Book Review: Tactics by Gregory Koukl

Every now and again, a preacher will come along and remind me that a Christian's responsibility is to share Christ with those around him. And, I have to admit, there have been many times I have heard that admonition -- err, encouragement -- with a quick attempt to make eye contact with just about anything else: the floor, my open Bible, my watch, "oh, what do you know? My shoelace is untied. I could trip if I don't fix that right now." Sure, I know I'm supposed to be on the alert to "give a defense for the hope that is in me" (1 Peter 3:16), but I'll admit I'm not always so good at making the most of those opportunities. Often I'm a victim of my own perceived amabassadorial inadequacies.

Fortunately, I stumbled upon a remarkable little book by Gregory Koukl titled Tactics. It's a fairly quick read (just at 200 pages), but I have found that good things come in small packages. The cover advertises the text as "a game plan for discussing your Christian convictions", and Koukl delivers an exceptionally applicable approach for explicit evangelistic engagement.

At the heart of Koukl's work is the lost art of reasonable, winsome interrogation: asking meaningful questions, engaging conversation, and remembering that a personal witness of Christ's lordship doesn't require one to be a sage on the stage. "All I want to do is put a stone in someone's shoe" is the axiom for Koukl (p. 38).

And thus beginneth the course. Good questions, basic critical thinking, and a sense of the Gospel's inherent truth will provide every follower of Christ with the necessary tools to adequately and powerfully respond to inquiries and straight challenges. Can't stand to read academic textbooks that go over your head? Koukl's presentation is stimulating and written in a conversational manner that anyone can read and comprehend.

Get a copy of Tactics and get in the game!