From: Dr. Wayne C. Sedlak
Author, Debate Instructor, Christian Apologist (40 years)
Founder & Director, Institute for Christian Heritage Research

Dear Fellow Christian,

I’m extremely excited to announce the release of this Second Edition… Brand New… “How to…” version of a book that had its beginning research almost many years ago.

Let me explain.

For over 40 years I’ve watched…sometimes in horror…as Christian people were called upon to give answers for the faith they so deeply believed. They did so bravely in the face of real opposition yet, very often, were frustrated with the results…

•  I’ve seen Christians grasp desperate to find the right words at a “one-time” opportunity with a Cabinet Minister of a very prestigious and powerful nation… only to see him laugh and turn away at their failure to articulate the desperate plight of a Christian woman imprisoned for her faith.

•  I’ve seen Christians frantically attempting to explain their position, in defense of a Christian school, to government and court officials in a case eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court…

•  I’ve seen Christians suddenly “put on the spot” on Capitol Hill, confronted by a United States Senator who really asked to hear what they had to say about an important bill… only to find themselves confused, stupefied and at a loss for words. Do you think he was convinced?

•  I’m sure you’ve seen the media mercilessly shred Christian people and Christian positions time and again. Christians MUST become wise stewards of our words and opportunities in public and private!

But you’re probably thinking…These aren’t issues I normally face! I face being “tongue tied” when I need to deal with…

•    Perhaps the worst tragedies are the personal ones.  Broken homes.  Shattered marriages… where so often the “right word” was the one not spoken to bring healing and love. Then there’s the children… leaving the churches and faith of their parents. Were family and church NOT Able to “get their faith” across to the young? If not… why not?

• We can all identify with the heartache of losing a loved one to unbelief… resulting in a demoralizing lifestyle, in part because we had difficulty making the points of our faith compelling.

•   We live in a culture where Christian men want to stand for what is right…and we NEED that POWERFUL INFLUENCE in our society desperately but too often MEN feel inadequate when called upon.

• We mentioned the word “compelling” … COMPELLING … Why is it we can be so eager to “share”, but people just don’t seem to get excited or “persuaded” by it?”

 

As a (retired) heart surgeon, I know what it means to have pursued excellence in any professional endeavor. Real accomplishment is not just attained through hard work.  There are certain skills vital to any person’s ongoing success.  Critical thinking in the examination of any subject matter is crucial to such attainment. Real success, progress and achievement can only come by mastering relations with people of all kinds and abilities.  The ability to think clearly, frame questions, recognize “counterfeits”, identify presuppositions, and handle arguments is the very essence of effective communication skill. Only with such skills can a person successfully present positions, opinions, and discoveries to a skeptical and hard-hitting world. I heartily endorse this excellent course for anyone’s consideration…and mastery. -Dr. Robert Gamble Heart and Thoracic Surgeon ( retired)

 

There is at least one major reason we as Christians all struggle to speak effectively “off

the cuff”… “on the spot”… and that reason is “the Missing.” So What’s “the Missing?”

 

Louis Pasteur saw “the missing” in disease diagnosis. He identified the existence of micro-organisms, such as bacteria and molds, as the cause of disease. Again, he stood apart because he “saw” the missing.

With a simple apple falling to the ground from a tree, Sir Isaac Newton saw “the missing.” He was a Master in the art of critical thinking. He went to on to identify the Law of Gravitational Attraction. Eventually, he “discovered” the mathematical power of the Calculus and invented the conventions necessary to use it properly. Again, he “saw” the missing…and changed the world of science forever!

Ambrose, the great minister of the 4th century church, also saw “the missing.” He grieved that Roman Law was so unjust. When the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great, a Christian, wanted to rewrite Roman law to make it more just and fair, Ambrose saw that what was needed was “due process” provisions which would protect the accused from the arbitrary exercise of power. Because he “saw” the missing, Ambrose helped lay the cornerstone later for “rights and due process” procedures in European Western Civilization, Britain, and America.

Alex D’Tocqueville came from France on official business, visiting the United States in the 1830’s. He began to wonder at the immense power of the young Republic. He wondered how it was that such a young nation had risen to power so quickly, and had accomplished what his own country, France, had failed repeatedly to accomplish…the defeat of the British Empire twice in 40 years! He began to search for “the missing.” He looked for America’s strength as a nation in her resources, though they, he decided, were still untapped…in her matchless Constitution, though he realized that great document had not existed during the first contest with Britain. He sought for the greatness of America in her traditions and institutions. But, not until he visited the Churches of America and found “pulpits aflame with righteousness”.  He concluded: “America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”  D’Tocqueville “saw” the missing and provided the key to understanding the real strength of America.

