Pros Apologian

The Dividing Line 5-14-13

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:45:43 -0700

James Swan

Dr. White discussed the recent release by Catholic Answers of his 2010 purgatory debate with Tim Staples, then discussed a Muslim video which explains "why Protestants are Returning to the Catholic Church," and then took calls.

Here's the program.

What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur'an, by James White - a Review by TurretinFan

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:20:21 -0700

Tur8infan

With great pleasure, I recently read my friend James White's book, "What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur'an," published by Bethany House Publishers. It may be helpful to begin by clarifying what the book is not, then identifying what I liked about the book.The book is not "what every Christian needs to know about Islam." While understanding the Qur'an is probably the central part of understanding Islam, this book is narrowly focused on the Qur'an. You won't find extensive discussion of all the different schools of Islamic thought, all the different sects and sub-sects of Islam, or discussion of the behavior of Muslims in various countries, except to the extent it is relevant to the topic at hand.

The book is not "what every Muslim needs to know about the Qur'an." While there are some sections that will be particularly helpful for a Muslim seeker who is trying to understand why he should be Jesus' disciple, rather than Mohammad's, this book is not written primarily to Muslims but to Christians.

The book is not "everything there is to know about the Qur'an." While there is in-depth analysis of a number of passages of the Qur'an, and there is a variety of overview material, much of the Qur'an is not discussed in detail.

The book is not "what every Christian needs to know about the Hadith/Sunnah." While a number of important ahadith are discussed in the book, the various collections of hadith cover numerous topics besides the Qur'an and are the basis for the Sunnah, which includes plenty of things that are extra-quarranic.

The book is not "what every Christian needs to know about Arabic." While a number of Arabic words are used, with the exception of one illustration, I believe they are all given in a Romanized form. Moreover, the number of Arabic words is really dictated by the fact that the words tend to have a technical meaning in connection with Islam, and are not necessarily considered translatable by Muslims. There is a helpful glossary at the back of the book for some important terms and phrases, and other terms and phrases are explained in the text itself.

The book is not "the Qur'an for dummies," "Qur'an 101," "what most people already know about the Qur'an" or the like. While there is some overview material, the book aims to educate Christians and elevate their knowledge of the subject.

The book is not "The most sensational and shocking aspects of Islam or the life of Mohammad." While such books may have their place, this book is not in that category. If there are materials that will shock or offend Muslims in this book, they are not being presented simply for that shock value.

From my standpoint, the high point of the book was chapter 4, which deals with the Qur'an and the Trinity. In my view, the Qur'an's treatment of the Trinity is one of the fatal flaws of Islam. Dr. White does a masterful job of proving from the Qur'an and other early Islamic sources that the author of the Qur'an did not correctly understand the Trinity, which demonstrates that the purported authorship of the Qur'an cannot be the true authorship.

Two other chapters I expect Christians will find useful are chapter 10, which deals with the sources and parallel passages in the Qur'an and chapter 11, which deals with the textual transmission of the Qur'an. Chapter 10 could have been two chapters - one on the sources that the Qur'an draws on, and one on the parallel passages in the Qur'an. The section on the sources illuminates the fact that Qur'an draws on a variety of pre-Islamic sources that are unreliable Jewish or heretical legend.

The other section of chapter 10 deals with parallel passages in the Qur'an. This section is not just interesting from the standpoint of highlighting some of the inconsistencies in the Qur'an, but is also interesting from the standpoint of providing rebuttal material when dealing with Muslim criticisms of the Gospels. After all, while there may be differences between Matthew's account and Mark's account of a given event, the Qur'an (in a single work) has differing accounts of the same events.

Chapter 11 is similarly useful in terms of providing rebuttal material to the oft-repeated allegation that the Qur'an has been perfectly preserved. The chapter illustrates that such a claim is undermined by the historical evidence we have, much of it from an Islamic perspective, but also from the earliest major Christian interactions with Islam.

I did scour the book to see if there were things in it with which I would disagree. The few things with which I would disagree are basically trivial points, which are not worth mentioning. I would, however, hope that if any Muslim readers spot errors in the book they will bring them to my attention.

