Any interest in joining online debating school?

[otseng]

We're going to start an online debating school for Christians. Anyone else interested in joining? If so, then I'll open it up beyond just Brother's Keeper members.

[puddleglum]

An online debating school might be a good thing but by itself improving debating skills will not be enough to persuade people of the truth of the Bible. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to bring a person to salvation, and being yielded to God so that the Spirit can work thru you is more important than being a good debater. Paul said, "My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 1 Cor. 2:4,5 ESV

[otseng]

An online debating school might be a good thing but by itself improving debating skills will not be enough to persuade people of the truth of the Bible.

I think one can logically argue for the truth of the Bible. If one is not persuaded by the arguments, that is another matter.

It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to bring a person to salvation

Of course. Debating will never bring a person to salvation. But, it can help clear the way.

It is clear that there is a mismatch between Christian debaters and non-Christian debaters on this forum. Though there are exceptions, as a whole, Christian debaters are inferior to the non-Christian debaters here. And this is simply my effort to try to help fix the situation.

[Goose]

It is clear that there is a mismatch between Christian debaters and non-Christian debaters on this forum.

If you are referring to the number of posts, I agree. If you are referring to the quality of arguments, I disagree. It's lacking on both sides.

Though there are exceptions, as a whole, Christian debaters are inferior to the non-Christian debaters here. And this is simply my effort to try to help fix the situation.

I understand the desire to improve the quality of Christian apologists/debaters. It's true that Christians aren't generally taught how to debate. Add to this the Church has failed to equip Christians with the intellectual tools needed to defend their faith in a post-modern society. So, I think it a worthy cause and I'd be interested in attending your school.

On a side note, I think we need to be careful about making these negative generalized statements about the Christians that take time away from their families, work, and other outreaches to debate on this forum. If we are not careful it won't be long before there are only a few elite Christian debaters left here on this forum (note: that I'm not placing myself in the category of elite). We'd probably accomplish more if we were to do more encouraging of one another privately (via PM) and demonstrate how to effectively debate (publicly).

So when do we begin?

[otseng]

Great. We can start brainstorming now about how to proceed.

First, we'll have the classes here in HHR. I was originally planning on offering it within Brothers Keeper, but since interest has been expressed here, I'll open it up to all Christians.

Here's my thoughts on the classes offered:

• Fundamentals class - Covers the rules, the guidelines, the attitudes, and the technicalities of using this forum
• Logic class - Basic logic and common fallacies
• Research class - How to research and gather evidence
• Strategies class - Tactics and strategies on how to effectively debate
• Civility class - How to be civil, especially when someone attacks you
• Analysis class - Analyzes techniques and methods used by other debaters

Each class will not last too long. They could be called sessions instead of classes. At the end of each class, a quiz will be given to see if you learned anything.

Any other ideas?

[Goose]

Great. We can start brainstorming now about how to proceed.

First, we'll have the classes here in HHR. I was originally planning on offering it within Brothers Keeper, but since interest has been expressed here, I'll open it up to all Christians.

Here's my thoughts on the classes offered:

• Fundamentals class - Covers the rules, the guidelines, the attitudes, and the technicalities of using this forum
• Logic class - Basic logic and common fallacies
• Research class - How to research and gather evidence
• Strategies class - Tactics and strategies on how to effectively debate
• Civility class - How to be civil, especially when someone attacks you
• Analysis class - Analyzes techniques and methods used by other debaters

Each class will not last too long. They could be called sessions instead of classes. At the end of each class, a quiz will be given to see if you learned anything.

Sounds good but I hate quizes. Will they be open book?

Any other ideas?

This may fall under logic class but something along the lines of how to construct a good argument based on evidence and spot a bogus one based on speculation and wishful thinking.

[otseng]

Sounds good but I hate quizes. Will they be open book?

Yep, but I doubt you'll even need to look.

This may fall under logic class but something along the lines of how to construct a good argument based on evidence and spot a bogus one based on speculation and wishful thinking.

Sounds good.

I've started the class: Online Debating School - Fundamentals Class