Lew A

Hey Cheryl,

I had a chance to listen to the radio interview on my way to work today. He was not very nice, and it seemed like he wrote you off from the get-go. But he did bring up some good points that you will need to deal with in the future. Even though he was being a jerk about it, he was right in saying that you need to try to be more concise with your answers. I know it was your first (second) time being interviewed on the radio, and he was not being gracious to you at all, but it is something you might want to consider. If you are able to practice on someone that might help. The better you are at presenting your ideas the less he will be able to challenge them.

Remember, too, this is his show – he’s use to these sorts of encounters, and he is going to try to fluster you anyway he can. It seems like he does not care to hear what you have to say, so you might want to try to talk through him… answer his questions to his satisfaction, but do it in a way that reaches his listeners. I doubt that you will be changing his mind anytime soon.

You should prepare yourself too by asking yourself what kind of objections will he come to you with. I think this was part of the problem. In a way you expected him to listen to you and want you to share your interpretation… but in reality he wanted to challenge you. Not being prepared for the challenge made you lose credibility to his audience. You may want to sit down and write out everything that you know that people believe about these passages, and in 100 words or less explain why that belief is flawed. Do the same with your own position. Knowing the flaws in your argument will only help you strengthen your argument (or throw it away if it is wrong).

If you can, go back and listen to his objections, listen to the things he ignored and try to figure out why he ignored them. Was it your presentation? Was it his presuppositions? Was it his misunderstanding of what you were saying? — How can you deal with combating these things.

I think you made a really good point by asking him if he was saying that woman could not teach truth – but he did not understand your point. He kept cutting you off and getting you side-tracked. Then he would blame you for getting side-tracked. Try not to let this happen. If he asks about X, then only deal with X, if he starts chasing a rabbit, lead him back and do it firmly (but lovingly).

Anyways, I hope you don’t see these words are condemning. I just want to try to help you do better if he gives you another opportunity to speak. I think it could go a lot better.

God’s Glory,
Lew A

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