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Webcasting around the world from the desert metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona. This is the dividing line. The Apostle Peter commanded Christians to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us.
Yet to give that answer with gentleness and reverence. Our host is dr. James white director of Alpha Omega ministries and an elder at the Phoenix reformed Baptist Church. This is a live program and we invite your participation.
Participation if you'd like to talk with dr. White call now at six. Oh two nine seven three four six zero two or toll-free. Across the United States. It's one eight seven seven seven five three three three four one.
And now with today's topic here is James white. And good morning and welcome to the dividing line. My name is James white. So we invite your participation today as has become rather popular over the past number of weeks at eight seven seven seven five three Three three four one eight seven seven seven five three three three four one.
We haven't said anything about the cruise for a long time. We're going to be putting some new information up over the next couple days on the fact that. Well, there's some neat new opportunities for those of you who thought well, I've missed it.
I can't get in there's a window of opportunity yet for our cruise on December 6th on the Zondam a Holland America ship going to the Eastern Caribbean seven days a beautiful beautiful ship and So be listening Thursday night also be listening two weeks from today two weeks from today.
We are going to have a special guest on the program probably go a little long that day I've asked my friend Eric Stenson professor Eric Stenson. Dr. Eric Stenson author Eric Stenson Who has written a number of books?
Evangelical answers and his most recent work on Mary who is my mother? To join me. I was I was working out Thursday night, and I was listening Once again hadn't listened in a couple of years to the debate between Eric Stenson and Jerry Matta ticks on The subject of the perpetual virginity of Mary specifically did Mary have other children after the birth of Christ and That is the the thesis.
For the debate I will be having with mr. Matta ticks the exact same thesis at the University of Utah Friday night October 3rd, I believe is the date and so I wanted to Listen to that debate and refresh my memory on what had taken place and as I was listening especially to mr Matta ticks is open opening statement.
I was again reminded of why I have often said that mr Matta ticks is the king of the cheap debate tricks and I'm going to play an example of that today Analyze it and I've asked Eric Stenson to join me.
We're going to play Sections of that debate and Give Eric the opportunity to to do what you rarely get to do when you're in a debate and that is to actually comment on everything that's being said with enough time to actually say something and That's what I would like to do.
So That's we're going to be doing. I believe that's the 18th or is that the 19th 19th? Yeah, the 19th. In fact the 18th for those of you in the st. Louis area I will be. And you know, we ought to see if there's some way we could webcast this at the same time Because the station isn't on on the internet, but I'm going to be doing a debate On the whether the Sun has eternally existed as a divine person on KJSL in st. Louis and Against one of the leading oneness scholars and so That's going to be two days in railroad.
You're doing some interesting things in the morning. If you are in the Area where you can pick up KJSL you'll want to listen to Tim and I'll show that day As we attempt obviously the problem, of course is this isn't You know, I think we are going to have equal time and stuff.
But when you throw commercials into a morning program, it's going to be very very very very very brief and so Anyway, that's going to be coming up on In just a couple of weeks from now. So what I'd like to start doing while all of you are climbing on to the phone lines at eight seven seven seven five three three three, four one is to Play some some sections from this debate that we're going to be listening to in a few weeks this debate is available at straightgate .com and Remember, that's straight as in the King James version S-t-r-a-i-t G-a-t-e .com straightgate .com that hosts the archives this program.
I believe that we actually Uploaded the archives of last week's program now, so you'll be able to listen to those as well and There at straightgate .com you can listen to the entire this debate I think it was two hours and 47 minutes somewhere along those lines and Eric tells me that there is exactly one Evangelical in the audience aside from this himself.
I know I really know that feeling I have been there been there done that got the t-shirt in essence and It's always it's always interesting, you know to to walk into the lion's den but I've done the same thing a number of times actually and so It's worth listening to all of it.
What I want to do is is there is this one thing that just really hit me and that's what gave me the whole idea I'm gonna play the one section that really I listened to this and I was just I was angry I was very angry because I don't understand.
I don't believe that anyone Could do what Jerry Madetik's does and the clips are going to play for you and not do it purposefully. It is a skill. It is an ability to twist truth, and that's what he does here.
I Absolutely come to conclusion listening to this That this is this is absolutely positively purposeful. But interestingly enough the the debate started as did so many of my debates with mr. Madetik's and I think I've done about 12.
I think I sat down once and figured out it was better somewhere around a dozen debates With Jerry Madetik's at some point in time Starting if in fact he was first person I debated and solo scriptura in August of 1990 at a Catholic Church in Long Beach, so he's want to start.
He was first one to ever contact me and challenge me to a debate so it is interesting that that is the history here. But listening to him debate someone else. I was really really Taken aback by the way that he he handled himself, and he started, and I would say at least in three Possibly four of our debates he started in almost exactly The same way as he started this debate, let's listen Make sure the computers up and running here in fact I'm going to turn the volume up just a little bit, so you've got a little bit more to work with.
