Dan Chapa

Turretinfan and I recently debated if the bible teaches libertarian free will.  I hope that you find it useful. Here was the format we used: Jeff: Introduction Dan (Affirmative) 15 min open T-Fan (Negative) 3 min cross ex of Dan T-Fan 15 min open Dan 3 min cross ex of T-Fan Dan 7 min rebuttal T-Fan 7 min rebuttal Dan 15 min cross ex of T-Fan T-Fan 15 min cross ex of Dan T-Fan 5 min conclusion. Dan 5 min conclusion. Jeff: Wrap up Many thanks to Turretinfan and Jeff for their time and efforts that went into this.  Here is a link to the MP3 file: link .

Here's my opening speech from my upcoming debate with Turretinfan on if the bible teaches libertarian free will. ---------------------- Over 3,000 years ago after giving Israel the law, God  challenged  Israel by saying:  14  But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart,  so that you can do it .   15  “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.  16  If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.  17  But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,  18  I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 

I was shocked to hear about this: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/17/1940646/seminary-student-arrested-in-sex.html Please pray for the victim, school and for Billy's repentance.

The twin foundations for middle knowledge are the beliefs that the bible teaches libertarian free will and the bible teaches God's providence over all things.   Middle knowledge reconciles the two by stating that God knows what we would choose under any circumstance and He uses this knowledge to accomplish His goals without removing man's freedom.  In middle knowledge, God primarily uses His knowledge rather than His power to achieve His ends.   Middle knowledge gets the name middle, because God's knowledge of what would happen is logically after God's knowledge of what can happen and logically before His decision and knowledge of what will happen.  So for example, God knows if you are in an ice cream shop today you could choose chocolate or vanilla, and you would choose chocolate and He decides to let you choose chocolate so He permits you to be in the ice cream shop today knowing you will choose chocolate.   Man's freedom is preserved in that God does not decide w