Last year, Catholic Answers started offering a two debate set for purchase. In actuality, neither product was an actual debate. Rather, they were discussions on two different radio shows. The first was Tim Staples discussion with Steve Gregg. The second was a 13 year old radio discussion between Dr. White and James Akin on the Bible Answer Man show.
It’s been some time since Catholic Answers has agreed to an actual moderated debate with Dr. White. Last year Dr. White addressed why Catholic Answers would so readily make this old discussion with James Akin available, while steering clear of any actual new moderated debates with him. This led him to also critique a large portion of the old BAM discussion with James Akin. He did this over two months on eight different Dividing Line programs (8/2, 8/14, 8/16, 8/21, 8/23, 8/30, 9/11, 9/27). Sometimes he addressed it for ten minutes, other times an hour.
I went through the Dividing Line archives, and extracted all the material addressing the Akin BAM debate, compiling four MP3’s, together totalling around four hours.
Dr. White’s Review of the Akin BAM Debate (Part One)
Dr. White’s Review of the Akin BAM Debate (Part Two)
Dr. White’s Review of the Akin BAM Debate (Part Three)
Dr. White’s Review of the Akin BAM Debate (Part Four)
The content of these four MP3’s will be extremely helpful for those of you regularly engaging Catholic apologists or evangelizing Catholics. Dr. White spent a lot of time addressing authority issues, and this is really the heart of the matter. When Catholics make authority claims, it’s important to be aware of what they’re saying, and what they’re consciously not saying, or rather, avoiding. Also addressed are canon issues and justification.
That Catholic Answers continues to call this discussion a debate is humorous and hypocritical. The discussion ran 3 hours. During the second hour, James Akin was given much more time. During the entire broadcast, Dr. White wasn’t even given a chance to respond to many of the claims being put forth. It appears Catholic Answers would rather offer a product in which an opponent is not given a fair chance to respond, rather than actually engage in a new moderated debate. I can’t read the hearts of those in charge of Catholic Answers, but their tactics in providing “answers” via the materials they promote are highly questionable. Recall what Solomon stated long ago, “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight” (Proverbs 11:1).
By the way, if you’d like to hear Dr. White’s Bible Answer Man discussion with James Akin, here it is:
