Rules 1 - 8

1. Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.
   1. Analysis
      1. This is a standard technique used in many military battles. Appear to be more powerful than you actually are. If you have mass support, flaunt it; if not make a lot of noise, if you cannot make a big noise, make a big stink. The objective is to instill fear in the heart of the enemy so that they will make irrational judgements and lose courage. The goal is to coerce concessions their opponents would not ordinarily make if they understood the true strength of their opposition.
   2. Response
      1. Christians act according to a completely different philosophy. It matters little how popular a notion may be or the strength of the opposition. Decisions are not based on popularity but on moral principles.
      2. Christians are given courage through the Holy Spirit. The Christian Church has faced numerous persecutions over the centuries and has always emerged stronger - not losing heart when facing daunting odds but trusting in the Lord in all things.
      3. Alensli's tactic is to divert attention to any issue where he can pretend to have moral superiority and bait the opposition to address the loudest outcry rather than the central moral issues.
2. Never go outside the expertise of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear and retreat…. [and] the collapse of communication.
   1. Analysis
      1. This rule is good advice for anyone. Knowledge is power. Confidence in the validity of an issue inspires courage. This rule warns Alinsky's radicals to not get caught in a 'bluff' where they are easily defeated by someone more knowledgable or experienced. Focus your efforts on your own expertise.
   2. Response
      1. The Christian objective is not to assert power or protect our posture but to deepen our understanding of the truth. Christians, and Christian organizations, should not claim an expertise they don't possess. One such legal case involved school textbooks and the Theory of Evolution. Those arguing for 'Intelligent Design' lost the case because they misrepresented 'Intelligent Design' and lacked expertise in biology. The loss furthered the opposition's power and position.
      2. Radicals, however, seldom address the real issue. For example, when discussing abortions they almost always direct the conversation toward rape and incest hoping to claim moral victory on a compassion issue. Since they cannot logically defend abortion in general, they avoid issues in which they are easily proved wrong such as life beginning with conception. In this situation Christians needs to be prepared to explain why abortions, even in cases of race or incest, are wrong. Why compound one evil with another!
      3. Finding ourselves involved in a discussion which is beyond our expertise presents an opportunity to educate ourselves, grow in our Christian faith, and practice presenting moral principles in a persuasive manner.
3. Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Here you want to cause confusion, fear, and retreat.
   1. Analysis
      1. The goal is exclusion and domination by surprise attack. Alinsky cites the military tactics of General Sherman as an innovative example. Alinsky would applaud the advent of gorilla warfare and terrorist attacks as creative thinking. Confusion reduces the opposition to ineffective silence. Alinsky believed and taught that the 'ends are justified by all possible means'.
   2. Response
      1. One of the applications for this rule is to silence any opposition. On a recent talk show a white guest commentator was addressing a current potentially racial situation. She was rudely interrupted by one of the black hosts saying that she was not black and had no right to speak. The guest was effectively silenced by the surprise attack. Organizations, religious institutions, and political candidates often fall prey to similar surprise attacks and are derailed over seemingly irrelevant issues and character assignations.
      2. Surprise attacks are particularly hard to handle, especially for Christians. Christians assume a general moral and courteous social behavior. However, in the world of radical attacks, Christians need to prepare extensively for any roles they perform. Study and prayer are essential so that we can respond as guided by the Holy Spirit. Remain calm, speak softly, go to the core of the issue, and maintain your right to heard. Christ did not lay down before the Devil, and neither should Christians.
4. Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.
   1. Analysis
      1. The goal in this tactic is to discredit the opposition by exposing hypocrisy. Alinsky knows that no one completely lives up to his principles. Once the hypocrisy is exposed the opponent silenced and is no longer a factor.
   2. Response
      1. Alinsky is correct in that no one fully lives up to the standards and principles they profess. Christians are no exception. However, just because a person has failed doesn't invalidate their principles nor does it make them a hypocrite. No one is perfect - even Alinsky's disciples.
      2. The Christian response is that we all fail, but we believe not in condemnation but in a God who forgives. It's not that a person sins or fails, it's that he learns, asks for forgiveness, goes forward, and tries to live a better life.
5. Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also, it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.