But, there is another side to “the Missing” as well…the craft and cunning side of human nature. This is the side of mankind we all must all avoid or defeat. The Bible warns us there are two kinds of wisdom in the world…and they are opposed to one another. One is the kind that seeks the well-being of others. Then there is the other…generally described with such words as

•    cunning,
•    scheming,
•    crafty,
•    sly,
•    devious
•    sneaky
•    diabolical.

According to Scripture, these two “wisdoms” confront each other.Which one “wins” in a
home, marriage, business, society, and even an individual’s conscience…that “victory”will determine the course and future of the persons involved.

The Christ of the Gospels: Master of Critical Thought

and Debate.

Here are the Techniques and Strategies He used.  Imagine a course

that shows you how He won verbally, face-to-face.

For centuries people have admired the answers Christ gave to His enemies. Who hasn’t been awed by his answer when His enemies thought they had Him ensnared in a trap that would have cost Him imprisonment with the Romans?

“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.”

This was a simple answer but brilliantly effective. Did you ever wonder how Christ diagnosed the question so quickly and astutely? Remember what we cited earlier in the Gospels, “…How does this man know ‘letters’ having never learned.” There is a way to diagnose the “attack coming at you” and have an answer in the making as they ask. 

Christ transformed “common” individuals.

He was persuasive, without bullying or trickery.

He cut through opponent’s arguments with astounding impact and His answers were sound.

He repeatedly stopped their verbal assaults of His foes.

You Can Too.

• The ministry of Jesus Christ spanned the course of only three years, yet the intensity of the informal debates (small group, not formally planned “debates” we all face) and the quality of His answers astounded the world.
• What’s more, He trained a generation of thinkers who would change the world. He did not choose to begin with famous philosophers, trained professors, skilled debaters or the like. He transformed “common” individuals, fisherman, tent makers, tax collectors, and servants into men who could cut through their opponent’s arguments with astounding impact.

This course not only studies how He answered His enemies, but in the process, how he trained his disciples to think, diagnose and answer their detractors ON THE SPOT despite a variety of differing and stressful circumstances.

If If He could train a group of ordinary individuals under such trying conditions, isn’t it possible for future generations to learn and apply the same methods as they learned? Of course, Christianity has spread its faith precisely because this has always been possible.

It has been amazing to see the results in the lives of the young people in our various ministries who have been trained to think and respond in so effective a manner! I have lived to see the days when, on the one hand, Christian young people were all too often ashamed of the Gospel and had little in the way of powerful answers provided to them…Now, I see many of them “taking the offensive” in their witness, without being “offensive” in their conduct. Wonderful! It’s an encouragement to us all!– -Douglas Hirschmann Church Elder

…But, what about you?

Have you ever considered using Christ’s methods and techniques to present your opinions? It’s one thing to know what He believed. It’s another to present such truths skillfully. This manual and audio set is designed to teach many of those same methods by which Christ handled various informal arguments.

Consider the Following…

 

The famous minister of the Scottish Reformation, John Knox, was called to stand before the infamous Queen Mary of Scots on a charge of treason.  He boldly stood and declared it to be the duty of magistrates to defend the true church instead of persecuting it. She answered, “My conscience doth not teach me so.” To which he sharply replied, “Conscience, madam, requires knowledge and a sound knowledge I fear you have none!” Her humiliation was so great and her pride so shaken, chroniclers tell us she fled the throne room weeping. What rule of argumentation did Knox use to stun and embarrass the queen in his now famous answer?   (Hint: You will find the answer in the discussion of “derived standards”.)

 

The famous 18th century U.S. Senator, Henry Clay, once happened to be walking on a narrow sidewalk. Approaching him on the same sidewalk was his bitter adversary . As they drew near each other, Clay’s bitter antagonist bellowed, “ I never step aside for scoundrels!” Clay immediately stepped aside replying “I always do!” What rule for “getting under your opponent’s argument” was ‘in play’ here? (Hint: you’ll find it in the Book of Proverbs and in lessons about fallacy.)

 

The famous 18th century U.S. Senator, Henry Clay, once happened to be walking on a narrow sidewalk. Approaching him on the same sidewalk was his bitter adversary . As they drew near each other, Clay’s bitter antagonist bellowed, “ I never step aside for scoundrels!” Clay immediately stepped aside replying “I always do!” What rule for “getting under your opponent’s argument” was ‘in play’ here? (Hint: you’ll find it in the Book of Proverbs and in lessons about fallacy.)

 

On Jan. 14th, 1766, William Pitt, the famous Parliamentarian, considered the greatest statesman of 18th century England, stood before his own Parliament of England. The debate concerned America’s resistance to English encroachment of liberty. In that famous statement which rocked both Houses of Parliament and the Throne of England, he declared, “I rejoice that America has resisted. Three millions of people, so dead to all the feelings of liberty, as voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit instruments to make slaves of the rest.”  What “rebuttal” technique, foundational to all debate, was he using as he condemned the acts of his own British colleagues while praising the heroism of the American colonies?  (Hint: Learn how Christ and others engaged in “rebuttal” techniques both cogently and concisely).

