Post by messengermicah on Mar 9, 2009 13:17:58 GMT -5
Debate with Baptist Pastor at University of South Florida 2/26/09
Thursday February 26, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: Last year (Jan-Feb-2008) when we preached on this campus a Baptist pastor and campus group ministry leader publicly opposed our preaching of repentance and holiness by saying we cannot stop sinning and cannot live holy.
Last month the same pastor showed up again while we were preaching. He opposed while I was preaching. After preaching we sat down and discussed the Bible, doctrine, and theology. We seemed to have become friends even though we disagreed with each other. He challenged me in front of the students to an official debate. I agreed. We selected a student who professes to be an atheist to be the moderator.
This pastor is somewhat of a John MacArthurite, a seminary graduate and studies Greek.
Since, I was in the area again I remembered the pastor’s challenge. I gave him a call on Saturday (February 21, 2009) and let him know I was in town. His group normally meets on Thursday night at 7:00 PM. He wanted to debate me that night. I agreed.
He reserved a conference room seating about 80 and made up flyers with both of our pictures on them. For the previous two days (February 24-25) while I preached on the campus he handed out flyers and invited students to the debate.
He wanted to debate me on the following two topics: 1) Presentation of the Gospel and 2) How a person is saved.
The format for the debate was as follows:
1) 7:00 PM-7:15 PM-Refreshments and introductions
2) 7:15 PM-7:25 PM-How to present the gospel (5 minutes each person)
3) 7:25 PM-7:35 PM-Rebuttal (5 minutes each person)
4) 7:35 PM-7:45 PM-Questions from the other person (5 minutes each person)
5) 7:45 PM-7:55 PM-How a person is saved (5 minutes each person)
6) 7:55 PM-8:05 PM-Rebuttal (5 minutes each person)
7) 8:05 PM-8:15 PM-Questions from the other person (5 minutes each person)
8) 8:15 PM-8:30 PM-Break (Audience writes down questions and we decide which questions to answer)
9) 8:30 PM-9:00 PM- Questions from the audience (30 minutes)
There were about 80 seats in the room but by 7:15 PM there were more students than seats with students sitting on the cabinets in the back of the room and others standing outside listening in the hallway with the doors of the conference room open.
It was interesting that on this same night there was a presentation in the oval theater in this same building at the same time as the debate called “Darwin’s Legacy”. The people putting on the presentation were from the recent popular documentary “Expelled” which exposes the lies of evolution. It is possible that many students who may have come to the debate went to this presentation instead.
During the first topic of the debate the pastor did not really make any clear Bible case for presenting the gospel but just seemed to focus on caricaturing me, criticizing me and comparing me to a self righteous Pharisee. He compared open air preaching to training a child.
I defined preaching as being something done publicly (Mark 16:15, Matthew 10:27), and clarified what Biblical preaching was and was not (handing out tracts, inviting people to church, feeding the poor, witnessing, etc.).
I gave Biblical purposes for preaching such as manifesting God’s Word (Titus 1:3) and saving the lost (1 Corinthians 1:21).
I showed from the Bible what we were to be preaching: 1) Repentance (Luke 24:47, Matthew 3:1-2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, Mark 1:1-4, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 2) The whole Word of God (2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:3) 3) The Gospel (Mark 1:1-4, Mark 1:14-15, Revelation 14:7) and 4) The law of God (1 Timothy 1:8-9).
I told the pastor and the audience I did not come to make personal attacks but to discuss what the Bible taught.
As the debate went on the pastor became more civil and expressed genuine appreciation for me being there and our debate became more focused on what the Bible taught and less on caricaturing me as a self righteous Pharisee.
After the debate was over we had a very good time of questions and answers from the audience and the whole debate seemed to be profitable and effective in getting the Word of God to the students. Many of the students were hecklers, inquirers, and seekers, who did not profess to be Christians.
As soon as the debate was over a young man came up to shake my hand, thank me and told me he had been greatly challenged. Others came up to ask sincere questions and I had several very good conversations.
