Feeling Overwhlemed with Objections?

If you have ever engaged in conversations of faith with a skeptic, possibly a family member, you may have experienced something like this…

The dialogue began with a simple faith-based question, an inquisitive concern, or a mere sharing of beliefs. Once you heard a reason for doubting Christianity or God’s existence, you attempted to offer an explanation or answer. Your response likely wasn’t good enough. They asked, “but how is that fair?” or “if God is so good, then why…?” Maybe they stated, “well, that’s your belief.” As you continued to add to and rephrase your explanation, another objection was raised. Before you could reply, another point is stated. Maybe you thought your response was a strong one, but it did not suffice, as more objections came your way. Now you find yourself in a defensive posture, needing to defend your faith against a myriad of objections—too many to count. So you sat there allowing the pile to grow, wondering how you can get out of this conversation in one piece.

Here's the reality…

This strategy makes you feel overwhelmed or incompetent or both. It is a rhetorical method that is intended to exude confidence and strength in one’s view, while showing the opposing view to be utterly implausible by the sheer number of objections. Stating one thing after another without allowing time to respond is called “steamrolling.” Typically it involves repeating atheistic slogans that trap and disable you from making a strong case. It can be unintentional, but nevertheless it is no way to engage in conversation. If an objection is raised, it is respectful to wait and allow a response with each objection.

Here is a series of statements and questions from a skeptic that illustrates steamrolling…

“I’ve seen so many horrible things in this world, so it is difficult to believe in God.”

“Why would God allow these things to happen?”

“If God is so good and powerful, he wouldn’t allow these things to happen.”

“No matter what reason God has, it is still unfair.”

“Well, how do you know the Bible is true in the first place?”

“You can’t prove the Bible is God’s Word.”

“The Bible has been retranslated and changed so many times.”

“Miracles don’t exist.”

“The resurrection couldn’t have happened because it contradicts science.”

“What about all the other religions in the world?”

“It is unfair to say they are wrong.”

“How could God send people to hell?”

“If God condemns people, he must not love them.”

“How is it fair for God to condemn people who have just as much faith as you, but in a different religion?”

“With everything I’ve seen, I just can’t believe in a God who would allow such things to happen.”

Notice how one point moves on to the next, either by making a more aggressive point than the previous one or by changing the subject. Some of these points are reasonable. Some of them are emotional, not logical. Some of them are merely rhetorical. But one thing all of these points have in common is that they are postulated to put you, the believer, in a defensive posture. Being in this posture disables you from providing positive reasons for your faith, since all of your time will be devoted to answering one point after another. You wind up asking yourself, “there are too many objections for me to comprehend, why bother putting the time and energy into answering each point?”

If you encounter this kind of dialogue, don’t assume the skeptic is disingenuous or is intending to steamroll you. They could be doing it without realizing. But you ought to find out if they are seriously inquiring the faith. If not, do not waste your time. Ask a question like, “would you like to hear what I think about that point?” Or you could ask something more aggressive, “if your concerns could be answered, would you consider Christianity?”

If you believe the back-and-forth is worth your time, here’s a few points to remember…

·       One objection at a time. You cannot answer multiple objections at once. Focus on one at a time. If the steamroller starts to pile on, stop and ask, “one second, you made a very good point earlier, and I would like to respond to it. Is it okay if we focus on that for right now?”

·       Changing the subject. If you provide a good and persuasive response to the skeptics’ objection, don’t let the skeptic change the subject. Typically when a persons’ objection is met, they don’t want to admit it. If they try to switch to a different topic, stop and ask, “did that answer your point? Any further discussion on that?”

·       Support your claim. Claims are not evidence. Merely stating something against Christianity doesn’t make it true. All claims require support. When a skeptic states something like, “if God is good, he wouldn’t allow evil,” that is a truth claim, and the skeptic must offer support for that claim. Don’t let them off the hook. You are not obligated to defend your faith against an unsupported claim. Ask the skeptic, “Why do you think that?” or “how so?” Also, you are not obligated to defend claims that you didn’t make, but only the claims that you did make.

·       Slow down. Remember, the goal of a steamroller is to throw you off your game. As you respond to one objection at a time, take your time. Your goal is not to answer each objection as quickly as you can. Slow down, and if you feel trapped, ask more questions.

·       More objections does not equate to less plausibility. This is possibly the most important point to remember when dealing with a multitude of objections… Piling on objections does not make the skeptics’ case against Christianity a good one. Simply repeating slogans does nothing to advance their beliefs. A higher number of objections does not hold more weight against your faith unless they are cogent. In the illustration above, many of the points are indefensible and therefore worthless. For instance, “If God condemns people, he must not love them.” This is just a bad claim. Do not let the number of objections intimidate or discourage you.

If you are engaged with a steamroller… First, figure out if they are seriously inquiring the faith. Second, keep these points in mind, relax, and don’t fall into the trap.

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