Arguments vs Assertions in the Internet Age
To claim, as some progressive politicians do, that Jesus would have been pro-abortion is nonsense, of course. However, it points to a larger problem that has been made worse in the internet age. Lacking an understanding of logic and critical thinking, people often confuse assertions with arguments.
An argument is a particular kind of thing. Beyond a truth statement, it offers reasons why it is true. An assertion reveals only what the person making it believes about the world. An argument tells others why they should believe it, too. In the process, it provides a line of thinking to evaluate and consider.
The statement, “Jesus was pro-choice” is an assertion. Assertions can be said with enough confidence to feel persuasive. Also, pressure can be added in an attempt to persuade. But claiming to be offended because someone doesn’t agree with an assertion is not an argument either. Saying something with confidence isn’t evidence. Confident or pressured assertions are still just assertions. And, as the saying goes, what is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. This is the burden of proof.
An argument has two essential parts: a claim and reasons for that claim. Both parts are necessary. As apologist Tim Barnett described in a new What Would You Say? video, part of the “How to T.H.I.N.K. Series,” think about a house where the claim is the roof and the reasons are the walls. Just as a house has a roof supported by walls, an argument is a claim supported by reasons. Without walls, you don’t have a house. Without reasons, you don’t have an argument.
No matter how passionately someone believes in something, an assertion is a claim without support. It’s a roof without walls; a roof lying on the ground.
The person who makes the claim is responsible for defending it. Especially online, people often feel the need to refute every assertion they disagree with. This is the source of endless social media fights. But those who did not make the claim are not responsible for refuting it. A better response is to ask for reasons, including evidence for the assertion. Maybe the claim is true, and maybe it’s not, but until the person who professed it gives reasons to believe, no one has reason to believe.
The next time someone claims, “Jesus is pro-choice” without offering evidence, there are two options. One could dismiss it with a quick, “No, He isn’t!” But that will likely shut down any hope of a productive discussion. To advance the conversation, a better reply would be, “That’s an interesting claim. What reasons do you have to believe it?” In other words, you’re simply asking them to defend their assertion. Anybody honestly interested in truth won’t be bothered by that kind of request.
If the response is, “Well, Jesus is pro-choice because He has a high respect for women and their choices,” this is an actual argument. There is a claim: “Jesus is pro-choice.” And there is a reason: “He respected women and their choices.” That is an argument. And that means there’s something to evaluate, refute and discuss.
Remember, the goal of an argument isn’t to “win” the conversation but to find out what’s true. When someone offers an actual argument, it must be tested. Ask, “Does the reason and evidence support the claim?” For example, “Does Jesus’ respect for women and their choices mean that He would support abortion?”
Of course, the answer is no. But a conversation dealing with reasons and evidence, rather than just claims, is much closer to the truth. Which, of course, is the goal and why God gave us minds to love Him in the first place.
Check out the entire “How to T.H.I.N.K. Series” with Tim Barnett on the What Would You Say? YouTube channel. It’s a great way to learn critical thinking skills and teach others.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Orbon Alija
John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.
