Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations

by Bill Foster

Conversations are snapshots of a person’s worldview. You never know when one of those conversations will challenge your Christian faith. Are you equipped to effectively deal with this skepticism? Meet the Skeptic teaches believers to think about skepticism in categories. Chasing down answers to every objection a skeptic raises often leads nowhere because the conversation becomes a superficial game of one-upmanship. By uncovering the presuppositions (Root Ideas) behind objections, Meet the Skeptic trains believers how to steer conversations with skeptics in a more meaningful direction rather than trying to win the argument. It will help readers:

*Get to the Root Ideas of worldviews instead of pulling at the weeds
*Recognize the Red-Flag Words that prop up objections
*Scrutinize bumper-sticker comments
*Ask probing questions and acquire an ear for opportunities

Meet the Skeptic is effective for conversational training as well as being a model for building an apologetics curriculum. The four categories described provide a framework into which believers can organize and connect worldview ideas.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Evangelism

142 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Bill Foster creates Christian educational resources with three criteria in mind: conciseness, understanding, and aesthetics.
Complex subjects can be boiled down – not dumbed down – to invite wider access. Understanding comes not from memorizing data, but from looking at the big picture and seeing how the pieces fit together. Today’s information age is visual, and well-designed graphics can be powerful tools in communicating concepts.

This rationale guides the structure of his first book on apologetics, Meet The Skeptic, and again in his latest series on the Bible including, How The Bible Works and How To Read The Bible “Literally.”

Bill is a speaker at colleges, high schools, churches, and worldview conferences. He holds a BA in English from Furman University and an MFA in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Reviews

[Jill B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was a great easy to read book that addresses the main issues people have with Christianity. It gave a lot of great questions to ask to help have good conversations instead of arguments over these topics.

There were a couple topics addressed that I personally didn't agree with the approach, but I would still recommend this book for anyone wanting a good overview of basic apologetics.

[╟ ♫ Tima ♪ ╣ ♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received this book for free from the First Reads Giveaway program.

I should make it known that I am not a religious person. I am the definition of a skeptic. I was raised in a very devout family (of mixed religions..a confusing message of each respective religion telling me I'd go to hell for believing the wrong thing..). I am not devout myself. I, to much family dismay, stepped out of the church directly after confirmation at age 13. So, my opinions on this book may upset some religious folk or not shed a favorable light of agreement upon the author. I have harbored no resentment for anyone who loves and believe in God, in any degree.

Notes about the book: This book essentially helped reaffirm why I am a skeptic in the first place. I'm just going to do this review in the form of highlights+my opinion on the selection.

Right of the bat, Foster makes not that all Mormons are "misinformed", that all non-believers who questions anything are "using tactics", that we live in "Post-Christian population (but later states that 70% of people are Christians..)", that "skepticism is a dead end to answering life's questions". All within the first few pages.

"A skeptic may get defensive when you tell them they are sinful." - (Author) My thoughts are that most skeptics don't even believe in "sins" to begin with, therefore they don't tend to (in my experience) get defensive. Why would we get defensive about something we don't currently feel pertains to us? What some consider sin, others consider the basis for an entire viewpoint. Who determines who is right or wrong? ;)

Personalizing a passage only feeds our relativistic culture." - From my church experience, personalizing a passage is how they relate it to their congregation; it's how they engage the youth, it's how they do everything. So, this quote doesn't make sense to me.

Skeptics have a tainted view of the Bible before they've even read any of it". - Now we're saying that skeptics automatically are ignorant about all things Bible related, simply because they are skeptics?

"Spirituality provides a temporary, feel-good sense of accomplishment but it is a futile, self-serving attempt at salvation" - I have very few words for how much I dislike this quote. (<--these are all the words I have)

"Does a basically good football player make the NFL? Then why would a basically good person get into heaven?" - Clearly, the author has never really gotten into the NFL world. Has he ever heard of a 6th round draft pick? A 4th string quarterback who spends 5 seasons never playing in a live game? Those are "basically good" football players who got into the NFL.

I could go on for much longer with these. But here's my final disagreement of his quotes."

