The verb anapeithō means to persuade someone, especially to incite or seduce them away from their previous convictions — often with a negative connotation of misleading persuasion. It appears once in the New Testament (Acts 18:13), where Paul's Jewish opponents accuse him of persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.
The accusation against Paul before Gallio — that he was anapeithōn (persuading) people to worship God illegally — backfired spectacularly. Gallio refused to adjudicate religious disputes, and Paul was released. Yet the accusation itself is revealing: the gospel is inherently persuasive. Paul's method was reasoned persuasion — arguing from the Scriptures (Acts 17:2–3), reasoning in the marketplace (Acts 17:17), appealing to conscience and reason (Acts 28:23). He was not ashamed to use persuasion because truth, clearly presented, naturally persuades. The danger is illegitimate persuasion — manipulating rather than illuminating.