TACTICS IN CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS: Part III: 4 Tactics to Refute Relativism This material is adapted from Francis Beckwith & Gregory Koukl’s Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid Air, pages

Defending the Christian Faith: TACTIC # 1: Show the contradictions of relativism!.

Tactic 1: Show the Contradictions of Relativism: If a relativist uses certain objections against you, he or she will get stuck on his or her own objections: “You shouldn’t judge others…” “You are intolerant…” “You shouldn’t force your morality on me…” “Who are you to say…”

Tactic 1: Show the Contradictions of Relativism: 1.“Who are you to say?” answer with, “Who are you to say, ‘Who are you to say’?” 2.“You shouldn’t force your morality on me,” simply ask, “Why not?” The person has a hard time explaining why you shouldn’t impose your views without imposing his or her morality on you.

Tactic 1: Show the Contradictions of Relativism: 3.“You have a right to your opinion, but you have no right to force it on anyone.” Respond by, “Is that your opinion.” 4. “Who are you to correct my correction, if correcting in itself is wrong.” 5. “If I don’t have the right to challenge your view, then why do you have the right to challenge mine?”

Tactic 2: Press their hot button: One of the simplest and most effective ways to refute relativists is to pick their hot button (racism, animal rights, intolerance, gay-bashing, feminism, etc) and then relativize it. This causes their moral intuition to rise to the surface, undermining their position.

Tactic 2: Press their hot button: 1. If you encounter a relativist, you can usually prove him or wrong in five minutes when moral words like “should” or “ought” creep into the conversation. 2. When moral words creep in, expose the inconsistency. 3. Always remember that morality is built in; humans have an innate capacity to reason in moral categories and to make accurate moral judgments.

Tactic 2: Press their hot button: Ex. “You are Judgmental!” Respond to the accusation by saying something like, “If it’s wrong to judge people, then why are you judging me?”

Tactic 3: Force the Tolerance Issue: Force the tolerance issue. This third tactic makes capital of a relativist’s commitment to tolerance. If we reject another’s idea or behavior, we can be accused of rejecting the person and of being disrespectful. To day we’re intolerant of the person because we disagree with the idea is confused. On this view of tolerance, no idea or behavior can be opposed, regardless of how graciously, without inviting the charge of incivility.

Tactic 4: Have a Ready Defense: Take the offensive is a key strategy when dealing with relativism. 1. “Whose Values?” respond, “Whose values are right?” 2. “Oh, you believe in absolutes?” What are they?” Press a hot-button by giving a statement that would cause their moral intuitions to come to the surface.

Tactic 4: Have a Ready Defense: Take the offensive is a key strategy when dealing with relativism. 1. “Whose Values?” respond, “Whose values are right?” 2. “Oh, you believe in absolutes?” What are they?” Press a hot-button by giving a statement that would cause them to be “violated.”