Author says: "Skeptics use the "fundamentalist" label to invoke a radical picture. Take the following quote:"

Quote says: "One [conclusion] is that certainty is the enemy of decency and humanity in people who are sure they are right, like Osama bin Laden and John Ashcroft".

Author says: "Although he doesn't explicitly use the term "fundamentalist", his meaning is clear".

HOLD THE PHONE. He specifically says that skeptics use fundamentalist as a label to invoke radical pictures. And then cites a quote that does NOT use the word in question at all.

The one positive quote: "Today, however, disagreement itself is considered intolerance - a tactic used to shut down the dialogue, stigmatize the opponent, and allow the person declaring "intolerance" to have the last word". I find this quote particularly relevant in this current US presidential election, in matters relating to how people are treating each other.

The author was also an avid user of underlining, italics, bold, bullet points, arrows, CAPITAL LETTERS -- all together on a page. On many pages.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Both skeptics and Christians are guilty of not thinking through their beliefs”. Knowing why we believe what we do is going to resonate better with people than, I just believe it because the Bible tells me so. “Blind faith is not a biblical principle”.
Skeptics are all around us with differing worldviews than we have as Christians. Bill Foster takes the skepticism and breaks it into 4 different groups for us to look at each one. Spiritual, Moral, Scientific and Biblical. Within each of these areas is a root idea that leads them to the false premise of their belief. Rather than argue a point with the skeptic, ask a probing question to help dig up the root idea.

We use field guides for a variety of things in our culture. The condensed, easy to follow version to get your started. This book isn’t to replace the Bible in anyway. It is an additional tool for you to use to gain wisdom from the Word and use that in a way to get some of these skeptics to think more succinct.

I think this book along with the study guide make an excellent course for high school students, especially for mine who are homeschooled and don’t run into the amount of skeptics that they will when they ‘get out there in the world’. What a great way to build up their faith, give them information on why they believe what they believe and have a reason for their answers.

Speaking to topics such as Karma, being basically good, evolution, Big Bang Theory, moral relativism, diversity, legends and myths and more, Bill Foster gives a fantastic overview of situations you can easily run into with the skeptics around you. A wealth of information is contained in this book. A great field guide you will want to keep on hand for referencing and utilizing for everyday situations as we encounter skeptics in our world.

I strongly recommend this book not only for adults but high-schoolers as well. With the Leaders Guide and workbook you can easily use this in a small group, Sunday school, or homeschool environment. I just talked to my family about working through this as a group to help prepare us to Meet the Skeptic!



"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the New Leaf Publishing Group Book Bible Defenders Review Team." I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[G. A. Dietrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you have family members that are skeptical about your faith? What about co-workers? Do you talk about Jesus and people give you the "that is good for you but not me" line? If you answered no to any of those questions one of two things is true; (1) you don't talk to people or (2) you are lying to yourself. Sharing your faith with family, friends, and co-workers will typically invoke a skeptical response. Bill Foster has given us a great little guide to help with these types of conversations, Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations.

The book is broken up into five primary sections:

The Meet-The-Skeptic-Model Overview
Spiritual Skepticism in a Nutshell
Moral Skepticism in a Nutshell
Scientific Skepticism in a Nutshell
Biblical Skepticism in a Nutshell

One of the more helpful pieces in this book is toward the beginning in a section called "Speak Their Language." Foster discusses how unhelpful it is to converse with skeptics using technical and theological language. There are words and phrases that are necessary but Foster is helpful in providing a way that you could clarify these words as well.

For example, what does "born again" really mean? When we say "A person must be born again in order to get to heaven" the skeptic hears; "A desperate person needs a mystical or emotional experience in order to gain a sense of purpose." To clarify what "born again" means will help with their understanding of the term. There are a variety of these terms that Foster helps to clarify for the reader in order that the reader be better prepared for faith conversations.

Along with this book there is also an accompanying leaders guide and workbook. These make this a good curriculum for small group and Sunday School settings. Below are some links to additional sources.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for every Christian!


