Part One:  Introduction

Too often in discussions with non-Christians, we find ourselves pushed into a corner, with our arms folded, defending what we believe. But it shouldn’t be this way. We have God’s truth. Unbelievers should be the ones who defend what they believe—not us. I believe the most effective way to achieve this is to apply the Socratic Method, which is based on a style argumentation used by the Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC). Socrates would ask his opponents a series of questions that forced them to examine their own beliefs and to justify their validity—if they could.

As an apologetic technique, the fundamental strategy of the Socratic Method is to challenge unbelievers to defend their erroneous beliefs about Christianity, as well as to defend their particular worldview assumptions. In other words, we Christians become the adversary during religious and ethical discussions. Rather than presenting evidences designed primarily to defend the Christian position on an issue—the typical method most apologists use—we lovingly and sensitively challenge unbelievers to defend what they believe, analyze and justify their positions, and face the logical conclusions of their assumptions.

The principle behind the Socratic Method is that all non-Christian worldviews, if pushed far enough, will eventually break down. Francis Schaeffer put it this way in his book The God Who Is There:

In reality no one can live logically according to his own non-Christian presuppositions. . . . Regardless of a man’s system, he has to live in God’s world. If he were consistent to his non-Christian presuppositions he would be separated from the real universe. . . .

We ought not first try to move a man away from what he should deduce from his position but toward it. . . .We try to move him in the natural direction in which his presuppositions would take him. We are then pushing him towards the place where he ought to be, had he not stopped short. (126-127)

Once unbelievers realize for themselves that their beliefs about the Bible and the Christian worldview are erroneous—and their own worldview untenable—they may be more willing to consider the Christian perspective on the issue at hand.

Applying this offensive apologetic technique is simple, and the principle behind it is reflected in an insightful passage in Proverbs (written centuries before the Socrates): “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him” (18:17 NIV). The arguments and assumptions unbelievers bring to religious and moral issues can sound truly convincing—until we pause a moment, think about what’s being said, and then question their arguments. Remarkably, when we do this, their arguments frequently fall apart. So rather than respond to challenges by defending the Christian position, we respond by asking pertinent questions that forces the unbeliever to think through and justify their position on the issue at hand.

I taught this technique in college classes for years, and students were always impressed at how effective it is. In evaluations at the end of my classes, a large majority of the students consistently told me it was the best thing they learned in class. ©

In next week’s blog article, I’ll outline the kinds of questions we can ask when applying the Socratic Method, which are relevant to the major intellectual and cultural challenges Christians typically encounter. Then, in the following weeks, I’ll provide specific examples of these questions; that is, I’ll provide questions that will force the unbeliever to defend and justify their own worldview assumptions.

* This series of blog articles is adapted from my books Engaging the Closed Minded: Presenting Your Faith to the Confirmed Unbeliever and The Christian Combat Manual: Helps for Defending Your Faith; A Handbook for Practical Apologetics, which can be purchased at most outlets.