AI Religious Debates
Two AI models argue opposite sides of Every Religious Debate, point by point, under the strict format of a formal debate. The more time each side gets, the better the debate — but that time has a real cost, and cost is what limits how far any given debate can go. An independent panel of strict AI judges, each given a distinct personality, then scores the record clash by clash, blind to which side wrote what. No winner is declared: the scores are published, and you weigh them. As Christians, we hold that the Holy Spirit is the final arbiter of truth — AI must never be allowed to replace any function of the Holy Spirit or rewrite scripture. That is a dangerous line we will not cross.
This is a work in progress, and a tool to assist scholars rather than a verdict — it puts debated Religious beliefs through the strict and systematic structure of a formal debate to help surface and weigh all the arguments, not to settle them. A side ahead on points has argued its case well; but that isn't the same as being correct. We're still working to design this apparatus so that the side with the best religious argument wins rather than the side with the best debate techniques. Depth also varies: each debate is limited by the resources given to it, the hours of AI thinking allotted to each side. Click into a debate for the full discussion.
One thing we should say plainly rather than bury: the judges are not neutral on the question of authority. Their rubric tells them that Scripture is presumptively the strongest evidence — that a verse, accurately quoted and on point, starts ahead of a scholar, a council, a Pope, or a philosophical argument. That is a Protestant standard, close to sola scriptura, and on debates about church authority, the Eucharist, icons, purgatory or Mary it is itself one of the things being argued about. The Catholic and Orthodox side of those debates is arguing against a standard the panel has already adopted. There is no neutral ground available here — any rule about what counts as the strongest evidence is already a position — so we would rather name ours than claim we don't have one. Why this matters, and what we'd rather do instead.
Denominational Score Card Open the card ▾ Close ▴ 25 traditions across 74 debates — how the side each tradition actually teaches has fared in this record. This is not a ranking of churches.
Each bar is one debate. Its height is the share of that debate's score held by the side this tradition teaches, against the dashed 50% line. A bar is filled in only where the panel found the surviving record actually established something — a hollow bar means a side led on points without anchoring one argument that survived attack, which is a fact about point volume rather than about the resolution. Click any bar for the resolution, the citation, both scores, and the way in.
Positions are recorded from each body's own confession, catechism, canon or official position paper, and the citation is shown with every bar. A tradition is left out of a debate entirely where it has no settled position — an empty slot is not a low score. Nothing here ranks churches, and a side ahead on points has argued its case well in this record, which is not the same as being right.
Pentecostal & Charismatic 11 debates Hide Show 11 debates hidden — click to show
The distinctive Pentecostal/charismatic experiences and offices — tongues, healing, prophecy, apostleship — argued against cessationist and mainline readings.
The Baptismal Formula
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Christian baptism must be administered in the name of Jesus alone, as in Acts 2:38, and baptism pronounced with the threefold formula of Matthew 28:19 is not valid baptism.
The affirmative (the Oneness Pentecostal position) argues that every baptism the New Testament actually records is 'in the name of Jesus' (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5), that 'the name' in Matthew 28:19 is singular and is the name of Jesus, and that the apostles obeyed the command exactly as they understood it. The negative argues that Matthew 28:19 is Christ's own command and supplies the words, that 'in the name of Jesus' in Acts describes the authority and kind of baptism rather than a spoken formula, and that the Didache and the whole early church baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
per point: 0.7 · 2.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Trinity or Oneness?
Round 3 PAUSEDResolved: The Bible teaches that God is a single divine Person who is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, not three co-equal, co-eternal Persons in one Godhead.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition, creeds and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative (Oneness) argues that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6, 24; 45:5); that all the fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus (Colossians 2:9); that the child born is called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6); that Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” and “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 10:30; 14:9); and that the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:17). The negative (Trinitarian) argues that the Son was with the Father before the world existed and shared His glory (John 1:1-2; 17:5, 24); that the Son prays to the Father and submits to His will (John 17; Luke 22:42); that Father, Son and Spirit appear together at Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:16-17); that the Spirit is “another Helper” sent by the Father and the Son (John 14:16, 26; 15:26); and that the three are named together (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
per point: 0.9 · 2.0/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Spirit Baptism & Tongues
Spirit Baptism as a Subsequent Experience
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: The Bible, especially the Book of Acts, presents the baptism in the Holy Spirit as an experience of empowerment distinct from and subsequent to conversion, not simply another name for the new birth.
This debate is argued from the Bible, above all the Book of Acts; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that the disciples already believed before Pentecost (Luke 10:20; John 20:22) and were then baptized in the Spirit for power to witness (Acts 1:5, 8; 2:4); that the Samaritans believed and were baptized but received the Spirit only later (Acts 8:12-17); that Paul received the Spirit three days after meeting Christ (Acts 9:9, 17); and that the Ephesian disciples were asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2-6). The negative argues that “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13); that anyone who does not have the Spirit does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9); that Peter promises the gift of the Spirit to all who repent and are baptized (Acts 2:38-39); that the Acts accounts mark unrepeatable steps in the gospel's spread to new peoples (Acts 1:8); and that the New Testament letters never tell believers to seek a second experience.
per point: 3.9 · 0.0/20
Tongues as Initial Evidence
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: The Bible, especially the Book of Acts, presents speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence that a believer has received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
This debate is argued from the Bible, above all the Book of Acts; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that when Acts describes believers first receiving the Holy Spirit and says what followed, they spoke in tongues (Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46; 19:1-6); that at Cornelius's house the apostles knew the Spirit had been given because “they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God” (Acts 10:45-46; 11:15-17; 15:8); and that the other accounts point the same way (Simon “saw” something in Acts 8:18; Paul later spoke in tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:18). The negative argues that Acts also records believers receiving the Spirit with no mention of tongues (Acts 2:38-41; 4:31; 8:14-19; 9:17-18); that Acts 19:6 pairs tongues with prophecy and Acts 10:46 with praise; that Luke records what happened without making it a rule for every believer; and that Paul expects not every believer to speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 29-30).
per point: 1.1 · 5.7/20
Spiritual Gifts & Healing
Continuation of the Spiritual Gifts
Round 6 ACTIVEResolved: The New Testament teaches that the miraculous gifts of 1 Corinthians 12–14, including prophecy, healing and tongues, continue until Christ returns and were not limited to the apostolic age.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that the gifts are given to the church for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7-11); that the Corinthians lacked no gift “as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7); that prophecy and partial knowledge cease only “when the perfect comes” and we see “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:8-12); that Peter applies Joel's promise to “the last days” and to “all who are far off” (Acts 2:17-18, 39); and that Paul commands, “Do not despise prophecies” and “do not forbid speaking in tongues” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 14:39). The negative argues that miracles were the signs of an apostle and confirmed the first witnesses' message (2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3-4); that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, laid once (Ephesians 2:20); that “the perfect” can be the completed revelation, the faith “once for all delivered” (1 Corinthians 13:10; Jude 3); that by Paul's later letters even his co-workers were left sick (Philippians 2:25-27; 2 Timothy 4:20); and that Scripture is sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
per point: 2.7 · 1.0/20
Physical Manifestations of the Spirit
Round 3 PAUSEDResolved: The Bible presents being “slain in the Spirit” and similar involuntary physical manifestations — falling, shaking, weeping, holy laughter — as genuine works of the Holy Spirit, not primarily psychological or emotional phenomena.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition, denominational statements and personal experience are not the standard. The affirmative argues that people fell or could not stand in God's presence (2 Chronicles 5:13-14; Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 10:8-11; Matthew 17:6; John 18:6; Acts 9:4; Revelation 1:17); that the Spirit's coming at Pentecost made onlookers think the disciples were drunk (Acts 2:13-15); and that the place shook when they were filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31). The negative argues that in Scripture people fall on their faces in awe before God, and that in John 18:6 it is Christ's enemies who fall; that the fruit of the Spirit includes self-control (Galatians 5:22-23); that “the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets”, God is not a God of confusion, and all things should be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:32-33, 40); and that no New Testament writer teaches believers to seek such experiences.
per point: 0.6 · 0.4/20
Healing in the Atonement
Round 5 PAUSEDResolved: The Bible teaches that Christ's atonement secured physical healing for believers on the same footing as the forgiveness of sins, to be received by faith in this present life.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that the Servant bore our sicknesses and “with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5); that Matthew applies this to Jesus' healing of the sick (Matthew 8:16-17) and Peter to the cross (1 Peter 2:24); that God names Himself “the LORD, your healer” (Exodus 15:26); and that the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick (James 5:14-16). The negative argues that Matthew 8:17 is fulfilled in Jesus' ministry before the cross; that 1 Peter 2:24 heals us from sin, “that we might die to sin and live to righteousness”; that the redemption of the body waits for the resurrection (Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44); and that faithful believers stayed sick (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20).