Have you ever struggled in a conversation with a skeptic, when talking about topics like faith and ethics? And the skeptic seems to have all these answers that sound irrefutable, but you know there has to be a way to reason with them logically! If you have ever had a tough time explaining you faith, then this book is for you. Engaging and easy to follow, with a touch of humor, Meet the Skeptic is a very helpful resource.


I thought that this book made many excellent points about what a skeptic believes and where they come from, and it helped me better understand how to have a faith conversation without compromising.


I found this book to be easy to read, and fun even, because of the captivating and engaging way in which it was written. And though this book is about finding the flaws in a skeptics reasoning and worldview, Mr. Foster makes it clear that we should always speak the truth in love.


I really the format of this book and how the points were concise, yet easy to understand. Mr. Foster teaches how to respond to tough questions about evolution, absolutes, and the truth of the Bible.


After having read this book I feel more prepared to Meet the Skeptic, and I know that this is a helpful tool that I will read over and over again. This book is excellent. I highly recommend it, especially to teens and young adults, who are forced to defend their beliefs to their politically correct peers. But I also recommend this book to adults, and pre-teens :) A book that is just too good to miss!

[Erica Guzzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

or "how to avoid the two of you PO'ing each other when God comes up." Interesting, thoughtful, respectful, and understanding.

[Tony Breeden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t your typical book review. I mean, how often do you get to field test a field guide to faith conversations?

But it so happened that the other day I was talking to a young man at college and without warning I was catapulted into the middle of a faith conversation. One second, we’re talking about his interests in re-enacting medieval warfare. The next, he suddenly blurts out that he thinks that he thinks that religion is as the root of all war, that all religions are basically the same and that science has disproved the Bible.

My first thought was, ‘Where did thatcome from?’ I mean, how exactly did he go from telling me why you shouldn’t engage the Marshal of Blackstone without suitable armor (or something to that effect) to tagging religion as the root of all evils? Fortunately, I’m quick on my feet and we’re in an ancient history class together, so I was able to point out that most of the wars we’d been discussing had more to do with power, money and land than religion. For integrity’s sake, I admitted that some wars were religiously motivated, of course, but humans will find an excuse to fight over anything. (So much for John Lennon’s ill-conceived “Imagine no religion…” argument.) He conceded that point, but immediately repeated his objection that all religions were basically the same.

As I’m listening to him, praying silently to God for wisdom and discernment as how to best answer this misguided young man, a bell went off in my head. Weren’t these the sort of skeptic’s responses I’d been reading about in Bill Foster’s new book, Meet the Skeptic?

In Meet the Skeptic, Foster suggests a new way to go about faith conversations. Noting that there are many reasons why people reject or discard a biblical worldview in favor of some other worldview, he nonetheless identifies four basic types of skepticism: Spiritual, Moral, Scientific and Biblical.

Foster lays some groundwork for these faith conversations in the beginning of the book, reminding us that it’s not about winning or losing an argument, but about communicating truth. Only the Holy Spirit can convict a person and change their minds and hearts; we do not argue people into the kingdom of heaven. He also reminds us to speak their language. Some of the churchspeak we use [like “born again,” saved, “personal relationship,” “in my heart,” and theological terms like propitiation, justification, sanctification, etc.] can be confusing to outsiders. Worse, he points out that what we say and what the skeptic hears can be completely different or even carry a negative assumption to the one’s we’re trying to reach. I’m not prone to using King James English, but I really appreciated his reminder that other everyday terms we use can be just as obscure to an outsider.

Next, he asks us to listen for “red-flag words” that will help us identify which basic type of skeptic we might be dealing with – with a warning that “the point of the categories is not to label or categorize people, but rather to make us aware of what kind of skepticism they are addressing at the time, and therefore, what kind of conversation we are engaging” [p.33]. In a note at the bottom of that same page, Foster elaborates: “It goes without saying that people are complicated. A skeptic could express ideas belonging to any one or all four of the categories.” Point in fact, my skeptic young college friend had just displayed at least two categories of skepticism. Once we identify the type of skepticism we’re discussing, we can get to the root idea, the false premise upon which his objections are based. Foster gives the following illustration to underscore why we should get to the root idea [p.33]:

“A false premise feeds objections like a root feeds a weed. Pulling a dandelion will only dislodge its feathery seeds and leave the root eventually creating more dandelions. Similarly, if we just respond to each objection a skeptic raises, he just raises another to take its place. Our goal is to dig up Root Ideas not debate the many objections (pull up the weeds) growing out of them.”


