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Brown - Callam DebateDuring the week of July 17, 2000, David Brown, director of the Spring Bible Institute and preacher for the church of Christ, met Dr. Daniel Callam, Roman Catholic Priest, in debate in Klein, Texas on the subject of the authority of Bible versus the authority of church tradition. It was my privilege to attend all four nights of the debate in order to record the debate for OABS. Links to each speech of the debate can be found below. (Or click here.) We commend both men for the manner in which they conducted themselves in discussion of this vital topic. Both Dr. Daniel Callam and David Brown addressed the issues without resorting to petty ad hominem attacks, and presented their sides of the debate ably. Though we stand in agreement with the views defended by Mr. Brown, Dr. Callam presented several interesting arguments for our side to consider. In our view Callam's arguments have their answer, but those who defend the all-sufficiency of God's Word in matters of morality and religion should give those arguments due consideration. We were saddened to see the personal judgments some of the Catholic viewers expressed for Mr. Brown in our Guest Book, but we can understand why they felt the need to voice those criticisms. David presented many points about Roman Catholicism that Dr. Callam could not easily answer, and some which were embarrassing to defend, such as the requirement for bishops to be the husbands of one wife, and the Catholic tradition in which the scriptures were withheld from the people. Dr. Callam responded to these points as well as could be expected, but left something to be desired in his answers. The debate was not without it's exciting moments. In the last speech of the last night one listener became so angry with the truths presented by Mr. Brown, he began to stomp down the wooden bleachers of the gym. David noted what kindness the gentleman demonstrated, at which he turned to glare at David, and to proclaim, "You're damning the whole world to hell!" David handily dealt with the unscheduled debater, and went on to complete his final speech as if nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Below OABS presents each speech of the debate for your viewing at your request. To view the debate you will need to download and install Windows Media Player available free from Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia. The speeches are grouped together according to the night they were recorded. To download WMA audio files: Right Click "Audio" then Click "Save Target As" In the first set of speeches, Monday and Tuesday nights, the following proposition was discussed: "The New Testament is the exclusive authority in the Christian religion." David Brown affirmed this proposition; Dr, Daniel Callam denied. On Thursday and Friday evenings the proposition changed to this: "The Bible and tradition, as defined by the Roman Catholic Church, constitute the authority of the Christian religion." Dr. Daniel Callam affirmed this proposition, and David Brown was in the negative. Information about the publication of the debate in book, audio, and video formats is available by calling the Spring Bible Institute office at (281) 353-2707 or by e-mail at springbibleinstitute@swbell.net. |
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Guest Book
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