I have been slowly writing a series of articles on logic and the Christian. Many Christians, like the larger culture around them, have become sloppy in their thinking. Logical fallacies abound, and it is important for Christians to spend time not just learning what to think, but even more importantly, learning how to think. As a reminder, a logical fallacy is a flaw or error in reasoning that weakens an argument, making it unreliable or invalid. The last fallacy we discussed was The Either-Or Fallacy and we observed how Christians often miscategorize issues as either-or when many issues are more complex than that. Today I want to discuss the all-too-famous (or perhaps infamous) straw man fallacy. The Straw Man Fallacy in Theological Discussion The straw man fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents or changes an opposing position to refute it more easily. The term “straw man” is derived from the idea…

Logic is the systematic study of reasoning and inference—the process of drawing valid conclusions from given information or premises. Everyone gives lip service to logic’s importance. For example, any time someone appeals to “common sense” they are actually saying there is a logical thought process by which everyone should arrive at the same basic conclusion (i.e., common sense). Although most people acknowledge the importance of logical thinking, logic has fallen on hard times. Lazy thinking abounds. This is partly driven by advertising and social media culture, but also through lack of discipline and being driven by emotions. As Christians, God commands us to discipline our minds. We are to “take every thought captive” (2 Cor 10:5), and to set our minds on what is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy” (Phil 4:8). Controlling how the mind thinks is a crucial Christian discipline. Yet I’ve observed much sloppy…