“Boy, it sounds like you know a lot more about this than I do, and you’ve raised some interesting points. My problem is that this is all new information for me. I wonder if you could do me a favor. I really want to understand your points, but you need to slow down a bit so I get them right. Would you take a moment to carefully explain your view and also your reasons for it to help me understand better? When you respond this way,2 it buys you valuable time. It also shows that you’re not afraid of the other person and you’re interested in taking his view seriously. So make sure you understand the ideas. Write them down if you need to. When all your questions have been answered, end the conversation by saying these magic words: “Thanks. Now let me think about it. Maybe we can talk more later.” These words—now let me think about it—are like magic because once you say them, you free yourself from any obligation to respond further at the moment. All the pressure is gone, since you’ve already pleaded ignorance. You have no obligation to answer, refute, or reply once you’ve admitted you’re outgunned and need to give the issue more thought.”
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Atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel, the former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, is a New York Times best-selling author of nearly twenty books and has been interviewed on numerous national television programs, including ABC's 20/20, Fox News, and CNN.
After a nearly two-year investigation of the evidence for Jesus, Lee received Christ as his forgiver and leader in 1981. He joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL, in 1987, and later became a teaching pastor there. He joined Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, CA, as a teaching pastor in 2000. He left Saddleback's staff in mid-2002 to focus on writing. He is also a contributing editor and columnist for Outreach magazine.
Lee shared the prestigious Charles "Kip" Jordon Christian Book of the Year award in 2005 for a curriculum he co-authored about the movie The Passion of the Christ. He also has won awards for his books The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary.