Book Review: Tactics by Greg Koukl

For anyone who is familiar with Greg Koukl, they know that he is a very thoughtful man. This book is no exception. Tactics is basically a handbook on how to be an ambassador for Christ. It is broken up into two parts: The Game Plan and Finding the Flaws.

The first section deals primarily with an overview of his approach. The most helpful chapter is the one on the "Columbo Tactic." This tactic, named after the famous T.V. lawyer, is to ask questions. Asking questions in an evangelistic/apologetic situation will disarms the person you are talking to and help remove unneeded barriers and emotions. Further "[a]sking question enables you to escape the charge, 'You're twisting my words.'" Koukle provides different questions that will guide his reader in using the Columbo Tactic effectively.

The second half of the book deals with different ways to spot flaws in someone's arguments. One of my personal favorite tactics in the "Suicide" one. This tactic is uses to show that a particular view or argument is self-destruct, i.e. it kills itself. As a presuppositionalist, this is one argument and tool that I find extremely useful in discussions about the Christian faith. Koukl does a great job in illustrating just how to use this tool, which can be a powerful weapon when wielded properly.

This book is well written and easy to understand. I would have no problem handing this book to a new or young believe to equip them in sharing their faith. Koukl takes an evidentialist approach to apologetic, but that is not on the surface of every page and when it does come to the front, he does not linger on it for long.