   1. Analysis
      1. The goal, again, is domination but any means necessary. Use of this rule is designed to illicit an emotional reaction thereby gaining control and appearing to be the calmer and more persuasive. It's an attempt to expose the opponent's weakness - to gain victory from an imminent defeat.
   2. Response
      1. We all, at times, become overly emotional and react poorly. However, there is a great difference between an overly emotional response and the application of this rule. Here the intent is a strategy - a deliberately calculated character assignation.
      2. While it is difficult to remain calm when being attacked, it's important to remember that the attack is from a position of weakness. It is an attempt to save a hopeless situation. It is a key pressure point designed to force the enemy into concessions.
      3. To counter this attack, Christians would do well to remember how Jesus responded to those who crucified him. He maintained restraint, and even forgave them. See you opponent's tactics for what they are - desperate attempts to save face.
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6. A good tactic is one your people enjoy. If your people are not having a ball doing it, there is something wrong with the tactic.
   1. Analysis
      1. Alinsky is encouraging his followers to be creative. Everyone enjoys being included, having input, and doing what they do best. He is instructing his followers to take advantage of each others talents and appeal to the interests of those they are trying to persuade.
   2. Response
      1. The rule does not violate Christian principles. In fact it's a rule that Christians should take more steps to adopt. The application in the political sphere is broad. Political campaigns are accompanied by rock concerts and Hollywood stars. The campaign is gear toward the interests of the target audience, and promoted in multiple media formats.
      2. In several US cities a program was started called "Theology On Tap'. It was usually hosted by a priest meeting at a local pub with those who had some interest in theology and the Church. It was revolutionary in its approach and quite popular.
      3. Another program, World Youth Day, has been highly successful. In general, however, the Church excels at programs for the faithful, but does little to attract outsiders. Alinsky is right that the focus needs to be geared more toward the target audience, and there are many to whom the Church needs to appeal.
7. A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time. after which it becomes a ritualistic commitment, like going to church on Sunday mornings.
   1. Analysis
      1. Evangelization, even of radical ideas, must be kept new and fresh. Endless and monotonous political or social campaigns generate disinterest. A series of small varied attacks are better than a prolonged campaign.
   2. Response
      1. This rule is a simple expansion of the previous rule. The Occupy Movement, for example, lost its luster because it it dragged on seemingly without purpose. Opposition to the Vietnam War gained strength because of its duration and lack of success. Untended and unharvested fruit dies on the vine.
      2. How can this tactic be applied to the Church's missionary activities? To engender more interest in the Pro-life cause? To attract more youth? To counter current societal misconceptions? To energize the faithful?
8. Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.
   1. Analysis
      1. Be relentless; be ruthless if necessary, but win at any cost. No tragedy or misfortune is out of bounds if it can be employed to achieve your end goal. This requires a fluidity of approach that means even the tactics themselves are subject to change if the end can be accomplished more quickly, or more easily by some other means.
      2. Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama's chief of staff said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” Take advantage of high publicity or tragic events. Use them to your advantage.
   2. Response
      1. Some time ago a jury was convened for an auto-insurance case. In selecting the jurors the defense attorney asked every potential juror if they had ever been involved in a side-swipe accident. As the trial reached the jury deliberation phase 10 of the 12 jurors assumed it was a side-swipe accident, even though the photographs showed otherwise. The lawyer had successfully planted the idea in their minds even before the trial began.
      2. Political personalities know very well that news stories have a life time. Yesterday's news is just that - yesterday's news. Alinsky's tactic is to focus on one issue and use events of the day's events to keep the idea, the identity, current. Christian's should not only challenge names assigned to a particular cause but should define them more accurately. For many years the name Pro-Choice went unchallenged before Christians properly redefined it as Pro-Life.
      3. However, even those opposed to same-sex marriage have to admire the gay-rights publicity campaign. This was an issue that wasn't on anyone's radar two-three decades ago, now it's law is some states. It's proponents consistently promoted their cause in every venue imaginable as a rights and fairness issue, and despite statements to the contrary that is how it is framed in the minds of most Americans. Had it lacked that identity (that name) it would have likely failed.
      4. Jesus told his disciples, "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple (innocent) as doves." Jesus commends persistence in righteous causes and he even admired the ingenuity of the wicked servant. Christians need to be more imaginitive in their approach and more zealous in their mission - persistent, vigilent, and trusting completely in God.1

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