Listen to how Jerry Madetik's Started the debate with Eric Svensson well.
I too had a few surprises by way of travel. I was supposed to be in San Jose Tuesday, and I wasn't allowed onto the Planet overbooked it from Scranton and so I ended up going to. Ended up going to Tucson Arizona Tuesday Monday night rather.
And didn't get a chance to see. Get a look at Eric Svensson's book on Catholic. It's his response to Catholic apologists until I had one that actually to me yesterday. So I am also a little bit. I've been giving three days worth of talks in New Mexico.
I have a full days of talks in Sacramento tomorrow, and I'll be speaking here in San Jose again on Sunday. So I would ask that you pray for me that I would be able to do my very best job.
Now that At least he didn't use there the same Argument that he always that he's used before in our debates. He's David, and I'm Goliath and and He's been driving all day, and he hasn't eaten and he drank a coke and he was.
And that's all he's had and he was writing his notes on a yellow pad in the car while he was driving there trying to follow a map, and he had just moved and he has 47 ,000 children and So all of his books are in Boxes and so he's really not prepared and It's just it's just you have to wonder it doesn't he realize that people are going to listen to more than one of his debates and After about the fourth debate in a row where you hear the same excuse you start going excuse me, but Why do you do this?
I mean, you know it's so obviously meant to to in try to endear himself to the audience all poor. Man, he's he's he's just so tired. And he's so thin and he's so abused. And I just listened to this and just want to go just show up and debate would you I mean come on?
It just I don't it just leaves me it leaves me amazed now what I want to play for you is Eric Svensson. Made a presentation now now remember, and and this is one of the reasons I want to do this because it gives you some insight.
I think into into the the pressure of debating I mean. Every time I debate and this debate that I'll be doing with matitix will be my 47th 48 48 yeah, cuz yeah 48th debate that I've done and every time you you get done.
You you look back, and you go well. I could have done this I could have said that. It's very easy to second-guess yourself, but most of the time you have extremely limited amount of time not only to to listen to what your opponent say and take a note of it and Especially if you encounter something you've never even heard before.
To try to analyze it while still listening and still hearing the next things being presented and all the rest that kind of stuff. But you just have sometimes 30 seconds in which to try to address an issue and I always live with the reality that many of the people who are listening to me speak at that particular point in time.
They are looking for any reason to ignore the majority of what I've said. They're simply looking for the The one little thing that they can focus on that will give them a reason to continue believing what they're believing.
And I realize that and I understand that and so so you have to try to to put in 100 on everything. There's no point where you can just simply you know back off and say well. You know the the actual debate parts over you know so on so you just can't do that so Eric Svensson made a presentation the first point that he made in regards to the thesis statement that Mary had Children after the birth of Jesus was based on Matthew 118 now the birth of Jesus Christ Was as follows when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together.
She was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. He discusses the Greek term synergam I. It's in this particular form that it's used here in the aorist Sunil fine and He makes an excellent Presentation he discusses the the fact that there are numerous lexicons that give as the meaning here in context the Natural coming together in marriage of man and woman and he points out that it can be used in a basic way.
Simply mean to gather together. But that in the context here. The only way it makes any sense Is in light of the statement before they came together. She was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit that obviously is in reference to the virgin birth.
Okay, and so there's there's the the context. That's why I'm gonna do is I'm gonna play you first Eric Svensson's Statement on this particular subject, then I want you to listen very carefully to Geriatrics reply and what you might want to learn to do is you you may want to Try to in essence sort of Do a flowchart in other words take down the points that Eric makes.
And then put a line next to it and then as Jerry addresses the same issue. What points does he address? What points does he not address? That would be a very very important thing for you to do, so let's listen to Eric Svensson's presentation here on Matthew 118.
Number one Matthew 118 says this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. But before they came together She was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Now the phrase before they came together is soon air come I in the grief and it means simply to come together. But it is often used in context to denote sexual relations. Scholars point to wisdom 7 -2 as an example this usage as well as a variant reading and for scrimping and 7 -5.
What's kind of little. And Scott's like another instance of this phrase that bears a meaning to share the bed? Well, that's kind of Bauer art diggers and banker these scholarly standard today. Cites both philo and Josephus both of whom use this word to denote sexual relations.
What's kind of low. Anita gives these meaning sexual relations as that which is to be applied to Matthew 118. But even the context suggests that this means sexual intercourse. Remember the context is that Mary is betrothed to Joseph.
But it is before they came together that she is found to be with child. Indeed Matthew's purpose for this phrase is very polemic. He mentions that Mary conceived before she and Joseph came together to convince his readers that this was a virginal birth and not an ordinary one.
