Yeah, I’m the world traveler alright. Most everyone is off the ship right now doing…what you do at places like this. I have a load of laundry going, Beethoven playing on my iPod, and I’m playing chess against…my computer. Yeah, I am truly the party animal!
Now, for those of you who wondered if I would indeed do what I promised to do, and in fact, had been looking forward to do, well, here is photographic proof. Since everyone in my group was grabbing cameras last night and saying they were going to post the pics on line, I figure I might as well beat them all to the punch, since I happen to be proud of my Scottish heritage. Here is my lovely wife and I after the formal dinner on board last night. My thanks to Pastor Brazier and Mrs. Handyside! Look out, Jim! The pictures are being taken! (A little inside stuff there).
So far I have spoken on the “Clobber Passages” (as soon as we got on ship), I did a theology talk wherein I basically went back over the Spong debate but also discussed parallels to my previous debates on other subjects, and then yesterday afternoon spoke on “What is at Stake,” taken mainly from the chapter of the same name in Pulpit Crimes. This morning I had the pleasure of listening to one of our group witnessing to an elderly Roman Catholic man in the Lido restaurant. It was a real blessing to get to hear someone else bearing witness!
I was truly struck by something else that took place during the debate Friday night. During the audience questions Spong kept responding to my statement by saying, “I keep hearing guilt and judgment in what Dr. White is saying.” To which I replied, “Yes, Bishop Spong does hear guilt and judgment, because without judgment of sin there is no need for a Savior! As a guilty sinner, I need a perfect Savior!” The contrast could not have been any stronger.
Also, I wanted to once again thank all of those who worked so diligently at the conference for all their hard work, and especially wish to thank Rich Pierce for making it all possible. Here is a shot of our book table the night of the debate. I think I saw some of Bishop Spong's supporters picking up my book on homosexuality (oh that he had bothered to read it himself before the debate!), so pray that the materials distributed will be of assistance to those who obtained them.
Alpha and Omega Ministries is a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. James White, director, is a professor, having taught Greek, Systematic Theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics for numerous schools.