In conclusion, the book is a resource that I would recommend to anyone who plans to discuss things theological with their Muslim friends, relatives, or neighbors. The book is not "what every Muslim knows about the Qur'an," and I think it is likely that your Muslim friends, relatives, or neighbors are unlikely to know all the material that is in this book. The book responds to a number of widely-held myths about or based on the Qur'an, and it is likely that Muslims you meet will have heard those misconceptions. Being prepared to talk with them may help you open the door to discussion of why they ought to be Jesus' disciples, rather than (not "in addition to") being the followers of Mohammad. This book is a valuable asset for such preparation.

-TurretinFan

How to Study for a Debate on Homosexuality---My Way!

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:28:16 -0700

James White

1) Load your iPod with the third time you've listened to your opponent's book...all the way through the endnotes and publisher's materials---and third time you've listened to two of his public presentations.
2) Load a bunch of Rob Gagnon lectures, which you listened to a few years ago, but need to refresh.
3) Load the Indiana University lecture Doug Wilson gave and prepare to scream alone in your car at the lunacy of university students.
4) Drive down to Tucson---twice in two days, and get turned back halfway through your first attempt on Friday by a nice big thunderstorm. Go home, repeat on Saturday.
5) Do your first solo (unsupported) climb to the very, very top of Lemmon---that is, up to UofA's Sky Center, a mere 9,052 ft. above sea level. Touch the gate. It's official. Pass a guy right at the top who is young enough to be your son. Feel good about that. (Total ride: 56.83 miles, 7,779 ft. of ascent. Here's the Garmin Connect readout).
6) Stop and smell the roses...or, in this case, take some really cool pictures of the incredible scenery you get to see from the vistas on the climb up Mt. Lemmon, such as this one right at 9,000 ft. above sea level, looking out over the Tucson valley.
7) Get stuck in a HUGE freeway closure on the way home (fatal roll-over accident 8 miles up the road); discover you have MORE Rob Gagnon lectures hidden in your podcast section on your iPod, listen.
8) Given you've burned a minimum of 4,000 calories on the ride, enjoy some yummy Nutella when you get home.
9) Thank God for the health to be able to enjoy His creation in this way at 50 years of age, always recognizing---every ride could be my last, and someday, I will get off the bike for the last time.
10) Sleep very, very well.

The Dividing Line 5-9-13

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:29:53 -0700

James Swan

Dr. White discussed Islam and took calls.

Here's the program.

James White vs. Tim Staples on BAM, 1996 (Update)

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:55:57 -0700

James Swan

I recently re-listened to the first White / Staples debate on Sola Scriptura: Is The Bible the Only Infallible Rule of Faith? This debate is from 1996. If you listen to this debate, you'll hear references to an earlier discussion between Dr. White and Tim on the Bible Answer Man show. I had never heard this before, so I tracked it down: The Roman Catholicism Debate on BAM (White vs Staples - I). This is a lively discussion as well. It's an inexpensive downloadable mp3. Since it's an old recording, for best sound results, lower the bass frequencies and raise the highs. I mention this old discussion because it serves as a reminder that Dr. White was interacting with Roman apologists long before many of us even cared. His argumentation back in 1996 (probably a lot of it compiled without the Internet or "e books" or gizmos) was excellent, both in this discussion, and in his debate with Tim. In the BAM discussion, you'll hear a basic outline of the White vs. Staples Purgatory debate many years before the debate actually happened. This is the 2010 debate Catholic Answers has no interest making available.

As a preview, here's a short sample of the discussion. Hank asks if Dr. White and Tim Staples considers the other "lost." Here is the clip.

Update:
After a few years of wondering why Catholic Answers has not released the debate between Dr. White and Tim Staples on purgatory, they've finally decided to offer it in their store. It appears to be the result of my comment above, as the director of marketing for Catholic Answers sent an e-mail over. This is good news for the members of the Catholic Answers community. It will give their supporters an opportunity to hear a fair discussion on an important topic.

The Two Humanities in Romans 5, and Ergun Caner's Self-Proclaimed Innocence

Tue, 7 May 2013 19:41:16 -0700

James White
Today on a jumbo length Dividing Line I started off asking for your help to get me to London and South Africa in late September or early October. If you would like to help me get to London for a debate on Roman Catholicism, and then to South Africa for numerous opportunities of teaching, lecturing, but most importantly, to debate Yusuf Ismail, a well known Islamic apologist, click here.

