We have affirmed over and over in the communication part of this site the importance of asking questions, especially good questions....and then listening attentively to what they say. We affirmed that because it is important for spiritual guides to take the time to really understand those with whom we dialogue and that almost always involves asking questions and careful listening.
The hope is that the better we understand where communities and people are and what’s important to them--their values and priorities--we can offer better and better contextualized guidance if and when that opportunity comes. Indeed what we often will hear is that they have a distorted picture of what following Christ entails.
Some argue that it is best to answer questions with more questions...and there’s something to be said for that--at least for a while.
How should we characterize the nature of those questions? Well, some are exploratory for sure, others are for clarification and others still could have a Socratic tenor. In that latter case, because it seems wise to have people “see” things themselves rather than be told (perhaps especially for university faculty types) how to think, Socratic questioning can help people see existential problems within their own world-views that perhaps they’ve not reflected on, or various sorts of logical self-referential incoherencies they may have adopted. Frankly, people aren’t near as open to change unless they see a problem in their own views.
Let us refer you first to a fine book written by a friend, which we believe can be very helpful for you in this process of learning to be a better questioner:
Newman, Randy. Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2004. pps. 269.
This book isn’t about formulating specific answers to specific apologetic questions. Rather, Randy makes the case for what some might think is the counterintuitive way to do evangelism (and apologetics). That is, he argues that asking questions is better than giving answers and that there is value to learning how to do that with skill and insight. I consider it one of the best practical guides and a book that everyone should read who wants to be effective in doing apologetics inter-personally. While I’m committed to answering questions with the best answers that I can research, mastering the skills that Randy talks about are key to discerning whether there is something deeper going on or not.
See also:
Nirenberg, Jesse. Getting Through to People. Englewood, CA: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1963, 1988. 203 pps.
A very, very good book that helps to encourage cooperativeness, drawing out people’s thoughts and emotions and activating thinking....extremely helpful.