Why It's Sometimes Smart to Agree With An Atheist

In this article taken from Dear Friend:  Letters to Christian Ambassadors, Greg Koukl writes:

When a naysayer raises an objection, it is meant to push us off balance and put us on the ropes in a defensive position. In some cases, stepping forward instead of backwards changes that dynamic and the objection goes dead in the water.

This tactic can be used for example with the challenge, "There is no intelligent designer because the design is imperfect." Agree that the design is imperfect but state that it does not logically follow that there is no designer. Koukl uses the unreasonableness of denying a watch that runs 3 minutes slow is designed as an example.

He also uses the oft repeated saying, "You are an atheist towards many gods. I just believe in one less god than you do", to demonstrate the use of this approach. Once again, agree with the charge and then simply say, "What is your point?" Koukl uses the example of bachelors having one less wife than married men. 

The article can also be found here.

Stand firm in Christ,
Chase

Comments

Andrew Ryan said…
"Koukl uses the unreasonableness of denying a watch that runs 3 minutes slow is designed as an example."

Surely one would be sceptical of the claim that such a malfunctioning watch was designed by the greatest horologist genius of all time!
Chase said…
Perhaps the horologist cannot stand being the first to arrive at meetings.