per point: 1.5 · 2.3/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Apostolic & Prophetic Offices
Apostles and Prophets Today
Round 5 ACTIVEResolved: The New Testament teaches that the offices of apostle and prophet named in Ephesians 4:11 continue in the church until it reaches maturity, and were not confined to the first century.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that Christ gave apostles and prophets alongside evangelists, shepherds and teachers “until we all attain to the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:11-13); that the New Testament names apostles beyond the Twelve (Acts 14:14; Galatians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 2:6; Romans 16:7); and that prophets served in local churches (Acts 13:1; 21:9-10; 1 Corinthians 14:29-32). The negative argues that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, laid once (Ephesians 2:20); that an apostle had to be a witness of the risen Christ (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:1), and Paul was the “last of all” to see Him (1 Corinthians 15:8); that the signs of an apostle marked that office (2 Corinthians 12:12); and that the New Testament already warns against those who call themselves apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13; Revelation 2:2).
per point: 1.9 · 2.4/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Authority of Modern Prophecy
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: The New Testament presents the gift of prophecy in the church as authoritative revelation from God, not as a fallible impression for the church to weigh.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition, denominational statements and modern scholars' positions are not the standard. The affirmative argues that prophecy in Scripture is God speaking through a person (Deuteronomy 18:18-22; 2 Peter 1:21); that New Testament prophets spoke at the Spirit's direction (“Thus says the Holy Spirit”, Acts 21:11; Acts 13:1-2); that prophecy comes by revelation (1 Corinthians 14:30); and that it lays bare the secrets of the heart so that an unbeliever falls down and worships God (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). The negative argues that prophecy in the church is to be weighed and tested (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; 1 John 4:1); that “we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9); that Paul went to Jerusalem although disciples “through the Spirit” told him not to (Acts 21:4); that Agabus's details did not happen as spoken (Acts 21:11, 27-33); and that the apostles' word, not every prophet's, was received as the word of God (1 Corinthians 14:37-38; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
per point: 1.0 · 3.3/20
Prosperity & Holiness
Entire Sanctification as a Second Work of Grace
Round 5 ACTIVEResolved: The Bible teaches entire sanctification as a definite, instantaneous second work of grace after justification, in which the believer's heart is cleansed from inbred sin by faith.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that Paul prays, “may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely ... he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24); that God cleanses hearts by faith (Acts 15:8-9); that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7, 9); that believers are called to perfect love (Matthew 5:48; 1 John 4:17-18); and that the Corinthian believers were still “of the flesh” and needed a further cleansing (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 2 Corinthians 7:1). The negative argues that sanctification is lifelong growth “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:12-14; 2 Peter 3:18); that believers who say they have no sin deceive themselves (1 John 1:8-10; James 3:2); that the flesh still wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 7:14-25); and that the New Testament never describes a second crisis experience of cleansing.
per point: 2.3 · 5.0/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Does God Guarantee Financial Prosperity to Believers of Sufficient Faith?
Round 4 PAUSEDResolved: The Bible teaches that God guarantees material financial prosperity, as a covenant blessing, to believers who give generously and believe and confess His promises.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that God gives the power to get wealth to confirm His covenant (Deuteronomy 8:18); that the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles in Christ (Galatians 3:13-14); that Christ became poor so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9); that giving is returned in good measure (Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38); and that John prays his reader may prosper (3 John 2). The negative argues that 2 Corinthians 8:9 speaks of grace and its context asks the Corinthians to give to the poor; that the blessing of Abraham in Galatians 3:14 is “the promised Spirit through faith”; that Paul learned contentment in hunger and need (Philippians 4:11-13); that godliness is not a means of gain and the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils (1 Timothy 6:5-10); and that Jesus and His apostles lived poor (Matthew 8:20; 1 Corinthians 4:11).
per point: 1.0 · 3.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Catholic & Orthodox 19 debates Hide Show 19 debates hidden — click to show
Doctrines and practices distinguishing Catholic and Orthodox belief from Protestant positions — authority, sacraments, Mary, saints, and the afterlife.
Church Authority & Tradition
The Filioque
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque), and the Western addition to the Nicene Creed is a legitimate expression of apostolic faith.
The affirmative argues from John 15:26 with 16:14–15, Galatians 4:6, Augustine, and the unity of the divine operations. The negative (the Orthodox position) argues that the Father alone is the source of the Godhead, that the addition was made without an ecumenical council, and that it confuses the persons.
per point: 2.0 · 2.6/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Apostolic Succession
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Legitimate church authority passes through an unbroken succession of bishops from the apostles, and ministry outside that succession lacks it.
The affirmative argues from the appointment of elders in Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5, the passing of the charge in 2 Timothy 2:2, and the witness of Clement and Irenaeus. The negative argues that the New Testament uses 'elder' and 'overseer' interchangeably, that the monarchical episcopate is a second-century development, and that authority rests on apostolic doctrine rather than on a chain of hands.
per point: 1.0 · 2.2/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Church Authority
Round 2 PAUSEDResolved: Christ established a single visible Church governed by apostolic succession and the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, rather than leaving final authority to interpret Scripture to the priesthood of all believers.
Papal primacy and apostolic succession against the Protestant priesthood-of-all-believers and congregational-autonomy model of church governance.
per point: 1.6 · 2.6/20
Reformation-Era Disputes
Indulgences
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The Church may remit the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin by drawing on the merits of Christ and the saints.
The affirmative argues from the binding and loosing of Matthew 16:19, the distinction between guilt and temporal consequence seen in 2 Samuel 12:13-14, and the communion of saints. The negative argues that Scripture knows no treasury of surplus merit, that Christ's satisfaction is complete, and that the practice obscures the freeness of forgiveness.
per point: 2.4 · 2.7/20
The Deuterocanonical Books
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The deuterocanonical books — Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1–2 Maccabees — are inspired Scripture and belong in the Old Testament canon.
The affirmative argues from the Septuagint, the early Church's use, the councils of Hippo and Carthage, and Trent. The negative argues that Jesus and the apostles received the Hebrew canon, that the books were never counted as Scripture by the Jews, and that Jerome and others distinguished them.
per point: 0.4 · 2.9/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Justification By Faith Alone
Round 5 ACTIVEResolved: A sinner is justified before God by faith alone (sola fide), apart from works of the law, and not by a faith formed and completed by works of charity.
The Reformation's material principle: Protestant sola fide against the Catholic understanding of justification as a process involving faith, grace, and good works.
per point: 3.7 · 1.0/20
Sola Scriptura
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: Scripture alone (sola scriptura) is the church's sole infallible rule of faith; sacred tradition and the ecclesial magisterium hold no equal or supplementary binding authority.
The Reformation's formal principle: Protestant sola scriptura against the Catholic/Orthodox claim that Scripture and apostolic tradition together, safeguarded by the Church's teaching office, form the rule of faith.
per point: 0.8 · 1.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Clerical Celibacy
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: The Church rightly requires its priests to remain unmarried and celibate for the sake of undivided devotion to ministry.
The affirmative (Catholic) argues from 1 Corinthians 7:32-35's undivided devotion, Christ's own celibacy, and the discipline's ancient roots. The negative argues from 1 Timothy 3:2's 'husband of one wife' as a qualification for overseers, Peter's own marriage (Mark 1:30), and 1 Timothy 4:1-3's warning against those who 'forbid marriage'.
per point: 2.0 · 2.0/20
Sacraments
Confession to a Priest
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Confession of grave sin to a priest, with sacramental absolution, is the ordinary means Christ established for the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism.
The affirmative argues from John 20:22–23, James 5:16, and the unbroken practice of the Church. The negative argues that 1 John 1:9 and Hebrews 4:16 grant direct access to God, that the apostolic authority to forgive was declarative, and that a priestly mediator obscures Christ's priesthood.
per point: 3.0 · 1.2/20
The Eucharist
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: In the Lord's Supper the bread and wine are truly and substantially changed into the body and blood of Christ (the Real Presence), and are not merely symbolic or memorial.
Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran real-presence views of communion against the Reformed and Baptist memorialist view.
per point: 1.8 · 2.0/20
Marian Doctrine
Perpetual Virginity of Mary
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a perpetual virgin throughout her life, and the New Testament's "brothers and sisters" of Jesus were not her biological children.
