JESUS: an unvieling of GOD

As part of our new family devotionals, the minis have learned their first Koine phrase:

Egw emi.

“I AM HE.”

It is found in Luke 4, and is the first and most efficient time Jesus tells someone who He is.  His audience, a woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria, would have recognized the God language, the utter audacity, of this statement.  Particularly because she had just referenced the messiah’s impending coming.  She did, of course, believe this bold and clear statement; and subsequently became the first foreign evangelizer.   

At our house, we say it in hushed tones.  Unless, of course, you’re the eight-year-old boy; in that case you shout it so that everyone in the canyon can hear.  Jesus’ proclamation that He is the messiah; He is God.  So much beauty and eternity in four syllables.  Which is why I subjected the minis to memorizing it, so that they can have it etched on their hearts.  This simple and beautiful truth, that Jesus is the Christ, and He is God.    

               But what do we do with this God-language today? 

               What does it mean to us that Jesus says, “I AM?” 

As it has since that day at Jacob’s well, it means that Jesus is the revelation of God – His life on earth illustrates perfectly for us, so much as we can comprehend, who God is and what God is about.       

{read: Matthew 11:25-30}

In Matthew’s gospel, as Jesus is teaching in Galilee, he very clearly asserts that he is a special revelation of God by crediting the Father as the source of his miracles, power, and knowledge of the kingdom of heaven; and then telling his followers that no one can know God the Father without the Son revealing him to them (Matt. 11:27).  As with his declaration to the Samaritan woman, Christ’s statement is concise and effective.  Jesus Christ is the supreme and sufficient, specific revelation of God the Father to his people Israel, to the Gentiles, and to us these 2,000 years later. 

Bruce Demarest and Gordon Lewis make a strong case for Jesus Christ as the pinnacle special revelation of God in volume 1 of Integrated Theology.  Citing another segment of Matthew (16:17), they note that the verb Jesus uses to commend Peter’s confession of him as the Son of God is “apokalypto, which occurs twenty-six times in the New Testament, [and] signifies the removal of a covering and hence the disclosure of what was previously hidden or unknown.”[1]  Demarest and Lewis also note that in infancy narrative in Luke the noun form apokalypsis is used by Simeon when he is “filled with the Holy Spirit, cradl[ing] the infant Jesus in his arms and described him as ‘a light for revelation [apokalypsis] to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel’ (Luke 2:32).”[2]  For the eighteen times this noun appears in the New Testament, it consistently carries with it the connotation of a divine revelation. 

Ray Dunning agrees with Lewis and Demarest, in that the incarnation of Jesus is a revealing of God.  Dunning asserts that “If general revelation leads one only to knowledge of the law, then special revelation must carry us on to the gospel.”[3]  Dunning sees prevenient grace {grace that comes before, is expectant or anticipatory}  as the expression of general revelation; thus Jesus Christ is how God is known through special revelation.[4]  It is the incarnation and propitiation of Jesus for the sins of the world that most specifically reveal God to his creation.  For Dunning, God is best seen and most deeply known through the person and sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Where Theology Can Go Wrong     

Feminist scholars[5], such as Pamela Dickey Young and Radford Ruether, agree with Dunning that the incarnation of Jesus is a unique event in the special revelation of God, for “in Jesus [Christians] see God’s presence, God’s love and care exemplified.”[6]  However, they do not consider Jesus to be the final or ultimate revelation of God.  In fact, some such as Ruether attribute to the person of Jesus a “’messianic humanity’ who is disclosed…in many times and places.”[7]  For Ruether, saying that only Jesus embodies the “timeless revelation” of the Christ closes the revelation of this messianic humanity, which she believes is “continue[ing] to be disclosed to [the Church] in our sisters and brothers.”[8]  If the revelation of the messianic humanity were closed, the only way to apprehend the truths revealed therein would be through the apostolic teachings, which feminist theologians feel “leaves no more room for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, no room for [the Church] to hear God speaking to us in the present.”[9]  Therefore, feminist theologians like Ruether acknowledge the special revelation of God through the incarnation of Jesus Christ; however, they do not hold that it was a specific, one-time revelation that was separate from the revelation of God through his Holy Spirit, and is closed to further revelation.

