Kerby Anderson

Greg Koukl was on my radio program recently and has a book coming out next month that will help you better engage non-believers in conversations on several different topics. The title of the book is Street Smarts and is a follow-up to his best-selling book, Tactics.

His Tactics book has been so helpful to Christians. It equips them to be diplomatic by asking questions that not only gather important information but also help point out logical flaws with the ideas expressed by non-Christians. Engaging others in controversial conversations is difficult and challenging. His previous book provides a conversational roadmap for those conversations.

In Street Smarts, Greg Koukl begins by explaining the difference between the harvesting approach (reaping) and a gardening approach (sowing). J. Warner Wallace, in his endorsement of the book, uses a baseball metaphor and contrasts trying to hit a home run with hitting singles and doubles. This strategy enables you to engage in conversations that you never thought you would have by asking others to defend their positions and consider a viewpoint they may never have considered.

The following chapters provide specific examples from discussions you might have “on the street” with friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers. I found the sample mini-dialogs helpful because they showed how you might ask questions to gain more information or how you might use questions to identify flaws in other’s logic or parry their attacks on Christianity.

Whether you are an experienced evangelist and apologist or merely an inexperienced new Christian, you will benefit from both books. I would encourage you to pre-order Street Smarts. I have already done so and know you will benefit from the years of experience that resulted in this book.