The Debates Begin

Before we really kick off these debates and people continue to e-mail me posts, suggestions, and offer themselves to partake in these debates I want to share a few things…

First, this was not my own idea and I am not the only one running these debates.  We have a new contributor here at SBC Voices and that is Dave Miller.  Dave, was the one who initially e-mailed me about doing this and we have been working together since and we will continue to do so.  

Here is why we have decided to do these debates: 

Baptist blogging is disdained by some because of the tone and tenor of the debate that often takes place.  We believe we can do better.  We believe that we can engage in quality, biblically-based discussions on difficult issues, express our disagreements clearly and still maintain a Christ-like spirit.  We present this debate series in hopes that it will help us discuss important issues in a productive manner. While we cannot promise civility from the commenters, the debaters will set an example of Christlike discussion or they will no longer be aloud to partake.  

Here are how the debates will work: 

In each of these debates, we will hear two sides of an argument clearly presented.  Each side will have a 1000-word essay in support of their position, then a response to the other side’s essay.  We hope that you will join us as we deal with issues like this in a reasoned, biblical, collegial and Christ-like manner.

Guidelines for the debates:

1)  Articles must be well-written 1000 word essays that defend a particular viewpoint.  The editors(Dave and Matt) will review all essays for quality. 

2)  It is expected that in a series like this, writers will argue viewpoints strongly.  The essence of this series is discussion of strong disagreements among Baptists.  

3)  However, arguments must be biblically-based and not personal in any way.  Unnecessary labeling and ad-hominem attacks will not be tolerated.

4)  While we will accept volunteers to write essays, they will be reviewed by the editors of this series and if they do not meet the criteria, will be returned for editing.  We will not publish essays which do not meet the standards we have established.

Let the Debating Begin…

Debates we already have lined up:

“Is Church Oversight Essential for Baptism?”

“Baptism: What’s Security Got To Do With It?”

“Multi-Site Churches: Are they the Best Option?”