Sunday, March 9, 2008
the art of debate
I don't even know if we had a debate team at my high school, but sometimes i wish i would have done debate. I think philosophy and Christian ministry have made me into a person who loves God-centered discussion and argumentation. It is something that has sharpened me and challenged me to dive into God's Word and test my reasons for what i believe. I thank God for the friends and family that have challenged and encouraged my thoughts and beliefs through debate, discussion, and, dare i say, argumentation. For example, my old roommate Jeremy and i argued and debated things until we felt we came under God's Word to a conclusion. We are both stubborn, but we found that over the years our views were molded to be so similar there are few things that we do not agree on. Thankfully, there are still some edges that we are working on, like some intricacies of the doctrine of limited atonement and how far reaching Christ's sacrifice is. Anyway, some recent discussions have gotten myself and some others wondering about how to effectively debate. The question is, "where is the line of taking something too far?" Is understanding each others' points all we need to do in debtate? What should be our goal for debating someone, specifically a Christian sister or brother? Let's have a rousing discussion!
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4 comments:
it is interesting you mention this since this idea came up in my bible study today. in 2 timothy 2, paul warns against quarreling about words, godless chatter and foolish arguments that lead to quarrels. Yet, the author of hebrews says we should find ways to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. this may include having a bit of rousing discussion over theological or philosophical issues. to answer your question of how far is too far, i'd say when it gets to the point of quarreling. 2 Tim. 2: 22-26 should also be taken into account when considering how far is too far. It is also important to remember that we are representatives of Christ to the world and what that means in terms of humility and how we interact with one another. sorry, there is no real logical flow of my thoughts. hope they are something to contemplate. - Ben Fuehrer
Hey Ben! It's been too long, i need to give you a call sometime. I'll be on a mission trip for a while now, but around Easter i need to call you. Anyway, thanks for bringing us to 2 Tim.2. That's good, but i have a question about that, too. It says we must not be quarrelsome, but can we get a definition of quareling? 2 Tim. 2:25 says the Lord's servant should correct his opponents with gentleness. We should correct without quarrel. What does that look like? How can we keep from quareling in our debates? Good thoughts Ben!
There is this phenomena in the 21st century that everyone thinks they are entitled to be a defender of the faith. That is, things like blogs and Facebook groups have opened the way for anyone to say just about anything and look like an expert. While I don't think "debate" is wrong, so long as you are not casting your pearls before swine, and doing so in humility, I don't think anyone and everyone can debate. Let's face it, there are some stupid people out there that would be better off not saying much of anything at all.
True that. Lord please forgive me for trying to be an expert. But Christians should be defending the faith and sharpening one another and washing each other in the Word, right?
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