Category Archives: How to Argue Like a Christian

How to Argue Like a Christian: Over-generalizing and Not Listening

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Jay F Guin

It’s awfully easy to find in any group of people a few outliers — people identified with the group who aren’t really representative of the group. I mean, no group of human beings is free of sin or foolishness, and … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Elision (Skipping Steps) (and Part 1 of the Dialogue with Robert Prater)

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Jay F Guin

To “elide” is to omit something. We Southerners tend to elide our trailing g’s — that is, our trailin’ g’s. And some of our thought leaders have a habit of eliding critical steps in their argumentation. An example is Kerry … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Judging Motives, Continued

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Robert Baty has recently begun posting here. He is a retired IRS auditor. I’m a tax attorney. We are natural enemies — rather like Sam and Ralph, as shown in the picture (if you’re not familiar with the cartoon, sorry. … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: On Laughing at Ourselves

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Jay F Guin

I spent this last weekend in Nashville attending the wedding of my sort-of son Kyle. Kyle grew up in my house, and he had my wife and me sit on the front row as co-father or associate father or Godfather … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Judging Motives

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Jay F Guin

To combat the divisions within the Churches of Christ, our first and most important task is to press for a change in the tone of the conversation among the factions. Things have gotten so emotional that all sides are increasingly … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Labels

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Jay F Guin

(Psalm 19:14) May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Words matter. Words can bless and words can curse. Ananias and Sapphira were struck … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian: Introduction

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Well, it’s time to get back to my normal, left-brained, analytical self. It’s been interesting delving into the creative, artistic, musical side of life, but at last it’s time to talk logic and reasoning. (But not for too long). There … Continue reading →

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The Case for Civility

Posted on March 5, 2008 by Jay F Guin

I read the Jesus Creed blog daily. Here’s a post from today that seems apropos: The Case for Civility Here’s the key quote: “Guinness calls for the truce of God — to drop hostilities and to return to genuine dialogue.” … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian, Part 3

Posted on March 31, 2007 by Jay F Guin

When we get mad at another church and want to rebuke their sin, we feel that we may stand in the sandals of the Son of God and condemn these sinners in the harshest of tones, just as Jesus condemned … Continue reading →

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How to Argue Like a Christian, Part 2

Posted on March 31, 2007 by Jay F Guin

[Part 1 is at Part 1] I recently received an email from a preacher of a 90-member church in Middle America, vigorously denouncing another, larger church in his town for charging admission to a woman’s conference. He pointed out that … Continue reading →

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