyzing issues from both sides will find the techniques outlined in the book invaluable, and anyone who wants to be able to defend a position in a real debate will consider it indispensable.

Great reading no matter what your beliefs are. The authors' insights into the teaching style of Jesus and how to apply those techniques to build your on arguments are fascinating. Easy but entertaining read.

As a longtime Christian, I have listened to thousands of sermons over my lifetime. As a preacher, I have delivered hundreds. And it never ceases to amaze me how many of those sermons are simply awful.

Aristotle outlined three elements of persuasive speech: pathos, logos, and ethos. In How to Argue Like Jesus, Joe Carter and John Coleman use this outline "to analyze Jesus' method of communication and the way that method can illuminate our understanding of the subject." Pathos refers to the emotional element of persuasive speech, logos to the rational element, and ethos to the moral credibility of the speaker.

When a preacher or other public speaker fails to persuade his audience, it is probably because his sermon does not resonate with their hearts, because his words are not true or well-articulated, or because his character is suspect.

Using numerous examples from the Gospels, Carter and Coleman demonstrate that Jesus used pathos, logos, and ethos to full effect. That is why he is "history's greatest communicator," in the words of their book's subtitle. In addition to Jesus' example, the authors show the effective use of pathos, logos, and ethos in the words of contemporary speakers.

How to Argue Like Jesus is an excellent primer on persuasive communication. Preachers and Christian laypeople will benefit from the lessons it teaches. However, even the proper use of the elements of rhetoric does not guarantee that audiences will be persuaded. Then again, awful sermons pretty much guarantee that they won't be.

How to Argue like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator
Joe Carter, John Coleman
ISBN-10: 1433502712
ISBN-13: 9781433502712
A catchy title. A neat cover. An interesting topic. A mediocre book. This book, though good, will not make the bestseller list.
The authors do a good job with their subject material. They organized it well. They treated it well.
They took the issues of logos, pathos, and ethos and dealt with them very well. They showed how Jesus spoke and utilized these things.
Their examples were good. Their case studies were good. One can learn much from this book.
I recommend this book to someone who is interested in honing their rhetorical skills.
I believe this book will be helpful to someone who desires to learn how to speak more convincingly and more logically.
The book is easy to read. No need to worry about keeping the dictionary at hand. The authors have written it for the average "Joe." That is a good thing.
What, then, you ask, is the problem?
The title promises too much. It lifts ones expectations very high. When I opened the book, I expected to find that there were new insights into rhetoric, argument, and logic. I found that was not to be so. Instead, I found that the book demonstrated how Jesus spoke and used the traditional rules of rhetoric. It's not that I learned nothing new. I did. I would profit from reading the book a second time. The let down of finding that the title seemed to promise more than was delivered simply made me a little jaundiced in my view.
That being said, the book still gets four out of five stars.

I haven't been into religion (or my faith of Catholicism) for awhile. This book doesn't disenfranchise folks like me. It is a very direct look on a great man's rhetorical style and shows how his style, substance, and words can be applied to your arguments. The authors bring modern research to their analysis (you'll see references to McKinsey Consulting, The Economist, Malcolm Gladwell) which strengthens their writing. I would recommend this for anyone who needs to make a speech (lawyers, teachers, politicians) and regular folks who need a tool bag to argue for their rights or beliefs.

This book was the first one that I have read from Crossway since being given the chance to review books for them on a regular basis. I asked for this book because of the title. I was a little skeptical on what in the world the writers were trying to convey with the title. What I found as I started to read is that the main title, "How to Argue Like Jesus" was a little misleading and the subtitle, "Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator" was a more appropriate title for the whole of the book. But, the title did its job, because I wanted to read it. I know I am not the only one who felt this way as Frank Turk described this same frustration.

The book is co-authored by a blogger, Joe Carter which gives us all hope of someday taking our writing to the real world. After getting passed the title and understanding what the book was actually about, which was communication and persuasion, I found the book to be very well done and one that I will have to re-read in the future and use as a reference to make my sermons and teachings more on point of how Christ communicated his eternal truth.

The book is set up to really show you how to communicate effectively and then drawing from the Scriptures to show you specifically how Christ used the same techniques that were put forth in writing by Aristotle. Not only did the authors show forth Christ's words but they also drew from historical events to show the speeches, etc. to bring their points home. In other words, even in writing this book the authors used the techniques presented to display the effectiveness to the reader.

The book from the very beginning shows one the basics of logic and how to employ logic in ones presentation for ideas, whether pastor, businessman or soccer coach. This book is really widespread and for that I allow the small errors in theology to go unmentioned.

The book goes from the basics in communication to the importance of the communicator and his/her life and how they engage their audience. Again, very good practical advice that will aid anyone who communicates to do in a better style. Not only does the book span the normal ideas of persuasion, but at the end of the book they present those qualities of communication that was unique to Christ that we should also take note of. Some of these were (these are only explained in half pages so that is why there is so many):

1. Always employ some sort of good news, even when reporting wholly bad news
2. Start with your audience's needs
3. Start with examples your audience will understand
4. Speak your audience's "language"
5. Never speak about your speech
6. Use Witness
7. Communicate with confidence
8. Get it right
9. Do not boast; act with humility
10. Know when to speak and when to be silent
11. Be enigmatic
12. Listen
13. Ask Questions
14. Just ask (for what you want)
15. When appropriate, stand up to authority
16. Don't bend core principles or standards to gather disciples
17. Create a sense of urgency
18. Remember that a prophet is without honor in his hometown
19. Praise those who do well; express disappointment in those who disappoint you
20. Don't Fear Division
21. Don't Cast your pearls before swine
22. Words Matter

Overall, the last part of the book and the beginning, with logical analysis of Christ's words, were my favorite. The only downfall of the book is that sometimes it seems too mechanic. This is what will happen when trying to convey Jesus as something other than our Saviour. This book is focused on communication, so very little, if anything, is presented about his true mission, which was to save sinners. Because of this, some parts of the book made it sound as though if you do "A" then "B" will happen. Which we know of many pastors who labor long, communicate well, and still have very little in the way of converts or numbers in the congregation. I know that the authors try to convey this at the beginning in one or two sentences but it is hard to shake as you read throughout the book. But, through all this, it does show how complex, and on point, even Christ's words were apart from the work of the Spirit. Just Christ's mere language and communication was nothing short of brilliant, but as we know, and the authors know, we can't stop there with Christ.

I would recommend this highly to any who would like to communicate better to their audience whatever their profession or ministry. I very much liked the book, now it will be about going back for further study on the methods of communication that they put forth. Highly Recommended