My young friend has evidenced Spiritual skepticism by saying that he felt all religions were basically the same. Foster offers a particularly useful illustration for this argument [p.46-47]:

“The mantra, ‘All religions are basically the same,’ is partially true. What ties them all together is works-based salvation and the claim that Jesus is something less than God. But Christianity is not a religion in this sense. It is radically different from all other religions in a number of ways, but the subordinate role of works and the divinity of Jesus are two major differences that illustrate the distinction quickly and clearly.”


After mentioning this argument, this young skeptic conceded that there were differences between religions, but before I could get to the root idea of this objection [“Good works get you heaven”] and address it, he quickly launched into a series of objections regarding the age of the earth and the feasibility of Noah’s Ark. In my experience, there’s a fine line between the categories Foster identifies as Scientific and Biblical skepticism. He mentioned the Big Bang, evolution and the age of the earth, so I zeroes in on his Scientific skepticism.

I should stop right here and mention something I do when I’m reviewing a book, because it will underscore my next few comments; when I first read a book I’m going to review, I dog-ear any page that contains something I either strongly agree or disagree with or wish to quote. I dog-ear the page in the direction of the selected passage, so occasionally a page is marked at both the top and bottom for each side of a page. Having said that, the section on Scientific skepticism is easily identifiable in my copy of Meet the Skeptic because it’s practically one big dog-ear! It’s that good!

So first I gave him a few reasonable responses to his questions and waited for an opportunity to get at the root idea [“The natural world is all there is (Nature can do godlike things)”]. It came at an unexpected moment. We were discussing Noah’s Ark and he objected to the Ark being able to survive the floodwaters based on the discovery of an alleged exoplanet covered in water which scientists say has really big waves and, if made analogous to Earth would create waves 300 feet high during the Flood. At first, I contemplated asking him for a source for that claim, but then I decided it didn’t matter. I knew that feasibility studies have been done which amply demonstrate the Ark's ability to ride out monstrous waves, but I wasn't interested in playing the debate version of ping pong with this fellow. Instead I asked how much faith was required for his belief, as Foster recommends. He denied that science required any faith and asked me to explain, so I reminded him that no one’s ever visited an exoplanet and confirmed that it has water much less really big waves; that no one had ever seen everything come from nothing, life spring from non-life or one kind of animal change into a completely different kind; that these claims were not based on uniformity [as they were one-time events for which the present certainly could not be the key to the past!], so that yes there was a great deal of faith in these scientists claims.

I wish I could say that this resulted in a visible aha! moment for this skeptic. Instead, he shifted into an argument from Biblical skepticism, pointing out that if he could prove even one part of the Bible wrong, then science was true. To which I responded that all I could do was provide reasonable responses and, lacking omniscience, I reminded him that if I didn’t have an answer, it wasn’t quite the same as a question being unanswerable and therefore false; just as debunking the Bible would not necessarily prove science true by default – both could be dead wrong, though I obviously do not think so. Since he brought up alleged Bible contradictions, I intended to get to his root idea [“The Bible is man-made”] with Foster’s wonderful illustration of variances in copies of Granma’s recipe for Blackberry sauce [p. 121], but at that moment something very odd happened.

His professor, who had apparently been listening to our hallway conversation from her desk, called to my skeptical friend and asked him if he was coming to class. In essence, she “rescued” him. Ah well, at least I hope I communicated truth to him – and I certainly got to test drive Foster’s method in a very practical way!

So what did I think about it in action? Was it a flop because he didn’t beg me to tell him the Gospel? Did I do something wrong? Was it a success because I communicated truth and gave him reasonable answers to his questions?

I think this encounter demonstrated the effectiveness of his strategy. It’s simple, practical and easy-to-remember. I think we’ve cluttered up the concept of apologetics and Foster returns us back to the basics with an uncomplicated way of organizing our thoughts during faith conversations and a more effective means of argument [getting at the root rather than pulling up endless weeds]. In fact, Foster provides a quick reference chart to the four categories, their root ideas and probing questions to ask on pages 134-135.

