When Arguments Don’t Work

Very few people quickly admit that their beliefs are wrong. Some put up a real fight even when your points are reasonable and your manner is gracious. Did you ever wonder why people do that? Why do people ignore good arguments? When arguments are done well – points of view buttressed with sound reasons – they honour God. But even good arguments have limits; they don’t always work. When that happens, some people are tempted to think that arguments themselves are useless. This is a mistake. If you are searching for that perfect line of logic capable of subduing any objection, you’re wasting your time. There is no magic, no silver bullet, no clever turn of thought or phrase that’s guaranteed to compel belief.

Yes, rational reasons can be a barrier to belief. The Christian message simply doesn’t make sense to everyone, or it raises questions or counter-examples that make it difficult for some to even consider Christianity until those issues are addressed. But rational appeals often fail to persuade for other reasons. At least three additional issues may compel the person you’re talking with to ignore your point. They have nothing to do with clear thinking, even when objections based on reason are the first to surface. If your thoughtful response fails to have an impact, is not acknowledged – or worse, doesn’t even seem to have been noticed – maybe one of these reasons is lurking in the shadows.

 

1. Emotional reasons

First, some people have emotional reasons to resist. Many have had annoying experiences with Christians or abusive churches. Others realise that to embrace Christianity would be to admit that cherished loved ones now dead entered eternity without forgiveness. Emotionally, this is something the person simply cannot bear.

Others know they would face the rejection of family and friends or perhaps suffer financial loss, physical harm, or even death if they considered Christ. These powerful deterrents can make the most cogent argument seem soft and unappealing.

 

2. Prejudice

For some, their minds are already made up. They have prejudged your view before ever really listening to your reasons. They are only interested in defending their own entrenched position, not considering other options.

Cultural influences are very powerful here. Resistance based on prejudice is especially true both of religious beliefs and non-religious beliefs (like naturalism) held with religious intensity. They plough ahead with blinders on, spouting the party lines and slogans with no thought to the merit of the other side.

 

3. Rebellion

Finally, some people are just pig-headed. Their real reason for resistance is no more elegant or sophisticated than simple rebellion. Jesus said that people love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19). So they persist in their mutiny, furiously waging their unwinnable battle against God, shaking their fists at Him to the bitter end.

 

As you can see, we have very limited control over how other people respond to us. That is largely in God’s hands. We can remove some of the negatives or dispel some of the fog – and we ought to try to do both. But at the end of the day, a person’s deep-seated rebellion against God is a problem only a supernatural solution can fix.

 

Adapted from Tactics (Greg Koukl, 2009, Zondervan)