And why do I bother to mention something so seemingly obvious about the text? Because Catholic apologists invariably argue as will my opponent tonight. That Mary took a vow of virginity prior to her conception of Jesus and therefore never intended to have sexual relations with Joseph.
The phrase before they came together must on this view mean before they came together. Platonically that is to say before they begin to reside together. The text is thus stripped of any reference to sexual relations.
Such a view however raises more questions than it answers. Why would Matthew mention this phrase at all if he knew sexual relations had never occurred? If we take this simply as a reference to Joseph and Mary make taking up residence together.
Without thought of ensuing sexual relations. Matthew's point regarding the virgin birth is in quite loss. If he is attempting to show as he surely is in this passage that the birth of Christ was a virginal birth then the phrase before they came together must mean before they engage in special relations and Cannot mean before they came together in a platonic living arrangement.
So if the latter is true, then it would be no more remarkable nor significant for that matter. If Mary was pregnant before they came together then it would be a she became pregnant after they came together.
Well, there's the presentation and that obviously is is a compelling Presentation it is contextual. It gave lexical sources that at this particular point in this verse give as the meaning of sooner come I'm sexual relations.
He points out that it that this whole idea of a platonic Protectorate relationship is a contextual. There's nothing in the scriptures even begins to suggest such a thing. It is read into the text by Catholic apologists.
Very very clearly is a Jesus to the max and so if if you love truth and even if you believe What Rome teaches Then at some point in time You're gonna have to respond to that argument. You're gonna have to actually deal With the argument as it was presented.
You're gonna have to look at the text. You have to go. No, it doesn't mean that and here is how I determine that from the text. But I think most of you who've listened to debates as Roman Catholic apologists recognize That is not what a Roman Catholic apologist is able to do.
Think of think of Patrick Madrid with the issue of Latria and Dulia. Well that that that those laws were for back then when they had a real problem with idolatry. We don't have a problem with idolatry anymore.
Think of Stravinsky's who is the The Blessed Man. Well, that's Jesus Jesus to whom his sins will not be imputed. Just just go through the the list of debates and you can see Exactly where the problem lies.
Roman Catholicism is not based upon the exegesis of the text of Scripture. It is based upon the overriding authority of the Roman Magisterium. So if you are a truth lover and you believe what mr. Maddox believes at this point You expect in the response some Dealing with the context and especially an accurate dealing with what Eriks Venson said did Eriks Venson say that the only meaning of the text the only meaning of the Term is always Sexual.
No, he did not say that he said in this context in light of in fact He even said the normal meaning of the word is to gather together. But in this context it has to mean this and here's why. So keeping that in mind, let's now Go sort of fast forward to Jerry Maddox's opening statement And he's already made a number of statements that I didn't will listen to these in a couple of weeks where he you know weaves this intricate tapestry of stuff that has nothing to do with the text itself, but Here is where?
He attempts to respond to the use of Matthew 118.
By Eriks Venson. The first thing that we can say is that even Protestant commentators and Protestant lexicons that is dictionaries of the Greek language Point out every single one and I will ask mr. Spencer to produce one single instance tonight in your hearing of any Greek lexicon Written by Protestant or Catholic doesn't matter.
Which said that the phrase translated come together Has as its primary purpose sexual relationships so that there would need to be a clear statement in the context precluding this To allow you to interpret it in a different way.
You will see if you look at the Greek dictionaries that the term can also be used and it's frequently used To mean simply to come into the marriage From a period of betrothal that is to finally enter to that final faith because betrothal engagement was more binding.
In the biblical world that it was in our day We think of engagement as something we can easily break. But that come together means to move out of the betrothal period into the period of actual full legal status accustomed in life.
Now If you were following that and you did a little bit of a flowchart. Then you were able to Catch the various assertions that were made now. I'm gonna replay it then I'm gonna stop it. And unfortunately for some reason since I've created my system Cool that it's not working properly anymore.
It cuts off the beginning of every file I play. But so I'm playing this on a different program. It's not allow me to be quite as accurate and stopping and starting. But let me stop at this time and and see if you caught the exact same things that I caught.
And if you had the opportunity, and this is what's frustrating you. There there's so many of these types of errors in Matic's statements that in the cross-examination you can never get to them all. Even in your rebuttal period you can only make reference to them.
Remember it takes far less time to state a falsehood than it does to expose a falsehood and. That's why he gets away with things like this, but let's let's listen to it one more time now stop and start it.
Number one. Matthew 1 18 said I'd be helped if I went back to the right one. Here we go.
The first thing that we can say is that even Protestant commentators and Protestant lexicons That is dictionaries of the Greek language. Point out every single one and I will ask mr. Svensson to produce one single instance tonight in your hearing of any Greek lexicon Written by Protestant or Catholic doesn't matter which said that the phrase translated come together.
