J. P. Moreland, Tim Muelhoff, and Lee Strobel, The God Conversation: Using Stories and Illustrations to Explain Your Faith. IVP Books, 2007.
Referenced in: Approaches to Evangelism – Conversational/Relational
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
One might more accurately categorize this as an entry-level apologetics text, and apologetics is not the focus of LifeandLeadership.com. There is some relationship, however, between this volume and others in the evangelism resource guides, especially those written from a evaluating-emergent or conservative evangelical perspective. It is alongside Randy Newman’s Questioning Evangelism in proposing practical ways of dealing with tough questions skeptics pose to evangelists. The difference is that Moreland advocates the use of stories and illustrations, and Newman emphasizes the skills of questioning.
The focus of this text is using stories in the conversations with those who are skeptical of Christianity or are troubled by issues such as terrorism, religious diversity, the resurrection, evolution, etc. In today’s climate, questions on these issues will be encountered by anyone who does evangelism. Having some way of answering these objections without escalating argument or creating defensiveness requires skill and forethought. This book is invaluable toward that end.
For example, in the foreword, Lee Strobel tells this story:
More than a decade ago, I invited one of the authors of this book, J. P. Moreland, to Willow Creek Community Church to give a talk on science and faith. At the end of the presentation, a spiritual skeptic challenged him by saying that miracles overturn the laws of nature and therefore are impossible.
“Actually,” said Moreland, “the laws of nature are the way we describe how the world usually works. If someone drops an apple, it falls to the floor. That’s gravity. However, if someone were to drop and apple and I were to reach over and grab it before it hit the ground, I wouldn’t be overturning the law of gravity. I would simply be intervening. In a similar way, God is able to reach into the world that he created by performing a miracle. He isn’t contravening or overturning the laws of nature; he’s simply intervening.”
Moreland said a lot of brilliant things that evening. I recall being impressed with his entire presentation. But all these years later, his simple illustration of the falling apple is what I remember most clearly. That’s what good illustrations do: they bring abstract concepts to life, heighten our interest and stick in our minds for long periods of time. (7)
In this text, the authors draw upon a lifetime of experience in providing illustrations that address very complex questions posed by those we try to reach. The authors, particularly J. P. Moreland, have certainly proven through their writings that they believe in providing careful answers to questions. They also believe these questions “require vivid illustrations to make our answers clear and memorable” and that will “linger…long after the conversation ends.” (9)
The authors deal with the kinds of questions that present the most difficult barriers to belief. Philosophers call these defeater beliefs. For example, if you believe that all religions equally lead to God, then it can’t be true that Christianity is the only way to God. The book focuses on the five most likely defeater beliefs you’ll encounter as you share Christian convictions:
- God can’t be good, as seen by all the pain and suffering in the world today (chapters two and three).
- Christianity can’t be the only way to God, because Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Jews are just as sincere in their faith as Christians (chapters four and five).
- The biblical accounts of Jesus rising from the dead can’t be trusted, because legend has replaced fact in the disciples’ telling of the resurrection (chapters six and seven).
- You can’t judge another person, because there’s no ultimate sense of what is right and wrong for everyone (chapters eight and nine).
- Arguing that God made each of us in his image can’t be true because of the fact of evolution (chapters ten and eleven) (12)
Each of the chapters is laid out in conversational format, with deeper explanations beyond the conversational prose. The length and complexity of the issues is lessened to some degree by breaking the chapters into helpful sections. This is based on the assumption that few if any will have conversations as long as those in the book, but are likely to occur over a period of weeks, months, or even years.
The authors have provided a good collection of illustrations. They use current events, films, favorite TV programs, popular cultural figures, and the parables of Jesus. They also bring together some of the best thoughts of past and current thinkers.
Some will be disappointed at the elementary level of the answers. It is also not a quick route for those who want to answer complex questions without intense studying. Apologetics is heady work, and no book can provide pat answers to the difficult questions. But for what it is, this book is quite useful.
From the Publisher
Think of It This Way … Our beliefs are challenged from many directions. Every day it seems more difficult to explain to our friends, families and neighbors what we believe and why. When our ideas and arguments fail to persuade them, what then? Is there another approach we can take?
In The God Conversation veteran apologists and communicators J. P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff say that often the best way to win over others is with a good story. Stories have the ability to get behind our preconceptions and defenses. They can connect both emotionally and intellectually, appealing to the whole person rather than just to the mind. How do we defend belief in a good God in the face of terrorist attacks or natural disasters? What can we say to show we are not arrogant to believe that Jesus is the only way with so many sincere people following other world religions? What if they think we are naive to say Jesus actually rose from the dead? And when they seem confident in their right to choose their own ethical stances, how can we help them appreciate the value of a universal standard of right and wrong found in the Bible?
The authors offer a wealth of penetrating illustrations, examples and quotes that respond to these issues and more. In these pages they enhance the logic and evidence found in other books defending the faith, with things that your friends, relatives or coworkers will ponder long after a conversation is over. Here is sound, empathetic coaching for those of us who long to communicate our faith more effectively.
About the Authors
J.P. Moreland (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. He also serves as director of Eidos Christian Center. He is the author, coauthor or editor of numerous books and articles, including Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult, Body & Soul, To Everyone an Answer, and The Creation Hypothesis.
Tim Muehlhoff (Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) has served on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ since 1986. He is currently an associate professor of communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he teaches classes in interpersonal communication, rhetoric and gender. Tim has written about God, communication and faith in diverse publications such as the Journal of Religion and Communication, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Mars Hill Review, and Discipleship Journal.
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