Then I moved on to an explanation of Romans 5:12-19 in light of those who deny such doctrines as federal headship, original sin, etc. It is a challenging passage, and I hope the discussion is helpful for folks.

Finally, we spent the last fifty minutes of the program responding to Ergun Caner's proclamation of his complete innocence and how anyone who has concluded he has lied about his past (as the documentation thoroughly proves) is either a hyper-Calvinist (nothing like a new false definition of that phrase!) or a Muslim! Sorry for all your non-Reformed folks who were offended by Caner's long string of documented falsehoods---you are now a hyper Calvinist or a Muslim!

Here's the program.

"I categorically deny the charges & those who brought them" -- Ergun Caner

Mon, 6 May 2013 09:15:10 -0700

James White

His words, and actions, speak for themselves, in light of the overwhelming documentation. This is not mere self-deception. A wolf is amongst the sheep. Shepherds, where are you? "Discernment" ministries---where are you? Arlington Baptist College---where are you?

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@AC13thof12 agreed! Or they will falsely accuse others of doing so, pretending to be righteous but actually just be slanderers!

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 I would, if he, or his questions, mattered in any way whatsoever. They don't. Fair-minded? Ridiculous.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 ok. Ur proving my point. The only ppl who thought I was guilty are the hypers & their Muslim partners. The rest see was it was

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 and "blaspheme?" Some would say they're "without excuse" wouldn't they? Those who stood with me? They've known me 30yrs

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 one final before I'm done: Never defend against false accusations. Jesus never did. I won't either. Have a nice day.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 YEP. Once again u prove my point. Paul stood ag Governors. Those accusing me? Not Governors. Not even close. I pay no heed

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 // to that little cadre of ppl. They're neither colleagues, professors nor friends. Those that are found me innocent.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@Brutangel22 // The obsessed remain obsessed. I hope they find peace.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@kylelaporte @Brutangel22 // No need to prove anything. Certainly not u. Again, 3 schools looked at it all. Finding? Exonerated

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@kylelaporte @Brutangel22 //And I also have definitive video proving we didn't land on the Moon, & 9/11 was caused by aliens.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@kylelaporte @Brutangel22 // No, just a small band of cyber boys. And their 2nd & 3rd gen avatars. You know avatars aren't real, right?

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
@kylelaporte @Brutangel22 //And I will NOT repent for their false accusations, nor sins I did not commit. Ever.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
Well, this has been fun, but I must get home. In summation- I categorically deny the charges & those who brought them.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
I neither seek their counsel, nor advice. Their charges, much like their degrees, are fraudulent. That is why such heroes stand w/me.

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
Because they know me. My small band of attackers, know nothing abt me. The conferences/camps/churches at which I speak? They're my friends

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
And I shall keep doing exactly what I've been doing for decades. Humbled before God & unrepentant before the Calvin boys

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
And if you wish- keep on bring "Accusers of the Brethren." It's not company I'd wish to keep, according to Rev12:10

Ergun Mehmet Caner @erguncaner
To all my friends calling/txt etc: Same old fight w/same 20 hypers. I just got tired of them attacking others :)

For a good list of links and articles documenting the facts that Ergun Caner hopes you will ignore, click here.

Galatians Chapter One: Only One Gospel

Thu, 2 May 2013 07:18:12 -0700

James White
I spoke recently on the exclusive nature of the gospel while ministering at Central Baptist Church in Hawaii. Here is the video and audio as well.

The Dividing Line 4-30-2012

Wed, 1 May 2013 15:16:55 -0700

Micah Burke

James talks about his trip to Omaha and Tour de Apologia, Jason Collin's "coming out", a letter about homosexuality on a blog and even takes calls!

Here's the program!

James White on Issues Etc. 4/29/2013

Wed, 1 May 2013 12:28:53 -0700

Micah Burke
James was on Issues Etc. on 4/29 talking about the Qur�an and its teachings.Here's the program, or listen at Issues Etc. with Todd Wilken. Issues Etc. is a talk-radio program by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.