Has as its primary purpose sexual relationships so that they would meet you hear that its primary meaning. Eric didn't say that in fact he specifically gave its basic meaning if You were actually Concerned about truth.
What would he be attempting to deal with here that it can he would have to prove that it can never mean this in light of the context. But you see this didn't sound wonderful. And can you can you hear how the person who is easily influenced by smooth?
Deceptive speech, that's what this is. This is smooth deceptive speech. There is nothing truthful about this and remember. Mr. Matic's has. Has his the bachelor's degree is in Greek? From Exeter Academy, I think New Hampshire or something like that.
So he knows better than this. This is purposeful. You can this is not something it's just oh what you know, I didn't I just didn't mean to do I that was just totally unintentional on my part. I'm sorry.
I don't believe that. This is intentional. He starts off talking about Protestants and Catholics all of them together, but he never then finishes that sentence. Does he he doesn't now. He's given the impression that all the scholarship stands against Eric's fencing, but he hasn't given you one single Meaningful shred of foundation for the assertion.
He just lets it hang out there and That's his purpose here is to create confusion to throw out all these the this aura. Of all everyone agrees with me and nobody agrees with you when if you listened carefully Eric had already quoted from low Anita and Byron Gingrich and Dunker and so on so forth.
He had already given you the standard lexical sources that at this very reference refer to sexual union and. So he's already given that but Maddox just ignores that and knowing that he's going second.
I Guess just hopes That there will be so much other stuff to talk about that. He won't get pressed upon this particular issue.
I'm text concluding this To allow you to interpret in a different way. You will see if you look at the Greek dictionaries that the term can also be used and it's frequently used to mean simply to Come into the marriage.
From a period of betrothal that now notice. He does not give you a single reference. Where is it used to come into a marriage from a period of betrothal. When I looked it up It's primarily utilized of gathering together people gathering together in meetings and and things like that.
This idea of this betrothal stuff. Remember the end entering into this into the final step of the marriage. Well again, it is absolutely the the farthest out in left field interpretation to think that the Jewish person would Understand a marriage in the way that Jerry Maddox is understanding this concept here.
It this idea of a protectorate type thing is is the is the way out left field. Well, maybe we can find one reference to it someplace. Type meaning rather than the normative meaning. And yet He's complaining that the meaning that Eric is using here is not the normative meaning.
Well Eric didn't say it was but he did demonstrate that it's well within the semantic domain of the word itself. And it is substantiated by the lexicons themselves.
The betrothal engagement was more binding in the biblical world than it was in our day. We think of engagement as something we can easily break. But that come together means to move out of the betrothal period into the period of actual full legal.
Status accustomed in life now in reality the meaning of sexual intercourse would be significantly more attested than the meaning he is trying to push and. And It just seems to me that Jerry Maddox recognizes that in a debate especially and I've noticed he debates differently in front of a Catholic audience than he does a non-catholic audience and This is a Catholic audience and he knew it.
And so all he's got to do in front of people who want to believe is To give them a reason to it doesn't have to be a sound reason. It doesn't have to be a solid reason. It doesn't have to be a reason that's going to pass muster later on because he recognizes that 95 of people sit in front of him are never gonna listen to this program.
They're never gonna listen to me. They're not going to look at any information that anyone else publishes. So all he's got to do is make it look like there is a is a possible Explanation for each of the points raised.
It doesn't have to be consistent. He doesn't have to deal with the fact that when you did, you know I've used the same illustration when talking about the first vision of Joseph Smith. And as I was listening to Jerry Maddox Trying to deal with this issue knowing that I'm going to be facing the exact same smooth tongue Deception in just a matter of weeks literally I've used this illustration before and I'll probably use it in the debate toward the closing of something like that.
Theoretically it is possible for a person if an avalanche came at you one rock at a time It would be theoretically possible for you to dodge each one of them. But avalanches don't come at you that way.
Theoretically you can come up with a plausible explanation. It may be a real stretch but you know, it's within the bare realm of Possibility for each of the many many many facts that demonstrate that Joseph Smith did not have a vision of God the Father in Jesus Christ a separate distinct person in the spring of 1820 and it may be possible to throw out an Argument that's barely within the realm of plausibility for each one of the many facts in the New Testament that demonstrate The falseness of the dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary but as I said avalanches come all at once and You can't you know when you think about it if you if you take a five Let's take argument a you take the five percent 95 probability that the argument goes against you, but there's a 5 possibility and I'm going to cling to that and then you take argument B and you take the 10 and It's 90 against you, but 10 in your favor then argument C.
You take a 15 that it's 85 against you, but 15 you're right and then you're back to a 95 5 you multiply all those Together and the probability you're right is 0 .000 something it gets smaller and smaller and smaller as you deal with.