Many in the audience who I recognized as hecklers and those who had opposed me in the past shook my hand and told me I had done an excellent job.
Thursday February 26, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: Last year (Jan-Feb-2008) when we preached on this campus a Baptist pastor and campus group ministry leader publicly opposed our preaching of repentance and holiness by saying we cannot stop sinning and cannot live holy.
Last month the same pastor showed up again while we were preaching. He opposed while I was preaching. After preaching we sat down and discussed the Bible, doctrine, and theology. We seemed to have become friends even though we disagreed with each other. He challenged me in front of the students to an official debate. I agreed. We selected a student who professes to be an atheist to be the moderator.
This pastor is somewhat of a John MacArthurite, a seminary graduate and studies Greek.
Since, I was in the area again I remembered the pastor’s challenge. I gave him a call on Saturday (February 21, 2009) and let him know I was in town. His group normally meets on Thursday night at 7:00 PM. He wanted to debate me that night. I agreed.
He reserved a conference room seating about 80 and made up flyers with both of our pictures on them. For the previous two days (February 24-25) while I preached on the campus he handed out flyers and invited students to the debate.
He wanted to debate me on the following two topics: 1) Presentation of the Gospel and 2) How a person is saved.
The format for the debate was as follows:
1) 7:00 PM-7:15 PM-Refreshments and introductions
2) 7:15 PM-7:25 PM-How to present the gospel (5 minutes each person)
3) 7:25 PM-7:35 PM-Rebuttal (5 minutes each person)
4) 7:35 PM-7:45 PM-Questions from the other person (5 minutes each person)
5) 7:45 PM-7:55 PM-How a person is saved (5 minutes each person)
6) 7:55 PM-8:05 PM-Rebuttal (5 minutes each person)
7) 8:05 PM-8:15 PM-Questions from the other person (5 minutes each person)
8) 8:15 PM-8:30 PM-Break (Audience writes down questions and we decide which questions to answer)
9) 8:30 PM-9:00 PM- Questions from the audience (30 minutes)
There were about 80 seats in the room but by 7:15 PM there were more students than seats with students sitting on the cabinets in the back of the room and others standing outside listening in the hallway with the doors of the conference room open.
It was interesting that on this same night there was a presentation in the oval theater in this same building at the same time as the debate called “Darwin’s Legacy”. The people putting on the presentation were from the recent popular documentary “Expelled” which exposes the lies of evolution. It is possible that many students who may have come to the debate went to this presentation instead.
During the first topic of the debate the pastor did not really make any clear Bible case for presenting the gospel but just seemed to focus on caricaturing me, criticizing me and comparing me to a self righteous Pharisee. He compared open air preaching to training a child.
I defined preaching as being something done publicly (Mark 16:15, Matthew 10:27), and clarified what Biblical preaching was and was not (handing out tracts, inviting people to church, feeding the poor, witnessing, etc.).
I gave Biblical purposes for preaching such as manifesting God’s Word (Titus 1:3) and saving the lost (1 Corinthians 1:21).
I showed from the Bible what we were to be preaching: 1) Repentance (Luke 24:47, Matthew 3:1-2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, Mark 1:1-4, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 2) The whole Word of God (2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:3) 3) The Gospel (Mark 1:1-4, Mark 1:14-15, Revelation 14:7) and 4) The law of God (1 Timothy 1:8-9).
I told the pastor and the audience I did not come to make personal attacks but to discuss what the Bible taught.
As the debate went on the pastor became more civil and expressed genuine appreciation for me being there and our debate became more focused on what the Bible taught and less on caricaturing me as a self righteous Pharisee.
After the debate was over we had a very good time of questions and answers from the audience and the whole debate seemed to be profitable and effective in getting the Word of God to the students. Many of the students were hecklers, inquirers, and seekers, who did not profess to be Christians.
As soon as the debate was over a young man came up to shake my hand, thank me and told me he had been greatly challenged. Others came up to ask sincere questions and I had several very good conversations.
Many in the audience who I recognized as hecklers and those who had opposed me in the past shook my hand and told me I had done an excellent job.