{"id":26297,"date":"2017-10-04T14:51:09","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T18:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/?p=26297"},"modified":"2022-08-17T13:33:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T17:33:29","slug":"good-arguments-learning-how-to-persuade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2017\/10\/04\/good-arguments-learning-how-to-persuade\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Arguments: Learning How to Persuade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two of the most enjoyable books I’ve read on Paul’s letters are Paul and the Rhetoric<\/strong> of Reconciliation: An Exegetical Investigation of the Language and Composition of 1 Corinthians<\/a>\"\" and Conflict and Community in Corinth: Socio-rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians<\/a>\"\". These two books are fascinating because they use rhetorical analysis to dig deep into Paul’s logic<\/strong> and the choices he made in constructing his letters to persuade<\/strong> his readers to adopt his point-of-view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul & the Art of Rhetoric<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that Paul was a master of rhetoric, the art of persuasive speaking and writing. I’ve read somewhere that we have instruction manuals from Paul’s time period and that he follows them to a tee. He gets angry just when the manuals say to get angry. He appeals to his audience’s highest aspirations just when the manuals say he should. He appeals to example, to self-interest, to whatever the manuals say is needed, based on his purpose at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always imagined Paul just sitting down to write and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, pouring out his thoughts. When I learned at seminary how very carefully Paul constructed his letters, I was amazed at how sophisticated he was. He wrote with the Spirit’s inspiration, but he closely followed the best human advice of his day too. He was deliberate and careful, taking his letters quite seriously and investing the time and thought to do a good job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhetoric & the Church Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And that brings me to today and how we communicate to those outside the church. If we are communicating to the public hoping to persuade at least some to adopt our views, then we need to follow Paul’s example and invest just as heavily in our communications as he did with his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you are advocating for a new social policy, to change public opinion about your ministry’s cause, preaching a sermon, or even persuading donors to give, you need to craft your appeal to be so persuasive that people are convinced and adopt your position as their own. Good rhetoric is the tool you need. Without it, chances are high that you will not have an effective message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n