Fool's Talk

1. Recovering Persuasion: A Lost Art in Christian Communication

We have lost the art of Christian persuasion and we must recover it.

The Need for Persuasion. Contemporary Christian communication often assumes openness, interest, and need in its audience, a fallacy in the pluralistic, post-Christian West. The urgent need is to recover the art of persuasion to address indifference or resistance to the Gospel.

Reuniting Evangelism and Apologetics. Much contemporary advocacy focuses on winning arguments rather than winning people, ignoring the spiritual and philosophical ways people think through their faiths. The need is to reunite evangelism and apologetics, directing arguments toward winning people in a manner true to the Gospel.

An Advocacy of the Heart. This book advocates for an existential approach to sharing faith, deeper and more faithful than common approaches. Christian advocacy should be shaped by Christian truths, not alien ways of thinking, focusing on the heart and the biblical understanding of unbelief.

2. Creative Persuasion: Subversion Through Surprise

What Mailer did was what I call creative persuasion or subversion through surprise.

Beyond Traditional Methods. Creative persuasion, or subversion through surprise, is a communication style that makes people see a point despite their predisposition to reject it. This approach is critical for the church today, as many in the West are hostile, prejudiced, indifferent, or blasé toward Christianity.

Biblical Examples. The stories of the prophet Micaiah and the unnamed prophet confronting King Ahab illustrate creative persuasion. Micaiah initially echoed the false prophets before delivering the true message, while the unnamed prophet used an acted parable to reveal Ahab's self-condemnation.

The Way of Jesus. While Norman Mailer's bigotry is reprehensible, his communication style—subversion through surprise—mirrors Jesus' approach. Jesus often communicated in ways that made people see his point despite themselves, a method Western Christians should emulate.

3. Technique: The Devil's Bait in Modern Apologetics

Technique is the devil’s bait for the Christian persuader today, and at point after point we must turn down its seductions point blank, just as Jesus refused the tempter in the desert.

The Seduction of Technique. The modern church is often worldly in its idolizing of change, relevance, and innovation, making it vulnerable to the seductions of technique. Technique, the devil's bait, tempts Christian communicators to rely on formulas and methods rather than the Gospel's transformative power.

Beyond McDonaldization. The "McDonaldization" of the world, with its emphasis on calculability, efficiency, predictability, and control, has infiltrated many areas of life, including church growth and Christian persuasion. However, Christian persuasion is an art, not a science, and cannot be reduced to a surefire technique.

An Art for Lovers. Christian persuasion is for those who love God and wish to make the best possible case for Him, understanding that love is essential to knowledge. It is not for salesmen or propagandists but for genuine lovers of Jesus and truth, beauty, and knowledge.

4. The Defense Never Rests: God's Honor at Stake

So long as sin frames God, those who love God have a job to do in the world.

The Core of Christian Advocacy. Christian advocacy stems from the fact that sin frames God, falsely accusing Him. Apologetics is a reasoned defense on behalf of the innocent, motivated by a desire to clear God's name and vindicate His character.

God as His Own Apologist. God is His own best apologist, with human advocates serving as junior counsels for the defense. The Hebrew prophets exemplify this, addressing their world with the word of their Lord and challenging everything that allowed their contemporaries to refuse God's claims.

The Defense Never Rests. Until the last judgment, Christian advocacy will always be in business, defending God's honor. This task is not about us but about Him, and our efforts should be directed toward bringing the presence of God into the debate through the power of the Holy Spirit.

5. The Way of the Third Fool: Cross Talk, Not Clever Talk

The cross of Jesus is the world’s supreme example of anguish, suffering and injustice, but it has nothing to do with tragedy as we experience it in Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Shakespeare

Three Types of Fools. The Bible presents three types of fools: the practical atheist, the "fool for Christ's sake," and the "fool maker." Erasmus restored the way of the third fool to recover the power of subversive persuasion, a way that carries the power of the cross.

The Supreme Fool Bearer. Jesus himself is the supreme fool bearer, enduring mockery and crucifixion. This "holy folly" subverts the world's wisdom, strength, and superiority, revealing true wisdom and power through the cross.

Cross Talk vs. Clever Talk. Christian persuasion is a matter of cross talk, not clever talk. It is shaped by the truths of creation, sin, incarnation, the cross, and the Holy Spirit, aiming to reunite evangelism and apologetics in a manner true to the Gospel.

6. Anatomy of Unbelief: The Heart of the Problem

At the heart of sin and disobedience, Paul says, is a flagrantly deliberate and continuing act of violence to truth.