More and more and more of the information more and more and more of the argument. But mr. Matic's isn't really concerned about that as long as you hear him and believe him. Well, that's all you really Need and if you want to believe hey, he'll give you a reason to.
It doesn't mean it's true. Eight seven seven seven five three thirty three forty one eight seven seven seven five three three three four one. I hope in Listening to just that little bit first of all you'll be joining us in two weeks from this morning when we have our expense and on.
But also that you've learned to listen carefully to what's being said to recognize The false arguments being used. We're gonna take a break. We'll be right back incorporating the most recent research and solid biblical truth.
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It's not an easy way. It's a journey. Day-by-day.
And welcome back to the dividing line today if we appreciate your listening in at 8 7. Well. You're not listening in at 8 7 7 7 5 3 3 3 4 1 that's the number that you call in. You're listening in and I guess today.
We switch back to real audio. The great mp3 experiments came to an end. Because well, you know, it's just one of those things. Eventually everybody will have high-speed hookups and and that'll probably work someday, but we're back to real audio and.
You know, but anyway, we have one call online right now. That means there's plenty of room for you at 8 7 7 7 5 3 3 3 4 1. Let's go ahead and talk with Kendall in Iowa. Hi Kendall.
Hi James, how are you, sir? Good a very interesting topic. I actually called in I was going to talk to you about the UPC uh-huh, and then ask you about atonement question, but uh I've debated with Catholics throughout the years and usually I would Use the passages that deal with Jesus had other brothers and sisters, right?
This is real interesting. This is a new twist on on using this passage Matthew 118 to talk about the I guess the Catholic claim of.
Perpetual virginity well actually Eric just used You know his book who is my mother? Is is an excellent work he had he was working on it at the time of this debate. It's out now and we we carry it and it's just one of many passages.
Eric is also the one who is has pioneered the study into the phrase house who and Matthew 125 And has caused Catholic apologists no end of difficulty at that point and so it's just one of an entire stream of Passages that when you allow the New Testament to speak for itself when you practice sola scriptura rather than sola ecclesia.
It is one of those passages that that simply doesn't make any sense. If you adopt the the concept of the perpetual virginity and the overriding authority of the Church of Rome. Jerry's response was was not a valid response.
It does not actually Answer the question in any way shape or form but again It it requires critical thinking on the part of those who listen to such things and one thing that sadly I think we have discovered in regards to our nation is that Critical thinking skills are not exactly at their all-time high the the political dialogue within our land would demonstrate this the discussions going on right now concerning Quote-unquote Bishop Robinson and the Anglican Church and homosexuality and abortion and everything else Demonstrates that critical thinking abilities are sadly lacking and that then translates into the church as well.
Why just pulled up Bauer as I was listening to Jerry's argument and You know, he says well, you can't find it in any of the lexicons and so forth. So I pull up Bauer and the first definition has come together literally to assemble but right under that B.
It says of coming together in a sexual sense. Mm-hmm, and you know, then it gives Josephus and Philo and some others and then it gives Matthew 18 as as the marriage contract, you know the sexual union there.
Yeah, but see what he what he is attempting to say, of course. Is and and you heard it, but but you know, it didn't. He didn't really emphasize it or anything like that. What he said was is this is not the main Meaning.
Well, of course, that's not what Eric said that it was right and all the other words where no.
I mean, how many other Greek words have you know, five different connotations to it? Exactly. So you have to make that statement blanket statement, but like you said no one. Not enough people really go back and check it out.
Well, not enough people have the desire to go check it out you would. You know one of the things that I hear and so often as let's say I'll do a debate and Let me see an example on justification and I will make reference to The the different Hebrew terms that were used the the Zedekah family of terms and and when I first debated Mitch Packel We got into since he's a Hebrew scholar the various verb forms that were that were used and how these come across in the New Testament and.
So often what I'll hear from people is well, you know, it just you know, there's just so much. There's good men on both sides and it's so complicated I just can't believe that that God would allow us to be cute confused by things.
There's so complicated so it really can't matter and and it's it's extremely frustrating to try to try to deal with that kind of situation.
Well and to dealing with I called actually at the beginning of the hour for to talk about one of Pentecostals In fact radio station in my sister's hometown where they'll supposed to be a solid radio station but they have for an hour a UPC guy on mm-hmm and.
You know, they give their website address out and you can get on there and that is that David Bernard by the way? No, it's Baxter. Okay. All right.
David Bernard's the the chief theologian for the UPCI and he's the fellow be debating on KJ SL.
Two weeks from yesterday, so. This station's in Missouri as well. Oh interesting. And you know, the sad thing is I mean, do we take the doctrine of the Trinity? Seriously, you know your book the Forgotten Trinity.
