I've read an
unfortunate email correspondence carried on among several prominent Christian pastors and apologists—Dr. James White, Dr. Tom Ascol, and Drs. Emir and Ergun Caner—concerning "the debate that almost was."
As I understand it, Dr. White initiated contact with the Caners desiring a structured, moderated debate between 2.5 and 4 hours long with a clear thesis and cross-examination, all of which is typical for Dr. White's formal debates. The topic? God's presumed "omnibenevolence" towards all of mankind in matters of salvation—yep, it's Calvinism vs. Arminianism once more.
Some who have read the correspondence believe that Dr. White was overly "caustic" and that the exchanges were "unproductive" (see the comment on
this post at 18:17). However, I think they were
definitely productive in that 1) they demonstrated what Christian charity and truthfulness looks like in the face of obnoxious goading and 2) it clearly demonstrates why the Caner debate never came to pass: because the Caners and their appointed moderator, Dr. O'Donnell, refused to sharply focus the subject of the debate, also changing the parameters for the debate so quickly, it's a wonder that Dr. White didn't suffer from whiplash.
I've not read any of the Caners' respective blog posts, articles, or publications, but judging by their contributions to the exchange, I'm not missing too much. As a Calvinist myself, I think that the way they treated Dr. White was shameful, zinging insults at him while refusing to listen to opposing points of view. Dr. White posted the correspondence, asking the readers to
judge for themselves. I have done so, and I believe that Dr. White was firm and uncompromising, while also being charitable towards the Caners. It's a shame that the Caners refused to abide by Dr. White's reasonable requests; it would have been an interesting debate.
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