The danger in this theory is that it while the Holy Spirit does inspire men and women, and believers after Christ’s heavenly ascension have heard from God, neither of these examples equate to the eternity-altering reality of the Divinity Incarnate in Jesus Christ.  No other event in human history can so singularly and efficiently illume who God is and what He is like.  Even inspired by the Holy Spirit, we are gazing through a mirror darkly, unable to adjust our finite human eyes to the glory of Almighty God.  Thus, just like Christ’s simplistic declaration to a Samaritan woman, His incarnation boldly proclaims who God is and how He interacts with His creation; and He does so in a concrete way that finite human being can understand.  Secondly, holding to the doctrine of open messianic revelation, the position suggested by the feminist theologians, allows for subsequent messiahs to reveal more about God.  This is dangerously similar to the claims made by Islam and Mormonism.  It directly undermines the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ, which is outlined in the opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  Christ is all.  And that is enough.   

Summary
Instead, we must forward a gospel-driven doctrine of special revelation in the person of Jesus.  As Dunning suggests, this means that God’s grace was eternally present and available to creation, but finds its specific culmination in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, once and for all who so choose to follow him.  Thus, only Jesus reveals more about who God is and how He relates to human beings and all of His creation than any other event in human history.      

Want to know where we've been in this series?  Click the links below for more. 

Why Theology? | How do we do this? | What are attributes? | What's Omnipresence? | What's Transcendence? | What's Revelation? | Is Scripture Inerrant?

 

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[1] Demarest, Bruce and Gordon Lewis.  Integrated Theology: Knowing the Ultimate Reality of the Living God. vols 1 & 2.  Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1987.  Volume 1, page 105.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Dunning, H. Ray.  Grace, Faith, and Holiness: A Wesleyan Systematic Theology.  Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1988. Page 171.

[4] Ibid., 162

[5] Again, though I am a Christian Feminist, I do not identify with the branch of Theology currently labeled “feminist theology.”  A Christian Feminist is defined as a Christ-follower who seeks gender equality afforded through the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as it was part of the pre-curse, original creation, and is opposed to vaulting one sex over another.  See Christians for Biblical Equality for further definitions and the scriptural basis for this view.     

[6] Young, Pamela Dickey. Feminist Theology/Christian Theology: In Search of Method. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990. Page 99.

[7] Ibid., page 38

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

Here's the Thing:

The Voices in My Head

Or, How Not to Ruin Your Holidays

                I had a house full of my beautiful family over the holiday.  My parents, my sister, for a brief evening my brother, and of course, my minis and the Officer all tucked nicely in the new mountain abode; plus the dogs: a 4-month-old Great Dane and a 5-year-old Yorkie were here to cavort with our 5-month-old Doberman.  It should be said that we are a raucous and space-filling crowd.  We are underfoot and piled atop one another.  We disagree more than we concede, we eat a great deal, and we love ferociously.  And thank God we have plans to return to one another in 3 short weeks.    

                Yet, as I sit by my fire, avoiding post-holiday cleaning necessitated by the requisite holiday decorating that the minis expect, I am closing out the season of thanks and rushing directly into the season of abject consumerism feeling a little empty. 

                Why? 

                To begin with, I have to admit that I have a bit of a Pinterest addiction.  And I spend entirely too much time on social media.  This is crucial because when I look at these sites, I am left feeling that my efforts are never enough.  Though I had pictured one and even planned it out, the nags in my head remind me that I didn’t have a perfectly set Thanksgiving table.  I spent so much time perusing cookbooks and grocery store aisles; yet, as my internal critics recall, my dishes were not foodie-worthy.  Besides, my Mom did a majority of the cooking, which my mental detractors are quick to point out was exactly what I didn’t want – I wanted to offer a holiday of respite.  Though because I have a very few recipes within my skill set, she had to spend her day prepping and overseeing, and basically, doing the meal.    One mustn’t forget [because my internal faultfinders won’t let me], that we never completed our thanks giving tree, nor did we  hike all the way down to the edge of the property, nor get Christmas up the day after Thanksgiving, nor fully score or finish the 2^nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Games. 

                So that when I listen to all the voices in my head, telling me (complete with Pinterest and Facebook evidence) how I failed Thanksgiving, I feel I am already beaten for Advent.