The Catholic/Orthodox dogma of Mary's perpetual virginity — "Ever-Virgin" (Aeiparthenos), affirmed at the Lateran Council of 649 and confessed in the Catechism (CCC 499, quoting Augustine: "a virgin in conceiving... a virgin in giving birth... always a virgin") — against the Protestant/evangelical reading of Matthew 1:25 ("knew her not until she had borne a son") and of the "brothers and sisters of the Lord" as Mary and Joseph's own later children.
per point: 1.0 · 0.1/20
The Assumption of Mary
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: At the end of her earthly life Mary was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory.
The affirmative argues from her unique relation to Christ, the absence of any relic tradition or tomb, the consent of the ancient churches, and the fittingness of the mother of the Lord sharing His victory over corruption. The negative argues that Scripture says nothing of it, that the earliest accounts are late and legendary, and that no doctrine binding the conscience may rest on silence.
per point: 2.3 · 1.0/20
The Immaculate Conception
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception.
The affirmative argues from Luke 1:28 ('full of grace'), the typology of the new Eve and the ark, and the fittingness of a sinless mother for the sinless Son. The negative argues that Scripture calls all sinners, that Mary offered a sin offering and called God her Saviour, and that the dogma is a late definition.
per point: 5.2 · 1.8/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Saints & Images
Image Veneration
Round 3 PAUSEDResolved: The veneration of icons and images of Christ, Mary, and the saints — bowing before them, kissing them, giving them reverence — is a legitimate Christian practice, not a violation of the Second Commandment's prohibition of graven images.
The Second Council of Nicaea's (787) doctrine that the honor (dulia) paid to an image passes to its prototype and is categorically distinct from the worship (latria) owed to God alone, against the Protestant/evangelical reading of Exodus 20:4-5 as forbidding the practice regardless of that distinction.
per point: 2.9 · 1.3/20
Petitions to Mary and the Saints for Intercession
Round 3 PAUSEDResolved: It is a biblically warranted and spiritually beneficial practice for Christians to ask Mary and departed saints in heaven to intercede with God on their behalf, and this does not violate Christ's unique mediatorship.
The Catholic/Orthodox doctrine of the communion of saints, defined at the Council of Trent (Session 25, 1563, "good and useful... to invoke [the saints]"), against the Protestant/evangelical position that 1 Timothy 2:5's "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" rules out petitioning any deceased human however honored, and that Scripture gives no precedent for the practice.
per point: 1.8 · 3.3/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Afterlife
Prayers for the Dead
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: It is right for Christians to pray for those who have died.
The affirmative argues from 2 Maccabees 12:44-45, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, the ancient liturgies, and the unbroken communion of the church across death. The negative argues that Hebrews 9:27 fixes the destiny of the dead at death, that Scripture gives no command or example in the canonical books, and that the practice presupposes a doctrine of purification the Bible does not teach.
per point: 1.5 · 1.2/20
Soul Sleep
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: The dead are unconscious between death and the resurrection; there is no conscious intermediate state in heaven or hell.
The affirmative argues from Ecclesiastes 9:5, Psalm 146:4, the New Testament's language of 'sleep', and the centrality of bodily resurrection. The negative argues from the thief on the cross, Paul's desire to depart and be with Christ, the rich man and Lazarus, and the souls under the altar.
per point: 1.1 · 2.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Existence of Purgatory After the Cross
Round 2 PAUSEDResolved: Purgatory — a temporary post-mortem state of purification for souls who die in God's grace but imperfectly cleansed — exists as a real reality, and Christ's atonement on the cross does not eliminate the need for it.
Purgatory as dogmatically defined at the Councils of Florence (1439) and Trent (1563, CCC 1030-1032), classically argued from 2 Maccabees 12:46 (deuterocanonical, outside the Protestant canon) and 1 Corinthians 3:15, against the Protestant/evangelical position — central to sola fide theology — that Christ's finished work (Hebrews 10:14, "by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified") leaves no post-mortem purification for believers to undergo. Related to, but distinct from, the already-live JustificationByFaithAlone (which concerns justification in this life, not what follows death).
per point: 1.1 · 2.8/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Secular & Apologetics 9 debates Hide Show 9 debates hidden — click to show
Foundational questions argued on evidence and philosophy rather than within a single tradition — God's existence, evil, and the historical record.