 

Years ago, an old man rescued a little boy from a burning house. In the process, the man’s two hands were severely burned …leaving him with horribly scarred hands. When the boy soon afterwards was orphaned, the town convened. Several individuals came forward to convince the townspeople that the boy should be with this or that person, this or that family. Then the old man came forward. As he stood in front of the assembled town, he simply held up his hands. The town unanimously voted to let him adopt the boy, as he had proven his love and his desire to raise the boy. Note the power of just one well chosen illustration to move the hearts of any person or audience.  What principle teaches you to utilize an illustration, assuming it is a well chosen one to begin with.

 

Mental Triggers YOU Produce in Others…

 

• Modern research has confirmed the fact that all of us have “mental triggers” within us to which we respond. Professionals know this fact and use them…from the CIA to the local grocery store…from your doctor to newspaper advertising…it is a known fact that we respond to trigger mechanisms. Right, wrong or indifferent we have them…and others use them to their particular advantage.  

• Subtle triggers within us cause us to react to events and people surrounding us. Discussions, presentations, question-framing, fallacy- all of these and so many other areas can turn the switch “on” or “off” in people.  All people have “trigger points”- those points of thinking that “latch on” to what is presented, even against our will.

• Given that fact, do you ask yourself how others respond to your presence…your opinions…your views…anything that reminds them of you? Knowing how people respond can give you a “heads up” on how to change their attitudes, affect their opinions, and overcome prejudice IF you know which methods and principles to use.

The office, the home, public and private situations ALL present confrontation and speaking pitfalls. Since life is full of potentially humiliating or otherwise challenging situations, learning how to defuse, derail, or “turn the argument” upon another can be the difference in job or family performance.

Christ used comparatively few principles that were effective in arming Him for MANY different situations.

In this course, How to Master the Verbal Skills & Strategies of Jesus Christ, those principles are laid out carefully for your instant recognition and use. Avoid being verbally disarmed. With even just a few principles you CAN be prepared for a wide variety of situations. Remember, each principle can be used in countless situations,by you or against you.

Either one of two situations will lead you to learn these principles, methods and skills. You and I can learn the hard way…when someone uses them on us…Or…we can learn them ahead of time and use them effectively in our own defense. But, one way or the other we all  learn.

Your Arsenal!

This course categorizes, develops and illustrates the principles and methods used by Jesus Christ AND by His detractors to SPEAK well and argue effectively. That constitutes a veritable arsenal of “verbal weaponry”.  Remember, this is NOT just another work on verbal skills. This course studies the verbal skills of the One whose mastery has awed the world for 2000 years…Jesus Christ the Lord. So, here’s the Arsenal He used that can be yours:

Anticipating Situations Before They Develop

•    Learn how to handle potentially difficult or embarrassing situations where you must answer well so as to gain advantage or avoid damage to you and your relationships.

•    Argument is NOT primarily fighting. Learn that arguments are primarily methods of presenting an approach to reasoning through differing points of view. We all argue. But not every argument is the same. Learn to recognize the different kinds of arguments used by friends and foes alike. Gain the edge by recognizing how others are approaching you.  Believe me, once people learn that you are able to “handle yourself” with them, respect will skyrocket and with it come new relationships built upon that respect.

                                                How to Get Inside and “Under” the Person’s Arguments

I am the son of the author. Having been raised with the principles and training in this course, I really didn’t appreciate it until I had to use these principles myself as an adult in personal and professional life.  (What’s the old saying, “It’s a shame that youth is wasted on the young”?)  However, though I grew up watching these principles put to use, there was one instance I distinctly recall that left a deep impression on me. This occurred when members of a religious cult came to our door. They were invited into our home. There, I saw my father gently but skillfully “peel back” layer upon layer of their “world view” drawing out of them the internal inconsistencies and contradictions of their position and beliefs. The blessing was that their own confidence and assurance was shaken, which my father always taught us was a necessary “first” step in calling “difficult” people to consider Christ as the answer to their problems. Sure enough afterwards, one of their members began to see the confusion embedded in their position. He then began to inquire about the truths of the Christian faith. The lesson learned was one I shall never forget…but, more importantly, is one I hope to copy. -Nathan Head Engineer, son of the author

There are TWO Purchase Options for Debate Strategies. The first is the PDF alone, the second option is the PDF of Debate Strategies and 5 Hour Long Audios by Dr. Wayne Sedlak which accompany the book as further explanation. Please chose your option below.