I mean enough I don't even live in the town. And I emailed the radio station and you know I asked if they had any doctrinal standards on you know what they allow played.
On there and You know, they've been on there for two years. It doesn't that really does not surprise me. I've mentioned before the interaction that I had back in about 1999 2000 with with K love the Christian music network concerning Phillips Craig and Dean and And the response that I got basically said that well, we we rejoice in the 90 Of things that we all share together.
That define the faith in other words Trinity falls into 10 It doesn't so, you know, you just I think that's a good example Of what happens when you have quote-unquote ministries that are out from underneath the the everyday Oversight and life of the church itself.
They're out there doing their own thing and So standards like that and let's face it for a lot of radio stations I you said this one has a fairly decent reputation. I don't know what it is about, Arizona, but At one point I'm trying to think we had like six Christian stations in the valley.
I mean just a huge number of them and for at least four of them were Commercial non music in other words, they were all teaching it was it was you know Chuck Swindoll and John MacArthur and it was but then it was all the word faithers and all the rest that stuff and Anybody I didn't care I don't care what quality program you produced or what you believed as long as you had a check that didn't bounce.
You were good to go and there's a lot of stations like that. There really are it's it's completely business oriented. It has nothing to do with a doctrinal standard whatsoever. But it does reflect on the fact that the doctrine of the Trinity is not central to most people's thinking any longer.
They may say it they may say it in their statements of faith.
But when it comes the practical outworking of it no way the same thing with that Christian bookstores carrying TD Jake's material.
Oh most that you know what you know why most of them have to do it's interesting when you talk to the local people. Many of them would rather not do it now. I know that there's others that have absolutely no Discernment whatsoever, but I saw TD Jake's books in The bookstore on the campus of Golden Gate Seminary When I was teaching there a couple years ago, and I asked the bookstore manager.
I said you you realize this man's not even a Trinitarian. And he just rolled his eyes. He said we are a lifeway bookstore. We are we are actually part of a chain and by contract we have to carry that.
There there was. No there. It wasn't that the bookstore manager just sits down orders the books that he wants to have in there that now. They have these contracts where they will contract with an entire chain.
And I guess it's so the chain can get a certain price on all the books from a particular distributor. They say okay if you're going to get our premium discount rate so they can make the most they can on a book then you have to carry these books and Now you get your you get your book on that list and it's guaranteed to be everywhere.
I think they might have changed that though. Hopefully I hope so too because I think there was an outcry for a while that they were recommending books that were.
You know outside the realm of orthodoxy. Mm-hmm. Well, I still see TD Jake's every place. He's all over the place. I was wondering do you have?
Tapes from your talk in Phoenix to the founders group on the atonement back in June.
I believe it was I didn't do that. I was scheduled to do that and then I was then asked to teach. As I've taught for I think this is my fifth year teaching l1311 Christian philosophy of religion on the main campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California, June 15th through the 17th, so It was strange to have ongoing classes going on On the main campus in Mill Valley during the convention in Phoenix, so I left and everybody came in town.
I'm not sure if that was intentional or not but I didn't end up getting a chance to to do that. Would love to have done so but Thought it was it was more important to maintain that opportunity of being able to teach that class.
I really enjoyed doing that and so I didn't get a chance to do that. I appreciate your ministry. All right. Thank you, sir.
Learned a lot over the years. Came a five-point Calvinist through the years. That was a four-pointer for a long time. Like yourself. Yep, and then we had a you know for a long time. It wasn't a big, you know, I could say I was five, but I really hadn't studied it enough.
You know, I just thought well if there's the elect what only makes sense that Christ died for them. I never really thought it through. Right right. Oh, you know, so I really appreciate your ministry and Keeps me on track.
Okay.
All righty. I really appreciate you up there in Iowa. Good to know that the Lord still has his people everywhere even.
You know, that's where Joseph Smith is buried.
Nauvoo, Illinois. Yeah, right. I'm just 20 minutes from there. Oh, really? Okay. They have a.
Just build a new temple and all that. They have the city of Joseph pageant where thousands. Yeah. Yep. I've heard of it. We're. And he was killed just a few miles from there in Carthage, right? Right, if you're ever down this way, I need to take a tour.
Love to do it. Okay. Thanks a lot. God bless. Eight seven seven seven five three thirty three forty one. Let's talk to Jeremy down in Atlanta. How you doing again, Jeremy?
Hey, dr. White doing fine. Appreciate you taking my call. Yes, sir I'm excited to hear but also a little apprehensive about the debate or discussion.
It's almost going to be like snippets. It will be snippets. I don't know how long. Honestly, it's it's going to go. I would assume. Minimally a full hour of airtime maybe two but once you once you take out all the preliminaries.
