Dealing with Straw Man Arguments

The experiences of those of us who grew up in the church vary greatly. The older I get, the more I understand that the people who mentored me throughout my formative years, especially high school and college, understood that I would encounter challenging questions and experiences that could cause me to question my faith in God.

I was given resources that explained how and why Christian theology believes certain foundational truths. My mentors pushed me to engage in challenging conversations rather than push past difficult questions with responses such as, “Does this really matter?” Most importantly, I was given the space to push back on foundational truths and encouraged to dig deeper any time I needed clarity on God’s character. Learning how to address conflicting thoughts has strengthened my faith and helped me continue to learn more about God.

Conflicting thoughts can surface when people attempt to distract you from the valuable and important point you’re addressing. This is called a straw man argument. It’s where a person sets up and then attacks a position not being debated. The School of Thought explains:

“By exaggerating, misrepresenting, or just completely fabricating someone’s argument, it’s much easier to present your own position as being reasonable, but this kind of dishonesty serves to undermine honest rational debate.”

Here is an example of a straw man argument:

Person 1: Oranges are really good.

Person 2: Apples are better. Why do you hate apples? What about kiwi? Do you hate kiwi, too?

With practice, identifying a straw man argument becomes easier, but formulating a response is still a challenge for me. I can get frustrated when it seems people aren’t engaging in a conversation in good faith or are attempting to box me into a position I do not hold.

Straw man arguments have become more common over the past few years, but they are not new. In fact, even Jesus encountered them. Thankfully, his responses were also documented.

Luke 13:10-17 says,

As he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free of your disability.” Then he laid his hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God.

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done; therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”

But the Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you untie his ox or donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water? Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

When he had said these things, all his adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he was doing. (CSB)

A Luke 13 Straw Man Argument

Jesus: Sees a woman who has suffered for eighteen years and frees her from the torment of an evil spirit.

Leader of the synagogue: He seems to care less that a woman in his congregation is no longer in pain. Responds in anger to Jesus and accuses him of sinning because he healed her on the Sabbath.

We can take our cues from how Jesus redirects the synagogue leader back to the truth. First, Jesus extrapolates on the law that the leader conveniently ignores as he attempts his straw man argument. Next, Jesus points out that the leader cared so little for this woman, a daughter of Abraham and one of their own, that he prioritizes an animal’s well-being over the woman’s.

Luke 13:17 says, “When he had said these things, all his adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he was doing.” I think this is the most important part to address.

• Jesus did not provoke the synagogue leader. Instead, he preached, saw a woman in pain, had compassion for her, and healed her.
• Jesus responded publicly because he was addressed by the leader publicly.
• By refocusing and reprioritizing the conversation back to real matter of importance, Jesus set himself apart from the other leader as compassionate, empathetic, and honest.

Most importantly, the whole crowd saw the situation correctly and celebrated what Jesus was doing. I think that’s another lesson we can learn from this story. Because Jesus was focused on glorifying God, the people saw the Father reflected in him.

It’s unlikely straw man arguments are going to go away anytime soon. After all, they are an easy way to attempt to bully people. But we can model our own choices and responses after Jesus.

Beth Walker is a football coach’s wife and mom of two energetic boys. She strives to encourage those around her to pursue their best lives in Jesus whether she is near the game field, in church, or at the local coffee shop. As a writer, Beth has been striving to find her voice through seeing Jesus in the ordinary and extraordinary of daily life. She blogs at Lessons from the Sidelines.

Photograph © Christina at Women of Color in Tech, used with permission