There’s also a nicely illustrated workbook you can purchase for individual or group study [and a leader’s guide as well if you choose the latter option]. The workbook is much more than a read-through-the-book-and-fill-in-the-blanks sort of a study [I hate those]. It gives lots of opportunity to ask ourselves questions to better understand and utilize the concepts in the book, with the intent of strengthening our faith and making us better faith conversationalists. In all honesty, I’m going to suggest this book to my pastor for group study as an apologetics class.

Let me put this plainly: This is a book that you really must have on your shelf. I’ve already read it more than once. It’s already so dog-eared that you’d think it a long time resident of my personal library! I recommend it not only for personal use but I also urge you to get a copy to your pastor or Sunday school administrator and encourage them to hold a study or apologetics/personal evangelism class.

You can find out more about Meet the Skeptic at http://MeettheSkeptic.com or watch the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqJIzj....



-Rev Tony Breeden, from the Bookwyrm's Lair



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the New Leaf Publishing Group Book Bible Defender's Review Team a href="http://www.creationconversations.com/.... I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 a href="http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa... : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Jeff Enderle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful book for better understanding the different ways non-Christians understand Christian terminology. The author also provides good insight into evaluating the assumptions behind many of the criticisms of skeptics.

[Craig Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there are two things that are in ample supply they are skeptics towards the Christian faith and apologetic books that respond to their objections. There are many good apologetic books available that respond to the many objections to the Christian faith and do so at many levels. Some are simple, some are more complex and all have their place.

Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations by Bill Foster is another apologetics book but it is a different kind of apologetic book. In this book Foster has distilled a lot of information, argumentation and truth down into 4 categories of skeptics with easy to understand terminology and explanation.

The foundation of the book, and the first thing that makes this book stand out, rests on helpfully categorizing all skeptics into four groups: spiritual, moral, scientific and biblical. The rational for these four groups is that “a person’s total worldview consists of how he sees the world in three broad categories,” the fourth of which is biblical (p. 33). In the course of the conversation, if the believer can quickly identify the category in which the skeptics objections lies then they will have accomplished the first step in correctly responding to the objection.

Once the objection has been categorized there are a few more steps in the process of responding to the skeptics objection(s). One big step in the task of identifying the root idea of the skeptics objection. Using the analogy of a tree or plant, a skeptics objection often has a root idea that produces their objection. This is often a false premise or misunderstanding about the truth and the Christians actual beliefs. Interestingly enough, many times these root ideas are personal and have developed as the result of the loss of a loved one or the skeptic having gone through a trying time in their life. These experiences often shape how an unbeliever thinks about God, the world and reality. Christians should take care as the unearth these root ideas so as not to be insensitive.

Moving from the category to the root idea, Foster finally deals with certain words that are frequently used by the skeptic in an attempt to dismantle the Christian faith. Foster labels these as clarifying words. It is important to know and identify these words in a conversation because often times the skeptic and the Christian have different definitions of these words. One needs to clarify what they mean in order to make sure both parties are on the same page and to make sure that the skeptic is using the right words and definitions. Likewise, it is very important for the Christian to make sure they are using the right words and definitions as well. In analyzing these red-flag words, Foster explains how the skeptic typically defines them so the believer can hear the skeptic right. If necessary, the Christian can correct wrong uses of these words and through this help the skeptic see the fault in their own objection. One classic example of a word that is often misused is the word tolerant or tolerance (see pg. 75).

Another aspect in using the right words is making sure the Christian does not use words the skeptic does not know. Words like “born again” and “inspired” need to be carefully used and should not be used without explanation or definition. We live in a post-Christian era where many unbelievers have never seen a Bible let alone have any basic knowledge of it content. Carefully defining terms and using more appropriate terms is wise.

