Rethinking Debate: An Alternative Way to Explore Questions About God
Debates between skeptics and Christians often center around resolving perceived difficulties in the Bible—moral objections to God’s actions in the Old Testament, alleged contradictions, and questions about faith and evidence. These conversations are valuable, but they often feel like two sides talking past each other, with neither party fully addressing the heart of the matter.
What if we restructured these debates to focus less on “winning” arguments and more on exploring the deeper questions of faith and relationship with God? Here’s a proposal for a fresh approach to debating these important topics—one that moves beyond the intellectual barriers and gets to the core of what truly matters.
1. Start with the Bigger Question: How Should We Approach God?
In most debates, the skeptic’s questions tend to focus on specific biblical difficulties:
“How can a good God allow X in the Old Testament?”
“Why are there contradictions in Scripture?”
These are important questions, but they often assume that resolving intellectual doubts is the primary way to discover truth. Instead, what if the debate opened with the larger question: “How should we approach God in the first place?”
This question reframes the discussion. If God is real, and if He is infinite while we are finite, wouldn’t we expect some things about Him to challenge our understanding? Perhaps the bigger issue isn’t resolving every difficulty but asking whether we’re willing to approach God relationally, on His terms rather than our own.
2. Address the Common Misunderstanding: Two “Gods” in the Bible
Skeptics often feel more comfortable with the God Jesus represents—loving, merciful, and forgiving—while questioning the justice of the God portrayed in the Old Testament. This tension often leads to rejection of the Bible as inconsistent or contradictory.
A restructured debate should acknowledge this and shift the focus:
“If Jesus affirmed and embodied the God of the Old Testament, how does that affect your understanding of both justice and mercy?”
“What does it say about God’s character that He would take on human flesh in Jesus and bear the judgment we question in the Old Testament?”
By starting with Jesus—the clearest revelation of God—this approach challenges skeptics to see the fuller picture of God’s character.
3. Redefine the Role of Faith in Understanding
Skeptics often demand answers before they are willing to consider faith. But faith, as defined in the Bible, is not blind belief—it’s trust in God’s character even when we don’t have all the evidence in hand. A new debate format should invite participants to discuss this idea:
“Is it reasonable to expect complete understanding of an infinite God before engaging with Him?”
“Could faith be about trusting God’s character as revealed in Jesus, rather than requiring all questions to be answered beforehand?”
This reframing shifts the skeptic’s focus from intellectual control to relational trust.
4. Make Room for Personal Engagement
Debates often get stuck in purely intellectual back-and-forths. Including space for personal testimony or reflective dialogue can make the discussion more meaningful. A Christian participant might share:
“Here’s how I wrestled with the same questions you’re asking, and here’s how encountering Jesus changed my perspective.”
This invites the skeptic to move beyond abstract arguments and consider the relational aspect of faith:
“What would it look like for you to approach God relationally, not just intellectually?”
5. Shift from Winning to Exploring
Instead of trying to “win” the debate by scoring points on individual issues, this format encourages both parties to explore the deeper questions of meaning and relationship:
“If God is real, how would you expect Him to reveal Himself?”
“If Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God, what implications does that have for understanding the Bible as a whole?”
The goal isn’t to dismiss the skeptic’s objections but to redirect the conversation toward the personal, relational nature of faith.
6. A Closing Invitation: The God of Relationship
Every debate should end with an invitation—not just to continue the intellectual conversation, but to consider approaching God personally. For skeptics, this might mean starting with Jesus:
“If the God of the Old Testament feels distant or harsh to you, I invite you to look at Jesus. He claimed to reveal the fullness of God’s character—justice, mercy, and love. What would it look like for you to take a closer look at Him?”
This doesn’t require abandoning questions or doubts but encourages a relational posture: “God, if You’re real, help me see who You are.”
A New Kind of Debate
This restructured debate format isn’t about avoiding hard questions—it’s about reframing them in a way that points to the heart of Christianity. Faith is not just about resolving intellectual doubts; it’s about responding to God’s invitation to relationship.
If you’re a skeptic preparing for your next debate, consider this: rather than focusing solely on difficulties in the Bible, what might happen if you explored the bigger question of how to approach the God it reveals?
Let’s not just debate ideas—let’s explore the possibility of knowing the God behind them.