Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, September 8, 2017

SATAN'S ADVICE ON EVANGELISM

If you’re into the social media, if you’re into reading the news online, you know that there’s a section for “Comments,” in which the readers let other readers know what they think of the story and/or what they think of others who are also commenting in what’s called, “The Thread.”

As you read those comments, you know that they can get crass, crude, and degrading. The name-calling of runs the gamut from obscene to childish. Conservatives call progressives “libtards,” "wackos,” “loons,” and “idiots.” Liberals call conservatives “Nazis,” “radicals,” and “zealots.” Each side feels justified in fighting fire with fire because they think that's the way to win.

But in the firefight, few seem to notice that ad hominem attacks persuade no one. One problem with such attacks is that they make the user appear childish, unrestrained, uneducated, and unintelligent.

THE POLITICIAN'S PLOY: DIVERT, DIVERT, DIVERT

Another problem is that the crass and the crude divert the discussion from the issue at hand--a favorite ploy of the politician. Each "stupid," "idiot," libtard" prevents persuasion. My personal favorite diversionary tactic is the story of the politician, wanting to distract his audience from the real issues, declared, “And furthermore, I charge my opponent with being a practicing thespian!” (He won the election.)

As one author writes, “If you want to persuade another that their belief is unsubstantiated by the facts, or that it defies reason, calling them a “libtard" isn’t going to help. In fact, it's going to cause them to shut down, and get defensive.”

IT GETS EMBARRASSING

I tired of all reading all of this puerile behavior, so I have a program on my computer that blocks all the Comments Sections. I couldn’t read them even if I wanted to. Ah, the marvels of technology!
But, when I used to read them, it did get me to thinking how such behavior can influence you and  me to become like the world. A case in point was an online debate that occurred several years ago among pastors, theologians, and Christian authors. The debate began to degenerate quickly into gossip, rumors, and hurled accusations. Anyone outside the faith, inadvertently stumbling onto the web page would ask, "What in the world is going on!"

The comments in the debate (I use the word advisedly) got so personal that there were those who began to write to the webmaster, pleading,  “Please! Shut this thing down; it’s embarrassing!”

And they were right. Few in the online blitzkrieg were obeying the New Testament command to “speak the truth in love.” Their main interest was to attack each other personally, attacks that were on the level of the Republicans and Democrats going hammer and tongs at each other.

One author, writing about the current online political debates, says, "There are those who will argue that because many progressives employ ad hominem attacks, conservatives have no choice but to engage in the same way; that we have to fight dirty if we want to 'win.' But what is winning? If winning means making your opponent angry or upset, then insults are the way to go. However, if winning is showing people that what you believe is right, and persuading them to open their minds and think differently, then insults are the exact opposite of a good tactic.

"We’ve been conditioned to see the world around us in terms of wins and losses, friends and enemies, but that mentality (of which I am frequently guilty) does not elucidate, nor does it persuade. . . We need to reach out rather than slap down.”

THIS JUST IN FROM THE CHRISTIAN WORLD

Although he was speaking of political polemics, his words made me think of the pastors I’ve heard bragging about how they made another person angry and upset, touting that as if it was “winning.” I’ve sat through many a sermon in which the pastor thought it a badge of honor that he’s alienated yet one more person. As I listen, I wonder, "Has he forgotten that verse about Jesus, “And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him..” (Mark 12:37)

A good model for us to follow is the example of the Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. He was speaking to an audience in which was a philosophy professor, hostile to Christianity, who had brought his students to the lecture. After the lecture, the professor and his students approached, Zacharias and challenged him to meet with him and deal with some issues the professor had, which, of course, would be attacks on Christ and Christianity.

Zacharias wisely said, "Certainly, I'll be glad to meet with you, on one condition--you don't bring your students and I won't bring mine, because you'll want to show off in front of yours and I'll want to show off in front of mine."

The professor agreed and the meeting led to a profitable discussion, one that focused on the issues, not on scoring points, showing off, and calling that, "winning," but on persuading.

Of course, I’m not talking about the gospel’s upsetting people. It does that to some, but not all (II Cor. 2:15-16). But it's the gospel that's upsetting to people, not our calling them, "dumb." What I’m talking about is crass and cruel words upsetting people, and when they do, we think, “I’m the winner.”

THINKING BACKWARDS

Let’s think backwards like C. S. Lewis did in The Screwtape Letters and examine ways that Satan would advise us to witness for Christ:

1. Interrupt often. This is how they do it on the cable news channels when discussing a political issue. They spend their time interrupting each other and yelling at each other.

2. Ask no questions. This is because you don’t care what he thinks about anything and he needs to know that you don’t care.

3. Get irritated and upset. Vent your emotions at him. Call him an “idiot,” and “stupid.” It helps to get impatient with him.

4. Forget about persuading him. Your mission is to get him angry and irritated with you. When you do that, you win.

I have a friend in the ministry whose vocal witness is accompanied by love and patience. Recently, he wrote to tell me that someone to whom he’s been saying a word “in season and out of season” has trusted Christ. How long has his love and patience been going on: nine years! That’s right, nine years. That new convert would have been turned off long ago and would have refused to listen if my friend had stooped to the puerile practice of name-calling.

I like what Dr. Charlie Bing says, “When you bait your hook with your heart, you will always catch fish.”


1 comment:

  1. The object is not to win by invalidating the person's belief using derogatory name calling. The object is to persuade with irrefutable truth, however sometimes an emotional person cannot think logically. That is when it is time to just challenge them to accept the idea that both sides are seeking the Truth. People are sick of the arguing and contentiousness in our society. They love someone who will be willing to not win, and just walk away, wishing them well in their search for truth.

    I have evolved another notch with my students in school. I no longer allow them to argue. I instruct them to prove what they are saying with facts, and they cannot use something someone else has said. They have to go to the source and quote from there. - People do not know how manipulated they are until you point out to them in this way that they are believing things they cannot be sure are true. Truth is the object and the Source is the key. Whether it is a Biblical Issue, a political issue, or another type issue. People are hungering for the truth.

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