The four night debate will happen April 26-29 beginning at 7:00 p.m. each evening. It is to be streamed live on Facebook at this link:
We hope all of you will be able to watch it in person or online and thus participate in the study of this vital topic.
Everyone’s invited to check out a new idea called The Scattershot Report and subscribe for free with your email. It won’t replace Biblical Notes, but should offer things not found here. At present, content is limited, writers are few–please be patient. This is the first big announcement I’ve published about it, so, if you subscribe, you’ll be among the very earliest. Feel free to add your “likes” and comments to what is already there. We don’t have a page on Facebook or Twitter, but do spread the word as you can, and thank you! (Logo credit: Ethan Deaver)
Thanks to many hours by Cheri Deaver digitizing a stack of decades-old audiotapes, this four-night debate from 1991 is now available for free listening here.
Mac Deaver affirmed (and Farrell Till denied): “The alleged moral atrocities ascribed to the God of the Bible are not actual moral atrocities and, therefore, constitute no proof that the Bible is not inspired of God.”
Farrell Till affirmed (and Mac Deaver denied): “The alleged moral atrocities ascribed to the God of the Bible are actual moral atrocities and, therefore, constitute proof that the Bible is not inspired of God.”
If you want to prepare yourself for the kinds of things skeptics use to attack the Bible, this is a good introduction to that field. If you prefer to read this debate, it is available for purchase here.
In the future, we hope to make more old debate recordings available. If you’ve not already, take a look at the archives where we have hundreds of sermons you can listen to on a morning walk, while driving to work, mowing the yard, etc. Please do share our content on social media and encourage your friends to subscribe. Thanks!
This four-night debate is about how the Holy Spirit helps the faithful Christian. It was held at the building of the Fort Sam Houston church of Christ in San Antonio in July 2019.
Joshua Rodriguez (Fremont, California) affirmed: “According to the scriptures, the Holy Spirit only indirectly influences the heart of the faithful Christian.”
Mac Deaver (Sheffield, Texas) affirmed: “According to the scriptures, the Holy Spirit directly influences the heart of the faithful Christian.”
All eight hours are available to view for free at this link.
A four-night public debate is scheduled for July 2019 at the building of the Fort Sam Houston church of Christ in San Antonio, between Mac Deaver and Joshua Rodriguez. At issue is whether the Holy Spirit helps Christians directly, or only indirectly. Make plans to attend, if you can, and please let others know about it. For additional information, see the attached flyer.
Wesley Simons has posted his first 30 minute affirmative speech, which can be viewed here.
By agreement, after a participant posts a speech, his opponent has three weeks to post a speech, and so on, back and forth, until all sixteen speeches are finished.
Wesley Simons and Mac Deaver will be discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in the new birth. Each will have eight speeches (four affirmative and four negative speeches, apiece).
Simons will affirm: The scriptures teach that one must hear, believe, repent, confess and be baptized in water, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins in order to be born again.
Deaver will affirm: The scriptures teach that one must hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized in water, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and be baptized with the Holy Spirit in order to be born again.
The debate will be unusual in that it will not be live. Rather, it will consist of a series of recorded speeches, posted online, about three weeks apart. So, the discussion will carry over several months, allowing each speech ample time to be viewed and studied by all who are interested, worldwide.
Simons will have the first affirmative speech, which he hopes to make available in January 2018.
Subscribe (free) at BiblicalNotes.com to receive updates each time a speech is posted.
Our good friends at Tennessee Bible College have a new blog, and we believe you would do both them and yourself a favor to check it out. While there, please enter your email address to subscribe (free) so you’ll be able to keep up to date when new content is added. Find it at ringoutthemessage.com
