Critical Listening

1
Critical Listening

• Does what the other person says make sense?

2
Conversational Apologetics

• Open Questions
• To understand and know them
• Pointed Questions
• To remove the roof of their irrational
  assumptions
• Explain the Gospel
• Only when asked
• Nurture The Relationship
• Help unbelievers grow towards Christ
• Help believers to grow IN Christ

3
Critical Listening

• Logical Fallacies
• Listen for something that doesnt make sense
• Familiarize yourself with the most common Logical
  Fallacies and begin to listen for them theyre
  everywhere!
• Two Common Fallacies
• Appeals to Motives in place of Support
• Changing the Subject

4
Motives in Place of Support

• Appeal to Force the reader is persuaded to agree
  by force
• Example You had better agree that Gay Marriage
  is OK, or well tell everyone youre gay!
• Pointed Question How does lying about me prove
  that Gay Marriage is OK?

5
Motives in Place of Support

• Appeal to Pity the reader is persuaded to agree
  by sympathy
• Example Gays should be able to marry whomever
  they want they are the most discriminated-against
  minority in the world!
• Pointed Question How does the fact that Gays
  may be discriminated against prove that same-sex
  marriage is OK?

6
Motives in Place of Support

• Consequences the reader is warned of
  unacceptable consequences
• Example You cant agree that Intelligent Design
  is true, because if it is, all of science will be
  undermined.
• Pointed Question Even if all of science would
  be undermined, how does that disprove Intelligent
  Design?

7
Motives in Place of Support

• Prejudicial Language value or moral goodness is
  attached to believing the author
• Example I cant understand how any reasonable
  person can believe God would condemn people to
  everlasting torment, just because they dont
  believe in Him.
• Pointed Question Do you think justice is
  reasonable?

8
Motives in Place of Support

• Popularity a proposition is argued to be true
  because it is widely held to be true
• Example Except for a handful of Christian
  wackos with PhDs, all scientists agree that
  evolution is true.
• Pointed Question Is Michael Denton a
  Christian wacko?

9
Changing the Subject

• Attacking the Person
• The person's character is attacked
• William Dembski, a leader in the ID movement,
  couldnt get a job for three years after getting
  his PhD.
• The person's circumstances are noted
• The ID movement is funded by conservatives and
  big corporations
• The person does not practice what is preached
  (the You Too argument)
• You say the Koran teaches the killing of
  infidels, but the Old Testament says to kill
  non-believers, too.

10
Changing the Subject

• Appeal to Authority
• The authority is not an expert in the field
• According to Thomas Jefferson, the real Jesus
  didnt perform any miracles! (Jefferson wasnt
  a theologian or historian).
• Experts in the field disagree
• The Jesus Seminar says the real Jesus only said
  about 12 of the sayings attributed to Him in the
  Gospels. (Many scholars disagree with the
  Seminar).
• The authority was joking, drunk, or in some other
  way not being serious
• Even John MacArthur says that all roads lead to
  heaven. (John was speaking in a sermon as if he
  were someone else).

11
Changing the Subject

• Anonymous Authority the authority in question is
  not named
• Example Scientists have found all sorts of
  contradictions in the Bible.
• Pointed Question What contradictions have they
  found?

12
Changing the Subject

• Style Over Substance the manner in which an
  argument (or arguer) is presented is felt to
  affect the truth of the conclusion
• Example Bush cant string two words together
  without stumbling how can anyone think he knows
  what hes doing?
• Pointed Question Have you ever known someone
  who is smart, but cant express himself very
  well?