Newsbreaks and commercials, you know, if it's if it's a full 60 to. Well, we did when we did the program with Dave Hunt that I hosted it. It was like I think 84 minutes out of a total of two hours. So that's Sort of standard I guess and so I'm not you know.
This certainly isn't the big debate that everyone has wanted but this. It is my understanding if I'm if I'm remembering who is who? That the person to range this who works at KJ SL is oneness and he attended a seminar a three-day seminar I did on the Trinity which included a fair amount on oneness sat right down the second row and and took notes and.
You know talked and asked questions and so on so forth. So I think this is the same person that has set this up. So, you know, I don't expect to decide a whole lot, but I think it would be good, especially in KJ SL territory.
I would assume that Bernard will draw a good audience and so there's an opportunity for me anyways to present the key passages that demonstrate the eternal nature of the Sun as a divine person and. Hopefully, you know cause some some questions to be to be asked at that point.
Well I hope so and I guess now the time to beg rich to do a lot of webcasts or Straight gate because I'll probably have no way of Listening to it. Otherwise, I don't know if you can go on I mean, maybe you can go on KJ SL and listen to it that way.
But I've got a lot of people both oneness and and and otherwise, you know who you were interested in.
Well, we are supposed to receive the tapes, but it would be I think Just wisdom would be that we will will probably do it through the I know we'll get tapes, but It would probably be best just for sound quality if I did it here at the microphone at my desk rather than Doing it on a headset or over a you know, regular connection that way and.
Yeah, that would that would probably be a good way to do it. And if we do that then there's no reason not to bounce it off of the the server and make it available to folks.
Listen to you live. I really hope so. Two quick things and I got a question for you. One word of caution. And I'm not really qualified to give you a word of caution. But I I would say just coming, you know my UPC background I can just tell you the listeners there are going to have you between the the Phila and Charybdis in the beginning because You were mentioning earlier in the program today about listeners wanting to believe Someone is right and what they will be.
I can tell you in advance that the one is listeners James White have the Holy Ghost as they call it meaning the translation. Has he spoken in tongue? Oh, yeah, and then if if you haven't and they would say well, he doesn't even have the Holy Ghost.
So why should we believe him. And then the flip side of that if if you're like me on on my you know. That they would consider someone as myself Who has supposedly known the truth and then would debate them would be a reprobate.
So you're kind of kind of caught on the orange Limit.
Yeah, well, you know, I'm sure you've you've heard well, I'm not sure but I have you heard the discussion he and I had on Speaking in tongues and justification. Yeah, so. Yeah, I'm I'm not sure how much caller Participation there's going to be.
I'd have to look at the at the thing again. I I don't think there's going to be a whole lot of that. And to be honest with you callers I Don't think callers help either side. When when when his side of callers call in It's generally not overly difficult for me to deal with them and vice versa.
They they generally don't promote my side very well either so It's best when the two are allowed to just go back and forth and go from there.
But you know, I hope I hope it'll you know, hope you'll have some time to. He's not as bad as Robert Sabin. Miguel surveyed this card. So it's just tragic when I every time I go back and listen to that, but he won't go that far.
But there will be they'll be looking for an opportunity which are being spirited and that'll be but just a word of encouragement. I've mentioned last time I'd ask you about anything as far as Churches looking for potential pastors and you mentioned a book coming out but just a good good news that will be encouraging to you.
A traditional Southern Baptist Church a lot like our next pastor. We're really a non-reformed church. There's maybe two or three. It was like it like it looks like it's going to go. We're going to have a reformed pastor.
We're just. I'm so thankful for it.
So it got it really blessed in that regard. Well, the main person to pray for is that pastor? Yeah, I've met with. I've met with so many people. I had the opportunity when I spoke at a founders conference meeting in where's Liberty University Lynchburg and.
And I met with a lot of folks who were in that process and it can be extremely discouraging For that person so you'll need to definitely lift him up and encourage him. That's what my quick question.
I know it's taking forever here. But I had a friend of mine asked me and I hope it's not a simplistic answers to this and maybe you can Think of something more. I don't know theological or biblical to to address it.
But as far as the what we hear a lot of times in these parts the it's not a sin issue. But it's a son issue. Therefore. He's done everything. There's an atonement universal and all you do have to do is accept it.
But in in light of the reform view that you actually hear that in Georgia. It's not a sin issue.
It's a son issue. That's that's that's oh and it's that's the big thing. It's not it's no longer.
It's an acronym. Great. Wonderful. It's a son issue meaning the son has done everything.
You just have to accept it to make it effective. Uh-huh, but but in life friend of mine is having a discussion he's he's pretty much performed and he said that uh. The question that he was asked and I thought I'd just ask you if Christ paid the penalty.
You know at Calvary for the elect who were to be born in the future. Why were you born a sinner?
