Tactics by Gregory Koukl
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Columbo, Part 2: 'How Did You Come to That Conclusion?'
Read Chapter 4 of Tactics by Gregory Koukl.
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The second Columbo question takes the conversation one level deeper — from what someone believes to why they believe it, gently exposing the reasoning (or lack of it) beneath the claim.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The second Columbo question is: 'How did you come to that conclusion?' or 'What are your reasons for thinking that?' What does this question do that 'What do you mean?' doesn't? Why does Koukl treat them as two distinct moves?
2.Koukl argues that this question is not an attack — it's a request for reasons. Why might it still feel threatening to the person being asked? How can your tone and body language make the difference between 'I'm genuinely curious' and 'I'm about to demolish you'?
3.Many people hold strong opinions about religion that they've never been asked to defend. What is the effect — on both the conversation and the relationship — of gently surfacing the reasoning behind a strongly held belief?
a.When has someone asking you 'why do you believe that?' changed how you thought about your own belief?
b.How can that experience make you more empathetic when asking others the same question?
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