How to T.H.I.N.K.! Test the Claim

You’re in a conversation or scrolling through social media and come across a bold claim that challenges Christianity. It’s stated with confidence and maybe even has millions of views.

What would you say?

Hi. I’m Tim Barnett. When discussing a challenging topic, it’s helpful to pause and THINK through these five steps:

T. Test the Claim

H. Hold it up to Scripture

I. Identify assumption

N. Name the fallacies

K. Know what you’re talking about.

This first episode covers T: Test the Claim.

Social media is full of bold claims about Christianity. “The Bible condones slavery.” “Science disproves God.” “Jesus is pro-choice.” “Christians are intolerant.” While each of these challenges is different, they all have one thing in common. Not one of them is actually an argument.

So, the next time someone asserts something that challenges what you believe, here are four things to remember.

First, assertions aren’t arguments.

An argument is a particular kind of thing. It has two essential parts: a claim and the reasons for that claim. Both parts are necessary.

Think of an argument like a house. The claim is the roof, and the reasons are the walls. Just as a house is a roof supported by walls, an argument is a claim supported by reasons. Without walls, you don’t have a house. And without reasons, you don’t have an argument.

Many people aren’t making arguments. They are making assertions. An assertion is a claim with no support. It’s a roof with no walls. Just a roof lying on the ground.

For example, “Jesus is pro-choice” is an assertion. Some assertions are said with so much confidence that they feel persuasive. But confidence isn’t evidence. Confident assertions are still just assertions.

Second, what is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

Whoever makes a claim bears the responsibility of defending the claim. This is called the burden of proof. Here’s how it works: If you make a claim, you should be able to defend it.

Unfortunately, many people feel the need to refute every assertion they disagree with. But they shouldn’t. That’s because they didn’t make the claim. The other person did.

For example, if someone claims, “Jesus is pro-choice” without giving you any evidence to believe the claim, you have two options. First, you could simply dismiss it. You could just say, “No, He isn’t.” After all, what can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Of course, this dismissive response will probably shut down a productive discussion.

If you want to keep the conversation going, then I recommend a second option. This leads to our next point.

Third, ask for evidence.

If someone asserts something without evidence, this is a great opportunity to ask for evidence. You might say, “That’s an interesting claim. What reasons do you have to believe it?” Or, “I’ve never heard that before. What evidence do you have to support your claim?”

In other words, you’re asking them to simply defend their assertion.

Now don’t be surprised if they struggle to come up with good reasons. Many of the ideas people hold haven’t been carefully thought through. In fact, people often parrot slogans rather than form conclusions.

So imagine you ask for evidence and they say: “Well, Jesus is pro-choice because He has a high respect for women and their choices.”

Now we have an actual argument. We have a claim: Jesus is pro-choice. And we have a reason: He respected women and their choices. Once we have an argument, we now have something to evaluate. But until then, it's important to remember that an assertion, no matter how confident, is not an argument.

Now we’re ready for the final step.

Fourth, if an argument is given, it still must be tested.

Not every argument is worth believing. So, when someone offers an actual argument, you should test it by asking yourself: “Does their reason and evidence support their claim?” For example, “Does Jesus’ respect for women and their choices actually justify abortion?”

Remember, our goal isn’t to “win” the conversation. Our goal is to find out what’s true. This requires looking at the reasons, assessing the evidence, and forming a reasonable conclusion.

By the way, this is the approach Jesus encouraged. He said, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father”.

Jesus invited people to test His words by His works. In other words, he wanted people to follow the evidence where it leads.

The apostle Paul echoes this idea. He says, “Test everything; hold fast to what is good.”

After you’ve thoughtfully tested the claim, bad arguments should be rejected, and good arguments should be affirmed.

So, the next time someone asserts something that challenges what you believe, remember:

1. Assertions aren’t arguments.
2. What is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
3. Ask for evidence.
4. If an argument is given, it still must be tested.

Red Pen Logic: youtube.com/@redpenlogic

Stand to Reason: www.str.org