Ever wonder why your argument falls on deaf ears? This text is a great place to start to understand why this occurs from a biblical and rational point of view.
Dr. James Sire is a prolific author, university professor and former editor for InterVarsity Press. His most popular works focus on the ideas of worldviews and how they affect thinking.
This text is divided into three parts:
Part 1- Common Logical Fallacies - Dr. Sire uses a fictional and humorous example to introduce ten logical fallacies. Then, he systematically discusses each fallacy and provides common (and often heard) examples of these fallacies in action from recent discussions. He shows how to recognize and refute each fallacy to bring the discussion back to the truth. Moreover, he shows how to avoid the fallacies in creating your own case for your beliefs. Discussion of these fallacies focuses on their presence in Christian apologetic discussions.
Part 2- Good Arguments That Often Fail - Here, Dr. Sire looks at roadblocks that can stand between a properly logical argument and others' acceptance of that argument. Some roadblocks come from the presentation, such as arrogance, aggression and overly clever statements. Others come from the audience, such as the audience misunderstanding your case. Each of these can be avoided. The first can be avoided by practicing humble speech and presenting the case in a humble-approachable-credible manner. The second requires the speaker to understand the audience and present the argument in a way that deals with preconceived notions. Next, Dr. Sire moves on to how worldviews play a role in the audience rejecting your ideas. He specifically deals with evolution and relativism in the next two chapters. Finally, the issue of moral blindness is discussed and Sire provides an example of how to dig to help the person recognize their motives at the same time you understand them and begin to pose the argument to meet those motives.
Part 3- Good Arguments That Work - The majority of this section deals with Acts 17:16-34 and Paul's discussion with the people in Athens. Here, there were three reactions: scoffers, people who wanted to hear more, and believers. The key to Paul's example is how he adapted his message's conveyance (but not its content) to be more easily accepted by the Athenians. Sire provides 8 key lessons to be learned from the 19 verse passage. Sire then discusses an example from his experience where someone in the audience prepared a 2-page response to his lecture and read it to the audience. He discusses the tactics that went into his response. Sire ends the book by providing the reader with 10 areas to focus on in building a knowledge base for apologetics. He also provides a detailed bibliography and synopsis of the books he chose.
Often in a review, I will post the pros and cons of the text. The only problem here is that I found little to disagree with or critique. This text is ultimately useful for those interested in following Christ's commission to make disciples. I did find myself wanting to dig deeper into the ideas of logical fallacies. D A Carson's Exegetical Fallacies has a chapter on logical fallacies in hermeneutics, but this does not cover the issue of general case-building. This book does a great job of wetting the appetite for more apologetic reading, for sure!
This is not a book full of evidence and arguments for Christ. This is a text that explains how to pose an argument once you have all the data. This is an important note.
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Since 1947, InterVarsity Press (IVP) has been publishing thoughtful Christian books that shape both the lives of readers and the cultures they inhabit. Throughout these seventy-five years, our books and authors have established a legacy of speaking boldly into important cultural moments, providing timeless tools for spiritual growth, and equipping Christians for a vibrant life of faith.
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