Host Andrew Urquhart talks with Dave Mann of the Hope Project ([www.hopeproject.co.nz](https://www.hopeproject.co.nz)) about how Christians should respond when maligned or attacked, drawing on Nicky Hager's book on the Taxpayers' Union as a live example of public smearing and pushback.

Dave argues speech must combine truth with grace, urging believers to see attackers as people rather than opponents to defeat, since the goal is to "win people, not arguments." He shares examples of de-escalating hostile confrontations, including a personal case where the Hope Project owned a genuine mistake involving Māori representation, apologised and reconciled, yet still faces an outdated, unfair version of the story circulating in Christian circles - a situation he says he leaves to God to vindicate rather than reacting in anger.

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