How to Get out of the Hot Seat While Remaining Engaged

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How to Get out of the Hot Seat While Remaining Engaged

Greg Koukl

Here’s another variation in the tactical game plan. You can use the first two questions, "What do you mean by that?” and “How did you come to that conclusion?" to stay out of the “hot seat.” The hot seat is when you're in persuasion mode rather than questioning mode, and the other person is responding with challenges that you don't know how to deal with.

One of the goals of the tactical game plan is to keep you in the driver's seat. Even though you're not doing most of the talking, you are still guiding the conversation using questions. When you're in the hot seat, however, the other person is in the driver’s seat. We can change that very quickly.

I want you to think about switching immediately from persuasion mode to student mode. You're going to stop trying to persuade the person. They have challenges you can't deal with. Instead, you are going to turn it around by being a student of their view. Here's how it will sound:

"Wow, you have a lot of objections I don't know how to deal with."

"You know a lot more about this topic than I do. Can you slow down a little bit? Let me take some notes."

“Tell me clearly what your view is and your specific reasons that you hold that view.”

Notice, those are the first two questions of the game plan: What do you mean by that? How did you come to that conclusion? You’re just applying them in a different way.

When you ask these questions, who is now in the driver's seat of the conversation? You are. You are now directing where you want it to go.

After they explain their view, you say, "Now let me think about it." Those are the magic words. Do you have any further obligation to answer the challenges? No, you've already admitted that you can't answer. You want to get an education so that you can consider it. This gives you a tremendous amount of freedom and latitude when you're in the hot seat.

What do you do next? You do what you say you're going to do. You think about it at your leisure when the pressure is off. This is where you can get ready to respond to the issue next time. That is a simple way, using your tactical game plan, to get out of the hot seat.

Which Kind of Evangelist Are You?

Greg Koukl

In evangelism, before there can be a harvest, there has to be a season of gardening. If we go to the field looking for a harvest, we may be frustrated because the fruit may not be ripe yet. In other words, before someone comes to Christ, there is first a season of considering Christ. I’m not a harvester. I’m a gardener. Someone comes into my garden after me and harvests my fruit. Do you think that bothers me? No, I’m glad. Jesus confirms this point in John 4. He says to the disciples, “You are about to reap where you did not sow.” He’s identifying one field, two seasons—reaping and sowing—and two kinds of workers—harvesters and gardeners. I think the gardening job is harder than harvesting because when the fruit is ripe, it falls into the basket. Jesus is telling the disciples they’re about to get the ripe, low-hanging fruit after someone else did the heavy lifting. Then He says, “So that the one who reaps and the one who sows can rejoice together.” I want to put a stone in someone’s shoe. That’s my approach. I want to create a doubt in their mind about their own view so they move a little closer to Christ. If more Christians thought of themselves as gardeners and left the harvest up to God’s sovereignty, more Christians would be willing to get into play. The book Tactics is a game plan that will allow you to do that effectively. Tactics help you to garden, and gardening is the biggest thing that’s needed right now.

Want to Share the Gospel? Start with This Question

Greg Koukl

Having a tactical game plan in place allows you to engage somebody in a productive way for Christ without taking a lot of risk on yourself. Don’t worry about the harvest, but think more about the gardening. If we garden effectively, the harvest will take care of itself. Trying to win someone to Christ is daunting for a lot of people, so they sit on the bench instead. I want to suggest how you can get in the game. First, gather information. What does that do? It gives me a lay of the land. I might find out if they are a Christian, if they used to be a Christian, whether they’ve thought about Christianity, or whether they’re hostile to Christianity. These are all things that are really valuable to know before you move forward. You don’t need to hurry. Do not worry about winning them to Christ. Just think about gathering information. I have a model question that will help you: “What do you mean by that?” You can use it different ways, under different circumstances, with different people. This is especially helpful when people are raising objections or challenges against Christianity. Examples: A: Friend: “Everything is relative.” You: “What do you mean by relative?” B: Friend: “I believe in evolution.” You: “What do you mean by evolution?” C: Friend: “I believe the Bible is filled with errors.” You: “Why do you believe the Bible is filled with errors?” It is always in your favor to ask more questions. You don’t have to answer the objection at this point. Just get more information. The more information you get, the better. The more you understand that person, the better you’ll be able to decide which direction to go or whether to go in any direction at all. This first question, “What do you mean by that?”—meant to help you gather information—is going to get you started, and that’s all we want to worry about at this point in the tactical game plan.

The Burden-Free Step in Discussing Christian Beliefs

Greg Koukl

When we think about the tactical game plan, or how we thoughtfully engage someone while staying relaxed and keeping our risk level low, I have in mind a multi-step process. The first step is to gather information. We can use the question “What do you mean by that?” The second step I call “reversing the burden of proof.” The burden of proof is the responsibility someone in the conversation has to give reasons or evidence for a view. Here is the burden of proof rule: The one who makes the claim bears the burden. If somebody says, “The Bible has been changed,” or, “God doesn’t exist,” or “Jesus didn’t exist,” or, “There are no miracles,” it’s not your job as a follower of Christ to show where the other person is wrong. It is that person’s job to show why he or she is right. After we ask some questions to get more clarification, we will have a clear picture of what they believe. We want to know why they believe their view. This is where some form of the question “How did you come to that conclusion?” comes in. “What are your reasons for saying that?” “How do you know that’s the way it really happened?” “Do you have any evidence for that view? I’m interested in finding out.” In the second step, we’re gathering a different kind of information than the first step. First, we get clarity on their point of view. Now we want clarity on why they believe what they believe. Just like the first step, there’s no pressure on you. It’s relaxed. You’re being a student. You’re just listening to what the other person has to say. The other person has to clarify their view and their reasons for it. Don’t be surprised when you get silence in response to your questions because most people have not thought through their views. You have no obligation to go any further into theology, apologetics, or philosophy. All you’re doing in the first two stages of the game plan is gathering information, getting an education, and deciding whether you’re in a position for the next step. No stress on you.