Theistic Evolution
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: A Christian may hold that God created all living things, including humanity's bodies, through the process of common descent, without compromising Scripture.
The affirmative argues that Genesis addresses who and why rather than mechanism, and that providence works through ordinary means throughout Scripture. The negative argues that common descent cannot be reconciled with a historical Adam, the goodness of the original creation, or Paul's argument in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15.
per point: 3.2 · 3.0/20
Young Earth Creation
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Genesis 1–2 teaches that God created the heavens and the earth in six ordinary days within roughly the last ten thousand years, and a faithful reading of Scripture requires that conclusion.
The affirmative argues from the plain sense of the text, the genealogies, Exodus 20:11, and the theological link between death and the Fall. The negative argues that the text's genre and ancient Near Eastern context permit an old earth, and that day-age, framework, and analogical readings are faithful, not compromises.
per point: 2.7 · 2.1/20
Is Explicit Faith in Christ Necessary for Salvation
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Conscious, explicit faith in Jesus Christ during this life is necessary for salvation; those who never hear the gospel are not saved through general revelation or the sincere practice of another religion.
The affirmative (exclusivism) argues from John 14:6, Acts 4:12, and Romans 10:14–17. The negative (inclusivism) argues that Christ alone saves but that His work may be applied to those who respond in faith to the light they have, citing Cornelius, Melchizedek, and Romans 2.
per point: 5.2 · 0.7/20
The Existence of God
The Problem of Evil
Historical Claims
The Historical Adam
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Adam and Eve were real historical individuals, the first human pair from whom all humanity descends, and the Christian doctrine of original sin depends on that history.
The affirmative argues from Genesis, the genealogies of Luke 3, and Paul's Adam–Christ parallel in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. The negative argues that Adam functions as a literary or representative figure and that genetics rules out descent from a single pair, without the doctrine of sin collapsing.
per point: 2.2 · 1.0/20
The Deity of Christ
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Jesus of Nazareth is fully God — co-eternal and of one essence with the Father — and the New Testament teaches this plainly rather than as a later development.
The affirmative builds the case from John 1, Philippians 2, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, the 'I AM' sayings, and the worship Jesus receives. The negative (unitarian and critical positions) argues that the earliest Christology was exalted-human or agent Christology and that full deity is a post-apostolic conclusion.
per point: 3.7 · 1.9/20
The Historical Exodus
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: The Exodus of Israel from Egypt under Moses was a real historical event substantially as the book of Exodus describes it.
The affirmative marshals the internal evidence, Egyptian loanwords and customs, Semitic presence in the Delta, and the improbability of a nation inventing slave origins. The negative points to the absence of archaeological trace in Sinai and Egypt, the settlement pattern in Canaan, and the text's late composition.
per point: 0.7 · 3.6/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Reliability of the Gospels
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: The four canonical Gospels are historically reliable accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, rooted in eyewitness testimony and preserved without substantive corruption.
The affirmative argues from early dating, undesigned coincidences, named witnesses, and manuscript evidence that the Gospels report what happened. The negative argues that they are late, theologically shaped documents whose contradictions, legendary development, and anonymous authorship make them unreliable as history.
per point: 2.5 · 2.2/20
Salvation & Grace 19 debates Hide Show 19 debates hidden — click to show
How a person is saved and kept saved — predestination, justification, sanctification, and the security of that salvation.
The Sinner's Prayer
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Leading a person to pray a prayer of decision is a sound biblical way to bring them to salvation.
The affirmative argues from Romans 10:9-13, the call to confess Christ, and the apostolic pattern of calling for immediate response. The negative argues that no such prayer appears anywhere in Acts, that the apostolic call is to repentance and baptism, and that the practice has produced assurance without regeneration.
per point: 3.0 · 2.4/20
The Historical Adam
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Adam and Eve were real historical individuals, the first human pair from whom all humanity descends, and the Christian doctrine of original sin depends on that history.
The affirmative argues from Genesis, the genealogies of Luke 3, and Paul's Adam–Christ parallel in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. The negative argues that Adam functions as a literary or representative figure and that genetics rules out descent from a single pair, without the doctrine of sin collapsing.
per point: 2.2 · 1.0/20
Is Explicit Faith in Christ Necessary for Salvation
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Conscious, explicit faith in Jesus Christ during this life is necessary for salvation; those who never hear the gospel are not saved through general revelation or the sincere practice of another religion.