For some one who has read a lot of apologetics books, I find this book to be very helpful. The apologetic arguments and lines of defense in this book are not necessarily new. What Meet the Skeptic does that very few apologetics books do is take those tried and true responses and put them into real life scenarios so believers can see how to use them when the rubber meets the road. This book walks you through the though process of the skeptic and their objections and helps you to see them for what they are at a level that is helpful to Christians who are just getting into apologetics and more seasoned veterans. This process of identifying the objections category, root idea and then working through the red-flag words is simply brilliant and a method that other apologetics books need to follow.

Accompanying this book is the Meet the Skeptic Workbook. This provides a great opportunity to work through this book with other believers in a safe environment in order to develop comprehension of the material and test the method in order to hone your communication skills. This is great for small groups of all ages and levels of apologetics skills.

I recommend Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations to anyone who wants to grow in their ability to accurately defend the Christian faith.

NOTE: I received this book free from the publisher through New Leaf Publishing Group Book review program on CreationConversations.com. I am under no obligation to provide a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15, ESV)

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For lit is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:14-17, ESV)

The preceding Bible verses are those that are often referred to when people talk about the necessity of sharing your faith. With such specific direction from the New Testament, one might assume that all Christians, everywhere are sharing their faith at every turn, but is that really the case? Consider these disturbing statistics I found at Bible.org:

*Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ.
*Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ.
*Less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism.

The preceding statistics are from the early nineties, so I suspect the numbers may be slightly worse today. I know some of my readers would suggest that a lack of burden for sharing your faith and reaching the lost could indicate that you may not truly be a Christian. While that is certainly a possibility, it is outside of the focus of this book, which makes it outside the focus of this review. Perhaps that is a discussion we can have another time.

There are a plethora of reasons Christians will give for why they don’t share their faith. Fear of rejection, lack of confidence, and lack of training will surely rank high on the list. In Meet the Skeptic, Bill Foster strives to boost the Christian’s confidence in his / her ability to engage in conversations about their faith. One of the things that makes this book different from many other apologetics books is that it doesn’t offer rote answers for the skeptics objections. Bill wants to teach his readers a mental framework that will allow them to learn about and respond directly to the worldview that are behind the skeptic’s objections.

The worldviews covered in the book are spiritual, moral, scientific, and biblical. For each of these four worldviews, the book offers an overview (“In a Nutshell”), the root ideas behind it (“sample objections”), illustrations, and “red-flag words” to listen for. I read the book through the first time without the workbook, but have since had a chance to look it over. Bill throws a lot of information at you throughout the book, so I think the workbook would be a useful tool to help the reader learn the material as thoroughly as possible. There is also a leader’s guide, making this a ready-made course for a Sunday school class or small group.

I would highly recommend Meet the Skeptic to the Christian who has been looking for a tool that will allow them to be more effective in sharing their faith with unbelievers. The ideal audience for this book ranges from teen to adult. My overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Information: Bill Foster teaches apologetics and Bible study to adults, college students, and teens. He has been involved in explaining and defending the biblical worldview for the last fifteen years. He holds a B.A. in English from Furman University and an M.F.A. in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art & Design. He is the owner of HigherWerks, Inc. a brand image and design firm. Bill has been married to his wife, Karla, since 1994.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by New Leaf Publishing Group for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

[Brandon Lehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations, Bill Foster introduces us to four skeptics and their corresponding worldviews.

But first, why do we need to know more about these people who cast doubt upon, and scorn our faith? By knowing how they think and view the world, we can better understand how to engage them with compassion and wisdom when attempting to reach them with the Gospel. Today's skeptics may be outspoken and angry, but they are also in need of a Savior.



Before diving into each of the forms of skepticism included in the book, Foster first shares some important tips relevant for all faith conversations. The one I find to be most important, is the reminder that the our goal is never to "win" a conversation. Our motives and emotions need to remain in check if we are to exhibit the right attitude of love and concern for the souls of those whom most challenge us. They need to see Jesus and his love, not us and our pride.

Foster covers the four most commonly encountered types of Skepticism: Spiritual, Moral, Scientific, and Biblical.

source

In each of these, the number one task is to determine the "root idea" behind their objections. Skeptics love to overwhelm Christians with facts, contradictions, ideas, and other questions that can only be found in a game of trivial pursuit. So often we take the bait and end up stumbling along trying to keep up on every rabbit trail they lead us. This never ends well. The author boils each type of skepticism down to its root, so that we can focus the conversation on this, rather than just pulling at the weeds.