                Yet, as fun as Pinterest and Facebook can be, all that fluff and frill and striving isn’t really the point.  Instead, I need to silence denigrators in my head.  And I should be thankful that though we didn’t sit down to silver chargers and crystal goblets, we laughed so hard tears rolled down our cheeks.  The cooking wasn’t perfectly timed, nor did we have an exquisitely rendered playlist in the background; but again, we laughed so hard that we were doubled over in the kitchen.  The house wasn’t decorated with a rustic fall theme, but it was company clean when everyone got here.  Of course, we couldn’t keep it that way – we live in the mountains, there is always dirt or mud or snow being tracked in – but we sat by fires and talked about our histories and dreams and again, we laughed.  When I consider what these holiday gatherings are made of, in the years to come, that is what I will recall: the laughter that fills each.  It’s what I pray my kids remember about their holidays; not that every moment was perfectly choreographed, or sound-tracked, or thematically decorated, but that we played games, cuddled around movies, snuggled and ate too many cookies, acted like silly tourists.  And that we laughed.  So much. 

                Because that’s who I am.  I’m not a decorator.  Nor am I an epicurean or event planner.  I am a be-er, a moment-er.  And that’s what I want my holidays to be about: shared moments and laughter.  Thus I will remind my mental critics.  I am not, nor will I ever be, the consummate hostess.  I am never perfectly quoiffed, my meals aren’t going to make Pinterest rounds, and my home’s interior will never grace a magazine.  And that’s more than okay.  Because I pick laughter and family over those any day.           

                Thus I have been researching ways to bring wonder and joy and meaning to my spirit.  I have found ideas for returning Christmas to its both humble and glorious beginnings; ways to make this a season of worship, and service, and upside-down kingdom, and love, and peace, and most importantly:

Immanuel: God with us.

And I will share the ones that I have found below.  Others I will share as I include them in our holiday-ing.  But what you won’t find, because I am purposing not to worry about, is: when I get the tree up | what it looks like when I do | how beautifully each package under it is wrapped | if I’m giving the right teacher/bus driver/mail carrier gifts | if my kids are getting the present this year | perfect in appearance holiday treats | so-healthy cave people would eat them holiday treats | homemade gifts that were developed by the legions under a certain decorating maven … and others I’m sure that will come to me later.

     For now, because I need to say it out loud, here’s how I’m taking back our advent this year:

1.        I am fasting Pinterest.  Somehow, my holidays got along just fine without it for years.  I bet I can do it again.

2.       I am fasting Facebook.  I am sorry in advance to relatives who may actually care about pictures of my kids’ holiday-ings; e-mail me & I’ll set up an e-mail blast if you’re really concerned about missing out.  But if I’m going to keep myself from coveting the boastful lives of others, then I should count myself out of the problem entirely.  By not boasting either.  The only exceptions to this will be: posting my articles so my faithful readers know they’re up & keeping up with a beautiful group of which I am proud to be a part, the Teal Toes.
 

     3.        I am participating in 4 online advent devotions listed below, for my heart is desperate to follow the star:

http://www.d365.org/followingthestar/  [this is a youth/young adult devotional, but it is accessible and time friendly]

http://just4kidsmagazine.com/advent1.html [this is for young children -- for the minis & me]

http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/215736/14 [this one's for me.  Lots of very smart and caring people writing about their Jesus -- so beautiful!]

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/advent-devotionals-week-01-hope/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HolyExperience+%28Holy+Experience%29 [Anne Voskamp -- if you don't know her, under what rock have you been hiding?]

4.       I am reviewing the Magnificat weekly, and praying it imprints itself on my heart.

Thank you, dear one, for being here to drown out the voices in my head.  I pray that yours are vanquished already, so that the only One you hear is the God who created you, body, mind, and soul. 

True or False? The Inerrancy of Scripture

I apologize for the tardiness of this post.  I had the great delight of hosting my father and brother unexpectedly in my home for two weeks, and spent time enjoying their company instead of posting.  I hope you will forgive my absence. 

The Inerrancy of Scripture

                Before we start, I need to clarify that this post is about the theology of scriptural inerrancy.  It is not an apologetic treatise on how we know scripture is inerrant.  I add this qualification because I have neither the space nor time to articulate the mountains of evidence that are required for such a premise.  But know that I have studied them, and will again in the future {if anyone has seen my copy of Christian Apologetics by Dr. D. Groothuis, I’d really appreciate it finding its way home…}; and that if you have any specific questions, I am more than happy to respond. 

