We are slaves and prostitutes rescued and adopted by the king.
Yet we stand at the window of the palace hearing our old masters and pimps calling to us and we tend to remember that darkness with unwarranted favor.
It is more pleasant in our memory than it was in reality, and we are drawn back to it.
Such is the depth both of our depravity and our deception, that after being rescued from inescapable bondage we would again subject ourselves to it.
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. - Numbers 11:5
I've been listening to Greg Koukl's radio program Stand To Reason for many years. One of the primary lessons that Greg has been teaching for decades is what he calls the Columbo Tactic*, or Columbo for short. Columbo is basically a way of asking questions rather than making statements in order to drive a conversation, and it consists of 3 types of questions.
The first question is some form of "What do you mean by that?" and is meant to clarify what is being said.
The second question is "How did you come to that conclusion?" or something similar, which not only helps you understand why the person holds this position, but keeps the burden of proof on them if they have made some kind of truth claim.
The third question is a leading question. This is a question you would ask when you already know where you want to go in the conversation. Instead of forcing the point by making a statement, you can lead or draw them to the point you want to make by asking a question that allows them to make your point for you.
Now, I am not a strong conversationalist and it remains a challenge for me to slow down and use Columbo instead of rushing in and making my point outright. But, the following is an actual conversation I had with a friend a few days ago, and though I am not a deft Columbo tactician, it is an example of questions 1 & 3 employed with some success.
At church we've been looking at how we can help people take their next steps towards Jesus. So I had been looking for a way to start a conversation with someone at work in order to do that when I vaguely remembered a discussion I had with one of the guys about a year ago.
