By Peter Jones
How do we debate with intellectual honesty as Christians? Christians should be passionate about the truth. But often this passion can lead us to debate in ways that are intellectually unfaithful. We retreat into our monastery and declare that we are right and everyone else is wrong. We refuse to deal with the arguments of our opponents. This retreat mentality does not come from intellectual rigor and discipline, but from laziness and weakness. A true scholar is not afraid of getting in the ring. But many Christians have not been taught how to think. Their minds are flabby and they get tired easy. So instead of getting in the ring and actually fighting they yell at their opponents at the weigh in, but refuse to show up for the match. The reason for this is fear. We are afraid of losing. We afraid of getting knocked out. So we don’t engage. Over the years, I have learned by experience and from other men how to try to engage in real, honest debate. Here are some of the ways I have learned to be faithful in theses debates.
First, I must have a biblical hierarchy of sin and this hierarchy should include both practices and beliefs. I must know what is the importance of the point under debate. This will determine how I approach the debate. For example, good Christians disagree about the mode of baptism. That debate can be carried on with rigor, but understanding that souls are not at stake. But good Christians do not disagree about Modalism. If you believe in Modalism you are not a Christian. Sometimes this can be hard. For example, baptism is not normally an issue of heresy, but if someone believes baptism automatically saves you or that all baptisms not done in their denomination are invalid there are serious problems. It may not be heresy, but it is starting to stink. Many of the most grievous errors in debate come from making major sins, minor or minor sins, major.
Second, I read the best proponents of the opposing viewpoint. A paedo-baptist who is studying the credo-baptist position should not go find the worst Anabaptist in history and read him. That is intellectually lazy and dishonest. Who are the leading Christian thinkers who disagree with you? Read them.
Third, I try to take on my opponents strongest arguments, not their weakest. (I think I learned this from Vern Poythress.) For example, it is lame for someone arguing against Dispensationalism to ignore all the passages that seem to point to deep discontinuity between the Old and New Covenants like II Corinthians 3. What is your opponent’s most convincing argument? That is where you want to begin the debate.
Fourth, we must not demonize those who disagree with us. It is easy to treat everyone who disagrees with us like a wicked, evil heretic. And of course, they might be. But slapping a label on someone before evaluating their arguments is lazy and is often a way of shutting off honest debate.. Faithfully look at their arguments and then slap a label on them that is honest with what they believe and that you can prove is true. Labeling them prior to debate, unless they themselves accept the label, is failing to get in the ring.
Fifth, I must not assume that just because someone is wrong in one area they are wrong in another. For example, someone may be wrong on women’s roles and right on paedo-baptism. A Pentecostal might be right about Genesis 1-3 and wrong about I Corinthians. We are lazy if we say, “They are wrong here so they must be wrong there.” There are connections between certain teachings. I am not arguing against connecting the dots. But we must not shut down our opponents on the point under debate because they are wrong on a separate issue.
Sixth, I have learned to not label someone unteachable just because they do not come to see things my way. This is the last refuge of the intellectually lazy. They won’t listen to me so they must have a heart of stone and a head to match. Someone is right and someone is wrong, but do not impugn your opponents motives just because they don’t change their mind.
The upshot of this is that true theological debate requires hard work and patience. It requires long hours of thinking and processing ideas. It requires being quick to hear and slow to speak. Our Lord requires faithfulness in all areas of life, including and maybe especially when we are debating others.
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