I'm finished with political posts on this blog for the time being. Now comes the task of listening to all the audio posts saved in my inbox since 5/09, starting with the James White/Michael Brown debate on Calvinism. The 2 part debate, each part less than 40 minutes each, was on Dr. Brown's radio program "The Line of Fire." The debate was cordial, as was the third episode (mostly) in which Calvinists called in to Dr. Brown's program. This was the first time I had heard Dr. White speak. He is a skilled debater, yet his arguement for Calvinist theology failed to live up to the principle both participants agreed to: good theolgy is always preceded by good Biblical exegesis. White's scriptural analysis was faulty concerning the scripture passages he used to present his case. For instance, he cited the example of God preventing Abimelech from sinning by having relations with Abraham's wife Sarah. (Gen. 20:1-7) White cited this as proof that human sin is not a choice but these choices are willed by God to further His purposes and bring Himself glory. As Brown points out, Abimelech did not know Sarah was married and so acted with a clear conscience. (v. 5-6) The passage also demonstrates that God gave Abimelech a clear choice whether to obey Him or not. (v.7) White stated that when the Old Testament High Priest made atonement for the people, he was only making atonement for Israel, not for the surrounding nations. White asks, "Does Jesus as our high priest make atonement for all, or only those that are His?" White believes that the Old Testament model of the High Priest is evidence for Limited Atonement. He fails to mention that the Law had provision for those who wished to join the nation of Israel if they chose to do so. Christ, our High Priest, has commanded us to pray for workers to gather in lost souls. Dr. Brown effectively answered White, yet I wish in part 1 that he emphasized the effect of the Fall on Man more when describing Man.
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Linked from Kevin Jackson's Wesleyan Arminian blog.
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2 comments:
I listened to those back when they were debated and I thought that Dr. Brown took Dr. White to the woodshed. I can see why Dr. White wants to avoid Dr. Brown in a formal debate over the issues.
I agree, Roy, Dr. Brown won the debate.
I saw the "Jesus is My Friend" video. If the preacher, I think he was a preacher, didn't appear at the end, I would have thought it was satire. I plan to e-mail it to a friend or two.
By the way, the picture of the guy with the mustache in your profile section, who is he?
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