Two items about Dr. Sippo’s debate challenge: 1) I do not believe he will allow for meaningful cross-examination, which has worked so well with the likes of Mitch Pacwa and Patrick Madrid and Gary Michuta and…well, you get the idea. I believe he knows he could not survive in such a context and hence will bluster about having only a couple of questions with long periods to respond, etc. 2) Why can’t Sippo debate on anything other than one topic? I’ve only done one debate on purgatory, and it went very well. If Sippo is right on justification, then purgatory should follow easily, as should indulgences. I personally think the issue of Sippo’s grandiose claims and constant deprecation of “prots” (myself at the head of his list) would best be determined by a closely moderated debate that would include trial-like cross-examination of Rome’s infallible teaching on the existence and necessity of purgatory, with emphasis upon the close examination of such passages as 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. We’ve already debated justification—he’s already declined a challenge to debate one of the Marian dogmas. I have almost half a dozen sola scriptura debates on my resume, multiple justification debates, numerous Papacy/Papal Infallibility debates, but only one full length purgatory debate (and one mini-version from long ago in Austin, Texas). So if I am going to invest the time and effort to arrange this so as to provide something useful to a wider audience, let’s make it worthwhile. So, closely moderated formal debate with intensive cross-ex on purgatory. How about it, Dr. Sippo? I know some churches in the midwest who would be willing to host such a debate.
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.