Sin's Abuse of Truth. At the heart of unbelief is a deliberate act of violence to truth, suppressing, exploiting, inverting, and deceiving. This abuse of truth stems from a willful resistance to God and a claim to the right to oneself.

Four Features of Unbelief:

• Suppression: Silencing truth's voice
• Exploitation: Wresting truth toward selfish ends
• Inversion: Turning truth upside down
• Self-Deception: Creating illusions to avoid God

The Tension of Unbelief. Unbelief is characterized by ceaseless tension and conflict, as it can never fully escape the truth it suppresses. This tension provides a point of contact for Christian advocacy, challenging people to be responsible to truth and their own consciences.

7. Turning the Tables: Reframing the Narrative

Apologetics (from apologia in Greek) is a “word back,” a reasoned defense mounted on behalf of the one we love who is innocent but has been falsely and unfairly accused.

The Strategy of Table Turning. Table turning involves taking people seriously in terms of what they say they believe and disbelieve, then pushing them toward the consequences of their unbelief. This strategy assumes that if the Christian faith is true, their unbelief is not finally true.

God's Response to Unbelief. God's response to disobedience and unbelief is to actively counter the outrage, serving as His own supreme counsel for the defense. Our role is to bring the presence of God into the debate through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Power of Reframing. Reframing involves setting an issue in its right perspective, challenging people to see the truth despite their resistance. This approach, exemplified by Nathan's confrontation with King David, can lead to profound intellectual, spiritual, and moral conviction.

8. Triggering the Signals: Longing for More

All that came to be was alive with his life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines on in the dark and the darkness has never mastered it.

Signals of Transcendence. Signals of transcendence are phenomena within our natural reality that point beyond it, acting as contradictions and desires. These signals trigger a longing for a new answer that is surer, richer, and more adequate than what was believed before.

The Role of Desire. Desire and longing play a key role in the search for meaning, prompting individuals to seek God through various passions. These passions, whether positive or negative, can move people to seek God through desire, joy, fear, or grief.

The Importance of the Holy Spirit. Christian persuasion involves bringing the presence of God into the debate through the power of the Holy Spirit. This approach recognizes that the decisive power is not ours but God's, and that the Holy Spirit does the essential work of convincing and convicting.

9. Beware the Boomerang: Hypocrisy's Double Edge

I have found that nothing is more dangerous to one’s own faith than the work of an apologist.

The Challenge of Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy, the failure to practice what we preach, is a significant challenge for the Christian faith. It undercuts our testimony and can lead to the rejection of the Gospel.

The Importance of Confession. To counter hypocrisy, Christians must engage in open, voluntary confession, acknowledging their sins and seeking forgiveness. This act of humility and candor is essential for maintaining credibility and integrity.

Living in Truth. Christian growth involves aligning our lives with the truth of the Gospel, seeking to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. This commitment to truth is the best defense against the charge of hypocrisy and a powerful witness to the transformative power of faith.

10. Charting the Journey: Guiding Seekers to Faith

You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.

The Journey to Faith. The journey to faith involves four stages: questioning, searching, investigating, and committing. Each stage requires a different approach from the apologist, tailored to the seeker's specific needs and concerns.

The Role of the Apologist. Apologists serve as trusted guides, helping seekers navigate the complexities of the journey and discern the truth. This involves understanding where people are on their journey, listening with love and attention, and offering appropriate encouragement and support.

The Importance of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the journey to faith is a work of the Holy Spirit, who draws people to know and love God. Apologists must recognize their limited role and rely on the Spirit's power to transform hearts and minds.

11. Kissing Judases: Internal Threats to the Gospel

To be sure, only a few take the revisionist road to the end. But the further the revisionists go, and the more extreme they become, the more disloyal they are to Jesus and the more damaging they become to the Christian faith.

The Danger Within. Some of today’s deadliest challenges to the Christian faith come from within the church itself, through heresy, syncretism, apostasy, and paganism. Without faithful and courageous apologists, the church is vulnerable to these internal threats.

The Erosion of Authority. The crisis of authority caused by the church’s capitulation to cultural pressures, such as the sexual revolution, is a significant concern. This capitulation often leads to a loss of continuity, credibility, and identity.

The Call to Stand Firm. Christian advocates must be ready to focus their attention on those inside the church as well as those outside, resisting modern revisionism and upholding the truth of the Gospel. This requires a costly courage and a willingness to be contra mundum.

Last updated: March 31, 2025