James White vs. Steve Gregg Debate

I just listened to the debate between James White and Steve Gregg. Very interesting. I've been on a yearlong assignment to figure out Calvinism, and this debate is pushing me closer to Calvinism. Weird--I've never been a fan of Calvin. Anyway, James White had the more cogent presentation. All Steve Gregg could offer was why each Calvinist proof-text didn't really mean what the Calvinist thought it means, in a disjointed one-off fashion (at least much more so than James White). Admittedly, one must analyze individual verses, but Steve offered no complete picture of an Arminian viewpoint.

On Day 4 all Purgatory broke loose as Steve got childish during the Q&A section. It got ugly and tense, as Steve kept interrupting James, when James was trying to give complete answers to the questions. Finally James had to regroup as he realized he wasn't interacting with a mature, friendly, debate opponent.

I guess Steve thought he'd like to see how James White would like the tables turned on him, and let someone dominate him. This became clear as someone posted some childish nonsense on Steve Gregg's forum about how James White played a heavy hand against Tim Staples back in their debate about the Papacy in 2000. Well, the two situations were different. In 2000, Tim Staples demonstrated he couldn't follow the agreed-upon rules of the debate (e.g., using the Q&A time to make rambling commentary) and it was only after a long time of enduring this nonsense that James White decided he'd had enough and locked Tim down for a little while with short yes-or-no questions. This was not the case prior to the mess on Day 4. The format was more casual, not adversarial: there was no need to be a stickler for debate rules; one could be a little loose. But when Steve asked James some questions that required time to answer, he didn't give James the required time.

Seems that in this age, people are always interrupting. For heaven's sake, at my work people talk at the same time others are talking--and this is in a two-way conversation! And you know it's really bad when people who interrupt you get interrupted. Our society is childish in this regard. We need to be quick to hear and slow to speak.

And another thing: James White is constantly being critized for dominating, or being mean, when actually he just thinks he's right and wants others to benefit from his insight. When you have good confidence that you're right, you shouldn't be tentative. Just state it. There should be no fear of being called arrogant. I guess there are too many arrogant people who are wrong and come off as though they were right, so others are turned off. But it may be equally true that many people are afraid of taking a stand and letting the world know about it. Be right (i.e., do your homework!) and don't be ashamed of it!

I wanted to post this on Steve Gregg's forum, but I was unable to register (apparently it thought I was a spambot. Weren't they Jamie Sommer's adversaries?). Oh well.

Resist Antichrist, who has landed in America

We have only one Holy Father:
Isaiah 6:3 ESV And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!
John 17:11 ESV And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Only the Son is the head of the Church:
Ephesians 1:22 ESV And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 4:15 ESV Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Ephesians 5:23 ESV For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Colossians 1:18 ESV And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Colossians 2:19 ESV and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

Only the Holy Spirit can be in the place of Christ:
John 14:26 ESV But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Where the true power lies

"It is written..."
"It is written..."
"It is written..."

Know scripture! Put it in your head. Live it out.