Posted by Holly Ordway in Apologetics | 3 Comments
Fight, Explore, Dance: Effective Communication in Apologetics Part 2
Last week, I made the claim that what we perceive as indifference about apologetics, or as a difference between men and women in argument may, in fact, point to a deeper-seated difference between preferred styles of argument and discussion. (Read Part 1 here.)
The first of the possible modes of argument is what I called the Fight mode, which has its own strengths and weaknesses.
The second image for argument that I propose is Exploration. In Exploration, we can visualize two people going for a walk side by side. Both people in the argument are facing in the same direction, moving into new territory together. In the Exploration mode of argument, the ideas are traded back and forth, turned over, looked at, and questioned: How does this work? Why is this important? What are the implications of this idea?
In Exploration mode, the discussion can be quite as intense and productive as in Fight mode. The difference is that the people involved are partners in exploration, not opponents in debate.
A soft version of the Exploration mode is often associated with the stereotypically “feminine” mode of argument. I suspect that more women than men find the Exploration mode to be their primary mode of argument, but there is nothing inherently masculine or feminine about it.
Exploration done right is intellectually rigorous. Literature is exploratory, not combative – and yet it can challenge the reader to his or her very bones, just as much as an argument in Fight mode, perhaps more. In the Fight mode, we attempt to defend against the challenging idea; in the Exploration mode, we interact with it.
However, if the danger of the Fight mode is to become narrowly combative, the danger of the Exploration mode is to become comfortably vague. In order to have a productive argument in Exploration mode, you have to be willing to ask hard questions and test out the answers. Otherwise, you get Dorm-Room Philosophizing or Idle Speculation, entertaining but ultimately unproductive.
Next week we will conclude by looking at the image of the Dance as a mode of argument, and considering the three modes in context (read Part 3 here).
I’m one of those rare women who does apologetics. I’d love to do the exploration mode (and am looking forward to part 3 on dance), but it seems that, not only are most Christian apologists male, most of the atheists I encounter are male and they only do the fight thing. It’s all adversarial with them. Win the argument! Make the Christian look stupid! Slam that ridiculous theist down to the ground and stomp all over him/her so he/she is too bruised and too intimidated to get up!
There may be women who don’t mind that adversarial entanglement, but it’s not enjoyable to me. I try the exploration approach, but only rarely do I find an atheist willing to go courteously — yet, as you pointed out, rigorously — down that path. A lot of my female friends tell me that’s why they don’t do apologetics. The atheists are just too nasty.
I have decided it takes a thick skin and a lot of patience to do apologetics. There have been times when I have decided to abandon the study and the practice of it only to have God encourage me to carry on. So I do.
But I certainly appreciate women such as yourself Holly who do apologetics. It’s important to hear a woman’s perspective on the subject. So thank you!
Thanks, Mary Lou! Here’s an encouraging thought : the stomp-on-you atheists may make the most noise, but I’ve found there are a lot of people out there (atheists, moderate skeptics, seekers) who do have questions and want to know more (but are perhaps intimidated to ask). I agree that it’s difficult to get a sustained, rigorous exploration going, but as a teacher I can say that’s hard on any subject… Greg Koukl (of Stand to Reason) has a great way of putting it: sometimes you don’t need to have a discussion; sometimes all you need to do is put a stone in the person’s shoe – an idea or question that will persist and give them something to think about in the wee hours of the morning…
Here’s the link to part 3: http://www.hieropraxis.com/2012/03/fight-explore-dance-effective-communication-in-apologetics-part-3/
Cheers,
Holly
I love the “stone in the shoe” idea.
Thanks, Holly! God bless you!