The Art of War

We have three initial goals when reading The Art of War,

• Teaching disciples to make indirect Biblical truth connections to what they observe around them,
• Applying Sun Tzu’s practice to spiritual warfare, and
• Apply Sun Tzu’s strategies to conflict management in ministry and life.

Satan wages war against us. The book of Job is a classic example but there are hundreds of examples throughout the Bible. Jesus was tempted by Satan. Demons interfered with the angel Michael as recorded in Daniel chapter 10. The list goes on. Many disciples fail and fall to temptation because the do not understand their enemy, their position in Christ, or the power that God has over Satan. Sun Tzu’s tactics for warfare are easily applied to challenge disciples to make Biblical connections to identify their enemy, learn his strategies, and develop a Biblically-based plan to defeat him. Using The Art of War to launch a spiritual discussion about spiritual warfare is not only creative, it is also disruptive and opens the conversation to connecting God’s truths to other earthly experiences. As well, from the perspective of parenting, business, leadership, and serving in ministry, disciples can learn much from Sun Tzu’s tactics about not destroying what they are trying to save. Here is our reading plan (based on the 2014 publication by Black & White Classics) with sample questions to get things started,

Week 1 : The Foundations of Strategy : Chapters: 1–4

• Chapter 1 – Laying Plans: The five factors of war, the importance of planning, and strategic assessment.

• Chapter 2 – Waging War: The cost of war and the importance of swift, decisive action.

• Chapter 3 – Attack by Stratagem: Winning without fighting and understanding the value of deception.

• Chapter 4 – Tactical Dispositions: Positioning yourself to win before engaging in battle.

1. How can careful planning reduce conflict before it starts?

2. What modern situations (beyond warfare) might benefit from “winning without fighting”?

Week 2 : Execution and Adaptability : Chapters: 5–9

• Chapter 5 – Energy: Direct and indirect tactics in strategy.

• Chapter 6 – Weak Points and Strong: Identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.

• Chapter 7 – Maneuvering: Moving your forces effectively and responding to conditions.

• Chapter 8 – Variation in Tactics: Adapting plans to changing circumstances.

• Chapter 9 – The Army on the March: Reading situations, terrain, and signals.

1. How does adaptability contribute to long-term success?

2. How can leaders today identify “weak points” in a project or opponent without causing unnecessary conflict?

Week 3 : Mastery and Leadership : Chapters: 10–13

• Chapter 10 – Terrain: Understanding the physical and situational landscape.

• Chapter 11 – The Nine Situations: Classifying challenges and adapting strategies accordingly.

• Chapter 12 – The Attack by Fire: Using environmental conditions to your advantage.

• Chapter 13 – The Use of Spies: The importance of intelligence and accurate information.

1. How important is gathering accurate information before acting?

2. Which leadership principles from Sun Tzu apply most directly to your personal or professional life?

We only us this book in Discipleship Three. Trying to document all of our Biblical connections would exceed the purpose of this application. If you have not read Art of War or studied the enemy and his tactics and need help, please feel free to reach out to our team.