Meet the Skeptic: A Field Guide to Faith Conversations

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!

Maybe it's your evolutionist science professor, your neighbor wearing the "coexist" t-shirt, or your coworker with all the tough questions. The skeptic's questions often leave you sweating and stammering. Bill Foster doesn't promise that this book will bring every unbeliever to bend the knee to the Lord Jesus (although all will one day bow—Philippians 2:10), but it does coach you to preparing a ready answer (1 Peter 3:15).

Published by Master Books of New Leaf Publishing, Meet the Skeptic is a softcover of 142 pages. A workbook and leader's guide is also available for a study group. This apologetics course focuses on how to handle conversations with a skeptic based on four different areas: spiritual skepticism, moral skepticism, scientific skepticism, and biblical skepticism.

The approach identifies the root idea of the person's skepticism and then offers a probing question. For example, biblical skepticism's root idea is that "The Bible is man-made." A probing question to ask would be, "If God gave us a book, how would we know it really came from Him?" Then you could share confirmations of the inspiration of Scripture such as historical accuracy, prophetic fulfillment, eyewitness accounts, manuscript evidence, archaeological finds, and internal consistency. Pointing out pop culture references, Foster explains how to speak the skeptic's language, clarify biblical concepts, and beware of red flag words.

The root idea and probing question approach avoids the endless "game of fetch. A skeptic tosses out a sound-bite objection and the believer tries to retrieve an answer." Instead, you can expose the worldview of the skeptic as self-refuting. Then you can unveil the biblical worldview as the only one that makes sense of this world and the human condition.

Although mankind's rebellion against the Creator has brought suffering and death into this world, God sent His own Son to bear the punishment and wrath of God against sinners, saving all believers (1 Peter 2:24). Every other religion involves man's futile attempts to earn salvation, but the just Judge has chosen to make sinners right with Him on the basis of His grace in Christ through faith (Acts 4:12; Romans 3:20-25; Ephesians 2:8-9).

**I received a complimentary copy of this course from the publisher for the purpose of my impartial review.**

The only hesitation I have in giving a solid excellent rating is that I wish there were more to read. This is a great snapshot of the four roots of skepticism and I wanted to dig even deeper into some more discussion of the various thoughts floating around. Just felt the book was too short--a great appetizer though for someone to launch into more thought out study and discussion opportunities! Very discerning and creative in the idea of the ROOTS rather than just the words of the skeptic--that give clue to the deeper deception behind some of the unchallenged thinking out there. This also is an eye opener for christians who are most times completely unprepared to know and discern why people think as they do and then give them that sound creative wisdom from above. This ties in with the quote from Ravi Zacharias: "Causing the thinker to believe and the believer to think".

Here's a book we've been needing-"Meet The Skeptic" by Bill Foster. So many of us witness by routine with a rote presentation with no regard if the person we witness to can make any sense out of a word we say. Or perhaps we use theological words, though great to us, which can no longer be understood in our Biblically illiterate world. Mr. Foster talks us through this problem, reminds us that it is people we are after, and guides to better methods and word choices.

For example, "salvation" would in no way mean to a guy with no church background what it would to those of us who have grown up in church. To ask "if you died today, would you go to Heaven" wouldn't mean much to a lady who doesn't believe there is a Heaven. To only quote the Bible might have little impact if that person has been indoctrinated to believe the Bible is full of errors. I believe the Bible has the answer, but how can I turn the conversation in a direction that would make Biblical truth something that must reckon with?

That's where this book comes in. Mr. Foster does a masterful job reorienting us. He introduces many insights that I honestly had never thought of before. What makes his presentation so powerful is his uncanny ability to let us know how others think, how they've come to think it, and how we might finally get through with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He explains the 4 main types of skepticism you may meet: spiritual skepticism, moral skepticism, scientific skepticism, and biblical skepticism (not believing the Bible is trustworthy). He describes the root idea behind the skepticism and offers probing questions to get them thinking. There's even a quick reference chart at the end of the book designed to help you grasp what is fully brought out in text.

It's not a gimmick; this book talks sense. I'll keep mine handy for reference. Mr. Foster clearly admits that not everyone will turn to Christ with his approach. But wouldn't you feel better knowing they rejected what they understood instead of what you ineptly explained?

I received this book free from the publisher. 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 .

Meet the Skeptic is a book written by Bill Foster, published by Master Books, aimed at helping Christians better know the unbeliever and be better equipped to engage them in dialogue and discussion. The book is well written, informative, and never exhibits a condescending attitude toward those who do not believe as the author believes.

Right off the bat, Mr. Foster gives us some wise and practical advice. He tells us that it will not get us very far, when discussing with a skeptic, if we merely attempt to answer every question the skeptic throws at us. The skeptic will merely ask another question, and our time will be spent running for answers. Rather, we should recognize and engage the worldview held by the skeptic (p. 8). This gets to the root of the problem and avoids spending large amounts of time on peripheral issues.

The second bit of wisdom Mr. Foster gives us is to remind us that it is not our job to convert or convince the skeptic; rather we are to communicate truth and rely on the Holy Spirit to work on the skeptic's heart (p.13). Too often, the Christian thinks it is up to him or her to achieve the desired outcome of every encounter with a skeptic. It is not.

The book goes on to say that we must use words that, if we use theological terms, we may need to explain them. Words that we know the meaning of may be foreign to the skeptic. In that case, our argument or evidence will be useless.

The book's main portion focuses on four types of skeptics: the Spiritual skeptic, the Scientific skeptic, the Moral skeptic, and the Biblical skeptic. The author explains the root idea behind each skeptic's worldview and guides the Christian in ways to engage each respective skeptic. Defining the meaning of words used in a discussion is a critical aspect of any debate. If the words I use have a different meaning to you, it will be very difficult for us to have a meaningful conversation.

Overall, this book is very helpful for the witnessing Christian. In a world where it seems a book is printed every minute or so, this one is an important addition to the printed world. I recommend it highly.