                Now, what makes the study of scriptural inerrancy so challenging is that Scripture itself doesn’t lay out the doctrine of inerrancy for us.  Rather, just as authors in our day, “the biblical writers were far more concerned with the reality and demands of their encounter with God than with explaining in some theoretical way how it took place, much less with the defending the possibility of its occurrence.”[1]  However, even after making this statement, Ray Dunning asserts that there are philosophical means, using the clues found within the Scriptures, to affirm its inerrancy.  Dunning views Scripture as a special revelation of God, articulated through human means; he explains that    

special revelation involves two moments, the first occurs in the existential experience of the saving act of God,…the second movement involves the Spirit’s guidance in the process of inferring the theological and ethical implications of the saving event(s), and inscripturating these interpretation and inferences.[2]      

Thus, as the biblical authors experienced truths about God, they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these down.  Because the Holy Spirit is a member of the Triune God, He has the ontological attribute of absolute truth; therefore, anything inspired by the God of truth cannot be untrue.  Thus the Scriptures, as written by human beings inspired by the Holy Spirit, are the inerrant revelation of God to his people.  

                But what, exactly does “inerrant” mean?  Drs. Bruce Demarest and Gordon Lewis carefully define biblical inerrancy as: freedom from all falsehood, deception, or fraud. 

                Citing the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, produced by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy in 1978, Lewis and Demarest claim this is a possibility because the Scriptures “[utilize] the distinct personalities and literary styles of chosen” authors, while

the Spirit superintend[s] their writing such that the sum of what was written, to the very words used, constitute the authoritative Word of God.  Since God is the author of scripture, what is written is ‘inerrant’ (Art. XII).[3]

Demarest and Lewis are also cautious to note that this inerrancy applies to the “original autographs of the sixty-six canonical books [of] the Bible,” because it is the product of supernatural inspiration through the Holy Spirit.[4]  This very specific definition allows for textual variants in even the oldest manuscripts, throughout centuries of human existence.  The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy maintains that this attitude toward scriptural inerrancy is “sensitive to the cultural contexts in which the biblical documents were written;” so that  “‘although Scripture is nowhere culture-bound in the sense that its teaching lacks universal validity, it is sometimes culturally conditioned by the customs and conventions of a particular period.’”[5]  The conditions mentioned do not affect the inerrancy of the scriptures, rather the practical application of its principles in contemporary times.  Demarest and Lewis find that any difficulties that arise concerning biblical inerrancy have roots in the interpretation of scripture, instead of in scripture itself.  Nevertheless, Demarest and Lewis assert that “No amount of interpretive abuse can change the nature of the biblical message as it was originally given.  But ‘ignorant and unstable people’ may distort it ‘to their own destruction’ (2 Peter 3:16).”[6]

Where Theology Can Go Wrong

                One opposing view of inerrancy is forwarded by those who adhere to what is known as Feminist Theology.  And though I consider myself a Christian Feminist[7], I draw a distinction between my position and that of Feminist theologians.  These theologians primarily view the scriptures as historical documents produced by ancient, patriarchal societies who purposefully omitted stories about women, thereby excluding women from the “processes by which cultures find meaning, interpret and explain their past and present, and orientate themselves to the future.”[8]  To address what Gerda Lerner refers to as the “androcentric fallacy,” some extreme feminist theologians require more than gender-inclusive readings of neutral and plural nouns within the texts; instead, they desire a “radical restructuring of thought and analysis which comes to terms with the reality that humanity consists of women and men.”[9]  Thus, as the feminist theologians approach the study of scripture, the underlying attitude is that it is a human created collection of historical texts, which include only a limited sample of the population, and are therefore not fully trustworthy. 

These unarticulated attitudes of feminist theologians do not overtly suggest it, but subtly posit that the Holy Scriptures are not inerrant.  The subtext of their discussions of the historical and cultural androcentricity of scripture, while an attempt to include the voices of women in the body of Christ, ironically ignores the cultural and historical context from which these texts originated.  This subtext is also that the Holy Spirit somehow omitted half of the imago dei when inspiring God’s Word.  Whether this omission is purposeful or inadvertent, if it has the Holy Spirit as its source, the logical conclusion must be that either the Holy Spirit is fallible, or that Scripture is fallible in the same way other ancient documents are.  If the Holy Spirit or the Scriptures are fallible, then God is not who he says he is.  Thus the position of Feminist theologians cannot be supported.  The inerrancy of scripture is of paramount importance when engaging in apologetics, evangelism, or the proclamation of the gospel.

