A Challenge to Farrell Till
Farrell Till jftill@midwest.net
Tue, 02 Feb 1999 16:29:33 -0800 (00918023373, 2.2.32.19990203002933.00d91c54@midwest.net)
At 07:01 PM 2/2/99 -0000, Matthew Bell wrote:
>>>Matthew Bell
>>>It is high time that I put my neck on the line for what I
>>>believe, i.e. Biblical Inerrancy, hence I am proposing to
>>>you (Farrell Till) that I will engage in written debate on
>>>any subject either:
>>>
>>>a) previously published in TSR and not responded to by
>>>an inerrantist.
>>>b) any other matter of alleged errancy you wish to discuss.
>
><snip for brevity>
>
>>Farrell Till
>> Sounds great. You have heard me say that I am working frantically this week
>> to finish the copy of the next issue of TSR, so it will be a week probably
>> before I will have time to begin.
>
>Matthew Bell
>No problems with the timeframe.
>
>>Farrell Till
>>Do you want me to suggest the subject? You said that "any"
>>would do. I propose that you affirm this. RESOLVED: Jesus
>>of Nazareth was born of a virgin, i.e., a woman who had never
>>had sexual intercourse with a male.
>
>Matthew Bell
>I said, '...any other matter of alleged errancy you wish to discuss.
TILL
Yes, you did, and the proposition that I proposed is another matter of
alleged errancy that I would like to discuss. Did you mean it when you said
"any other matter of alleged errancy" or has the backpedaling already begun?
BELL
> Perhaps you could clarify a few matters on your proposal:
>
>1. How it relates to Biblical Errancy?
TILL
The NT claims that Jesus was born of a virgin. If this claim is not true,
then the Bible is not inerrant. Let me know if you need further clarification.
BELL
>2. How one is supposed to affirm a miraculous happening without first
>ascertaining whether miracles are possible or not?
TILL
That's your problem. You are the one who said that you would debate "any other
matter of alleged errancy" that I "wish to discuss," and I wish to see you
give reasonable evidence that the NT's claim of a virgin birth is true.
Perhaps you can prove your position on this in the same way that you can
prove such claims as inerrancy in the original autographs or the existence
of demons or changing water that doesn't exist into blood.
BELL
>3. How one is supposed to affirm any event in the Bible without begging the
>question of the event to be affirmed?
>
TILL
Please don't bother me with your problems. You are the one who has proposed
a debate on any matter of "alleged errancy" that I wish to discuss, so you
will have to work your way around the problems.
BELL
>Apologies for the questions, but I have never engaged in a formal debate and
>want to make sure that I fully understand the conditions the debate is to be
>carried out before committing myself to it. Your patience would be appreciated
>in consideration of this.
>>
TILL
In a formal debate, the affirmant defends a precisely worded proposition,
and the negative attempts to refute it. Since you are claiming inerrancy
and the Bible claims that Jesus was born of a virgin, the proposition I have
proposed is legitimate. As for "conditions," I assume that you are
referring to rules and format. We can discuss those later.
>>Farrell Till
>>By the way, we are going to miss you on the list.
>
>Matthew Bell
>I am touched ;)
>
TILL
Where?
Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net