Another feature found for each skeptic, are Red-Flag-Words. These are words that are often misrepresented and twisted to fit the skeptics argument. Here we are encouraged to confront the skeptic with each word's true meaning, exposing the error. On a similar note, Foster also explains many of the ideas that skeptics present to us and what they really mean by them. In many ways, we speak two different languages. To witness effectively we need to avoid being lost in translation.

There are many powerful techniques included in this book, and to better master these you can find additional help in the companion Meet the Skeptic Workbook. This is an excellent resource for cementing these ideas in your mind and enabling them to be used effectively. They would be found especially useful in conducting a small group studies.



Bill Foster does a great job of introducing us to the skeptics. He explains how to use probing questions to draw out which particular views a skeptic is representing and how to aim our witness towards the heart of the matter. Sharing our faith can be a scary thing, and with the willingness of today's unbelievers to put up a fight, we need resources like this to prepare ourselves for the battle.

Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations by Bill Foster. To learn more about the book or the author visit www.meettheskeptic.com

You can also connect on:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/meettheskeptic
Twitter @MeetTheSkeptic

I'd like to thank Master Books for sending me this free copy for review as part of their Bible Defenders Review Team.

[Dave Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest struggles for contemporary Christians is to understand how to connect what they believe to the lives of real people. When Christianity is talked about in contemporary culture it is very rarely if ever spoken of in a positive light, because the popular media focuses on leaders who have fallen, or on the church’s hypocrisy rather than on the many ways Christianity is making an in the world with the Gospel. When you compound how our culture has moved away from the Bible, with the ignorance of the population about biblical doctrine and the modern belief of popular culture that the Church is full of nothing but hypocrites it can be intimidating to the Christian to engage non-Christians effectively in evangelism.

In my experience engaging in evangelism at coffee shops, on the streets and in airplanes Christians struggle with evangelism because they are afraid of being rejected or think that evangelism is only for those who are “in the ministry.” This is why Meet the Skeptic by Bill Foster is such a welcome book, because it helps Christians to engage biblical, moral, scientific and spiritual skeptics by helping them contend, defend and proclaim the Gospel to them. Many Christians don’t engage in evangelism because they don’t know how to respond to issues related to the Bible, science, or moral objections to the Christian faith and this book will help them to understand what the Bible teaches and how to speak the Truth of God’s Word in love to skeptics.

Meet The Skeptic is an excellent book filled with references to popular culture while remaining faithful to the Word of God. This book will help Christians to recognize key words that non-Christians use, to scrutinize bumper-stickers, to ask probing questions, and to recognize opportunities to make much of Jesus. This book will help Christians to develop an understanding of the mindset of skeptics and their ideas in order to share Jesus. Finally, this book will help new or mature Christians to share the Gospel with those around them. I recommend you read Meet the Skeptic to be equipped to know, defend and declare the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to your friends, family, neighbors and all those in your sphere of influence.

Title: Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations

Author: Bill Foster

Publisher: Master Books (2012)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Master Books review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book teaches believers to think differently about the approach taken with skeptics of the Christian faith. All to often, we forget what it’s like to be an outsider to the Christian faith, so we use catch phrases and religious words to get our point across. These types of approaches often only turn people away and confirm their already set ideas about Christians. Once the base information is given within the book, it then proceeds to go into the 4 types of skeptics (spiritual, moral, scientific, and biblical) and how to approach a conversation with each of the them. It goes into how to determine the type of skeptic you are dealing with based upon the questions asked or words used. There are a list of key words, the root idea behind the skepticism, and a probing question to ask.

The 4 types of skeptics are covered briefly in the overview and then tackled individually in a more in-depth manner. Examples of conversations are given to show how the conversation might go and what it would look like to use the skills being taught.

The book is well laid out and is presented in a logical manner. I often found myself chuckling as my husband naturally approaches things in the manner in which is recommended in the book.... continue reading....

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, clear and easy to read and understand.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

essential for understanding the opposition