 

Summary

           The inerrancy of Scripture is a key theology in believing God is who He says He is.  But, it does not mean that the 2011 NIV sitting next to my keyboard is completely devoid of textual variants ("typos" in the modern vernacular).  Inerrancy means that what the Holy Spirit inspired the original authors to write, even to the words they used, is the absolute truth about God.  Not the total truth about God, for we cannot comprehend nor communicate the total truth of God in our finite state.  Rather, what the Holy Spirit inspired the biblical authors, in their respective historical and cultural contexts, to write (in the original autographs), is true and without falsehood, deception, or fraud. 

 

For further investigation on the topic of inerrancy, I offer the following link for podcasts of Dr. Wayne Grudem’s lectures on the inerrancy of scripture for Scottsdale Bible Church’s Christian Essentials class.  He covered this topic on October 9^th, 16^th, and November 6^th and you will need to download or listen to each lesson individually.  

 

Want to know where we've been in this series?  Click the links below for more. 
Why Theology? | How do we do this? | What are attributes? | What's Omnipresence? | What's Transcendence? | What's Revelation?

 

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[1] Dunning, H. Ray.  Grace, Faith, and Holiness: A Wesleyan Systematic Theology.  Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1988.  Page 99.

[2] Ibid., page 175.

[3]Demarest, Bruce and Gordon Lewis.  Integrated Theology: Knowing the Ultimate Reality of the Living God. vols 1 & 2.  Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1987.  Volume 1, page 137.

[4] Ibid., page 160.

[5] Ibid., page 137.

[6] Ibid., page 160.

[7] A Christian Feminist is defined as a Christ-follower who seeks gender equality afforded through the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as it was part of the pre-curse, original creation, and is opposed to vaulting one sex over another.  See Christians for Biblical Equality for further definitions and the scriptural basis for this view.      

[8] Loades, Ann, ed.   Feminist Theology: A Reader.  London: SPCK, 1990. Page 2. 

[9] Ibid.

Revelation: a few words.

                In my late teens, I spent a summer as a New Student Orientation Leader for the University of New Mexico.  My favorite part of this job was giving the campus tour.  I loved taking my groups of intended-freshmen through the tree-dappled campus to point out the buildings, comment on their architecture, and relate the stories behind each.  My students, however, were always the last to return from this exercise; most of my co-leaders seizing this opportunity to rest on the grassy knolls by the duck pond or tuck away into the stone benches by the library fountain, having finished their tours with great efficiency.  There was no way, regardless of the tour method employed, to convey all the pertinent information in one swoop around campus.  Whether I lingered over the story of the Totem Pole by the Chapel, or while walking ceaselessly backwards, raced past each building, naming each, but knowing that my students would be hard pressed to locate Mitchell Hall in the fall, I could not convey all there was to know about this institution. 

                It is infinitely more so with the attributes of God.  We touched lightly, exceedingly briefly, on only two.  We could devote a lifetime to just these, some have; however, because this series was only meant to whet your palate for theology, we’re going to have to press headlong into revelation for these next two weeks.  And though I’d like very much to linger, to flesh out more of what even these two attributes mean to a believer, I am left feeling like that orientation leader giving a tour of a large campus, pointing out buildings as we fly past them, noting their import, and admonishing everyone in the group to keep up. 

                So following me friends, because, “we’re walking.  And we’re walking,” into the realm of:

How we know what we know about God

                There are two categories to which theologians refer when discussing how God reveals Himself to humanity.  They are called General (or Universal) Revelation and Special (or Specific) Revelation.

                God is infinite.  We know this because He existed before time, before matter, before space.  Humans, however, are finite.  Though we are designed to be eternal beings, we each have a beginning.  Thus, as we do not exist in eternity past, we are finite.  So if we are to know an infinite God, our knowledge about Him must come from Him.  He is the only being who is able to reveal anything about Him; for everything that exists came after, and therefore nothing exists that can teach us about who He is, as an infinitely on-going state of existence, except God Himself.

