A Stone in the Shoe
by Kathy Brown on February 10th, 2010 | 0 comments
“What do you mean by that?” “How did you come to that conclusion?” Those are the two questions that Koukl, in his book Tactics, suggests conversationalists use to dig into issues that matter. His observation is that our culture has been largely educated to be non-thinkers. In addition, the promotion of “tolerance” and multi-culturalism have advanced the idea that there is no Truth or Truth cannot be known. His blueprint for challenging, rather than assenting to, the views that lead to the destruction of traditional values is quite refreshing.
I had the opportunity to interact using the Koukl method recently at a Super Bowl party in Phoenix. One of the women at my table was originally from Germany. She remarked how she had gone back to her country, and during her trip she wanted to go to a spa. When she found out that she would not be allowed in with a swimsuit, she walked away. That scenario ignited a variety of comments. The gentleman next to me saw nothing wrong with men and women enjoying a steamy interlude together in the buff. He insisted that Europe was much more advanced and so much less inhibited: a good thing.
Is that so? I wondered to myself how he would feel about his teenage daughter or his wife among a roomful of naked male oglers. Now, him being one of the espiers I could understand. My first reaction, having been surrounded by lawyers all my life, was to argue. But, this was an opportunity to train myself in a better approach. It struck me fairly fast that this discussion was about much more than a public relaxation facility. It was all about the foundation and meaning of being human. If the flesh is irrelevant, intimacy has no purpose and the male/female relationship needs no boundaries, then further discussion was unnecessary. But reality seems to indicate something quite different, and the ridicule of modesty begged for a bit more inquiry.
The natural, and perhaps easier, thing to do is be agreeable in a social setting. But, it is possible to be kind and curious and provocative. Discovering the basis for someone else’s beliefs is fascinating and well worth the trouble. Leaving a stone is someone’s shoe, a great metaphor Koukl uses to describe a pebble of Truth that rubs against someone’s worldview, can be very satisfying. It is encouraging to see more and more of those around us limping.
From Romans 9:33:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall., and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
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