Well that is a good question a lot of people ask that because they they confuse the the reality of our union with Christ with the Application of that reality in time, it's very very clear biblically that we were enemies of God.
Before that point in time when regeneration takes place that we experienced. We were called we were called children of wrath. Paul says that to all the believers. And so once we were we all we all walked amongst them But God being rich in mercy and so there is a there is a The difference we have here is that salvation is the work of an eternal being?
And we are we are temporal beings. We have to experience that in time by his will and so while the union with Christ Indeed we experience something similar even now. I'm preaching through Romans 8 right now on Sundays at our church and Those sermons actually are available at prbc .org and one of the emphases of Romans chapter 8 is The now and the not yet we we have the first fruits of the spirits.
We are adopted but but yet we still await our adoption and so there if it's if it's true that there is a Sense in which we now have a certain Standing and yet we still look forward to the the fulfillment and fruition of that then it's perfectly Understandable in light of the biblical evidence that prior to Regeneration there was no question that God in his time in his way was going to bring about our Regeneration and and the the whole work of salvation, but in this life We are in the midst of that process it is is not something that happens overnight in the sense that regeneration is.
But we have been adopted and yet we await the adoption that is the redemption of our bodies. And so there's the the now and the not yet. We are temporal beings and all this that God has has purposed in Christ He will accomplish, but he applies it over a period of time According to his purpose and so there are some who've developed a concept of what's called eternal justification things like that.
But you just simply can't derive that From the straight reading of the text itself because the the Apostle makes it very clear that up until that point in time We were we walked amongst them we were we were under the wrath of God and then God broke in and Applied to us what had been provided to us on the cross Calvary so It's just a difference between the eternal and the temporal.
Okay, that clears it up, and I certainly appreciate it. Thank you Jeremy. The debate all right. God bless.
Let's real quickly run to Jim in New Jersey. See if we can sneak him in the next about two or three minutes.
Yeah, how are you sir? I'm doing good. I have a quick comment on your debates for Jerry Matta. Tick. Yes. Um I've listened. I think almost all of them. I'm sorry a couple times. I'm very sorry. And I he seems to always run off on a lot of different tangible.
Yeah, and you always have to corral him back in and you can't always do it if you don't have the last word correct. And. One tangent I noticed with the Mary stuff is he'll want to go talk about the reformers theology of Mary.
Uh-huh. And you corralled him back into talking about what scriptures say. And. A similar thing happened when you debated him on justification. He brought up a book that I actually went and got just right see what he was talking about which was Alistair McGrath.
Yeah, and I read those quotes about the theological novum. Mm-hmm. I haven't picked up your book on justification. Did you ever tackle what McGrath said in there, or is there some I read through it? Still I don't even think I understand what McGrath is saying.
Well what McGrath was referring to a specific? form of of the concept and when you listen to everything he said When you listen to what he's actually talking about he talks about how Augustine misunderstood the the the Latin verb justificare and That he made a mistake and that he then becomes the the paradigm for the rest of the medieval period and their understanding of what? Justification means and and all the rest that stuff.
It's a misuse of McGrath at that point to try to say well He's saying that no one had ever believed this before he's not saying that's not the biblical doctrine in any way shape or form. He's just simply saying that the the medieval period following after Augustine and his misunderstanding of justificare Had a completely different understanding of what the term meant and there's no question that the Reformation in many ways was a was a Rediscovery of truths that had been Encrusted by tradition for quite some period of time.
But I did address at least the issue There's a there's a short section on history, but I really strongly attempted to avoid Getting off track. I mean the book is was much longer than a lot of people can handle these days anyways.
And I wanted to really remain biblical. So there are some references to it and some footnotes that I dealt with the issue of history Just very very briefly again reasserting the supremacy of Scripture and the necessity of focusing upon that.
But there's not like a chapter Interaction with Alistair McGrath on his historical view of justification or something like that. But I think there is at least enough discussion to give you some foundation for Considering the historical issues over against the biblical teaching.
Okay. Thank you. All righty. Thank you very much Jim. All right. God bless. Well another another Exciting program here at the Radio Ranch. No, it was it's always good to have the callers who are able to Bring up all sorts of interesting issues and and hopefully their their questions Parallel and reflect of the questions that other people have as well.
It is to me. It's very encouraging to hear What the Lord is doing in New Jersey and Atlanta and Iowa To know that there are our brothers and sisters in the Lord all across our nation the world in fact for that matter.
Of course as we know that have similar interests and still have a real concern for the truth of God. Hopefully that little foray into analysis of argumentation from debates was useful to you two weeks from today Eric's fence will be joining us.
We're gonna do a whole lot more of that. Hope you'll be listening on that the 19th of August will be the date on that and we'll be back Thursday evening here on the dividing line. God bless. See you then.
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