                Thus God has chosen to reveal Himself through creation, through His Spirit, through His word, and through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

 

                General revelation is defined as God’s revelation of Himself through creation.  It is how peoples without exposure to other means know that there is a power greater than themselves at work in the universe.  It is how God draws people to Himself: through the beauty of His handiwork, the intricacy of His design, the unfathomable discoveries that are as grand as the birthing places of stars and as minute as the molecular mechanics holding the entire universe together.  Even science here bends a knee, for we cannot keep pace with the unveiling of the glories of God’s hands.  It is the invading peace filling a soul that stands atop a mountain, gazing out over indescribable riot of color alive in the autumn woods.  It is the stilling quiet that bundles up a heart setting in sand heeding to the ancient rhythm of the waves approaching the shore.  It is rock and tree and flower and mountain and creature and stars all crying out, “He is God.  He is beautiful.”   It is what stirs up our spirits to look deeper for meaning in this life, to search after something grander than ourselves, to investigate why?   It is way of calling out, of saying “I AM,” even if we are choosing not to listen. 

                And though beautiful, it is not enough.  General revelation can take us only so far.  It may provide us with the basis for our questions, and even hint at the answers, but it does not tell us enough about who God is.  For a god who only reveals himself through creation, is distant.  This god does not interact with humanity; he is non-relational.  This god is more voyeur than father – only watching from a distance as humanity delights in and discovers through creation.  Thus, God, our Heavenly Father, must also reveal Himself with specificity through explicit means. 

                Thus, we have Special Revelation: God revealing specific things about who He is, how He acts, and what His character is.  To accomplish this, He utilizes the Holy Spirit, the Holy Scriptures, and His Son, Jesus Christ.  The Spirit teaches our hearts and minds and spirits [so long as we allow Him] about God.  This can be accomplished through the historic inspiration of scripture, an answer to prayer, or giving of wisdom through the studies of scripture.  God inspired humans to write His story of how He interacts with us throughout our history, and even gives us a glimpse of what the future will be like, in the Holy Scriptures.  Finally, and most important of all, God revealed His divine nature, love, and grace through the incarnation of Jesus Christ.  So that we might know Him now, and in the age to come. 

               As I have repeatedly mentioned, we cannot do justice to any of these topics, and due to the brevity I have imposed upon this series, we will only address two aspects of special revelation: the Inerrancy of Scripture, and Jesus Christ as Divine Revelation.  If you would like to know more about general revelation, I commend Louie Gigilo’s Indescribable.  Or for a more academic treatment of this subject, I highly recommend  any of these debates between noted atheists Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins,  and the thrice doctorate John Lennox (mathematician, philosophy of science, and bioethics) and twice doctorate William Craig Lane (theologian and philosopher):  Dawkins vs. Lennox*, Hitchens vs. Lennox, Craig Lane’s response to Dawkins’ The God Delusion.  Though these debates are not specifically on the topic of general revelation, each apologist using God's reveal of Himself through creation to prove his point.  And, yes, it's nice to see how the intellectual questions of the validity of Christianity be answered with articulate intellect, reason, and even [gasp] science.   

                General revelation can be summed up in Psalm 19:1-6, with verses 7-14 articulating special revelation.  Take some time to read this Psalm today, meditating on it to prepare for our discussion on special revelation tomorrow.**

 * Sadly, the entire debate was taken down by it's owner, Fixed Pointed Foundation.  The only online resource for this debate is the video preview linked above, the notes found here, and the opportunity to order the audio here or the DVD here.  I apologize for this unanticipated change.  Believe me when I say, I am disappointed that this material is not made widely available for unencumbered, public consumption.   

**Special Note: I'm more than a few days late with the post on the Inerrancy of Scripture, as I'm sure you've noticed, dear reader.  With my 14th wedding anniversary and sending my eldest off to wilderness camp, I hope you'll forgive this lapse, dear one.  As the Officer and I are concurrently working on two more ministry projects together, I will have to adjust the first schedule accordingly.  Thanks for sticking with me.  ~ Jen     

Want to know where we've been in this series?  Click the links below for more. 
Why Theology?
How do we do this?
What are attributes?
What's Omnipresence?
What's Transcendence?