The affirmative (exclusivism) argues from John 14:6, Acts 4:12, and Romans 10:14–17. The negative (inclusivism) argues that Christ alone saves but that His work may be applied to those who respond in faith to the light they have, citing Cornelius, Melchizedek, and Romans 2.
per point: 5.2 · 0.7/20
Salvation and the Jewish People
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Jewish people can be saved through God's covenant with Israel, apart from faith in Jesus as the Messiah.
The affirmative (dual-covenant theology) argues that God's covenant with Israel was never revoked (Romans 11:28-29, 'the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable'), that Paul leaves Israel's final salvation in God's hands rather than in a mission to convert, and that the Church's call to the nations does not cancel Israel's own covenant. The negative argues that there is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12, John 14:6), that the apostles preached Jesus as Messiah to Jews first (Acts 2:36-38, Romans 1:16), and that Paul prays for his own people to be saved because zeal for the law without Christ does not save (Romans 10:1-4).
per point: 1.7 · 3.2/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Original Sin and Inherited Guilt
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Because of Adam's sin, every human being is born already guilty before God, not merely born with a corrupted nature.
The affirmative argues from Romans 5:12-21, Psalm 51:5, and Ephesians 2:3 that Adam's guilt is imputed to his descendants. The negative holds that Scripture teaches inherited corruption and universal actual sin, but that guilt attaches to a person's own sin, and that Ezekiel 18:20 forbids counting one man's guilt against another.
per point: 4.3 · 2.0/20
Predestination & Free Will
Total Depravity
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Fallen human nature is so corrupted by sin that, apart from God's grace, no person can of their own will choose to trust Christ.
The affirmative argues from Romans 3:10-18, Ephesians 2:1's 'dead in trespasses', and John 6:44's 'no one can come unless the Father draws him'. The negative argues that spiritual deadness does not mean total inability to respond, pointing to common grace, the image of God retained even in the fall, and the many texts that command belief as implying real capacity to obey.
per point: 4.8 · 1.9/20
Does God Know the Future
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: God exhaustively and infallibly knows the whole future, including the free choices of His creatures, and open theism is therefore mistaken.
The affirmative argues from predictive prophecy, Isaiah 46:10, Psalm 139, and the classical doctrine of omniscience. The negative (open theism) argues that a future of genuinely free choices is not yet there to be known, that God changes His mind in Scripture, and that this honours both divine sovereignty and human freedom.
per point: 3.3 · 2.3/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Limited Atonement
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Christ's death was intended by God to secure the salvation of the elect alone, not to make salvation possible for every human being without exception.
The affirmative (particular redemption) argues that the atonement actually saves, that intent and application cannot diverge, and that John 10, Ephesians 5, and Revelation 5 speak of a definite people. The negative argues from John 3:16, 1 John 2:2, 1 Timothy 2:4–6, and 2 Peter 2:1 that Christ died for all and that limitation lies in unbelief, not in the cross.
per point: 1.3 · 1.3/20
Irresistible Grace
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: When God effectually calls the elect, His grace cannot be finally resisted and will certainly bring them to saving faith.
The affirmative argues from John 6:37 and 6:44, the unbroken chain of Romans 8:30, and Acts 16:14's 'the Lord opened her heart to respond'. The negative argues that Scripture consistently warns against resisting the Spirit (Acts 7:51), and that grace enables a real choice which Scripture also depicts as refusable.
per point: 1.1 · 0.3/20
Predestination
Round 2 PAUSEDResolved: God unconditionally predestines individuals to salvation.
Examination of predestination and free will. Rebuilt fresh under the current engine/schema — the prior debate under this title predated per-session time tracking entirely (0 recorded working time) and is being redone from scratch rather than topped up.
per point: 1.1 · 1.0/20
Free Will
Round 3 PAUSEDResolved: Human beings possess genuine free will.
A deep test debate to explore how far structured arguments can descend.
per point: 1.2 · 3.2/20
Eternal Security
Justification
Penal Substitutionary Atonement
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: At the cross God punished Christ in the place of sinners, bearing the penalty their sins deserved, and this is the central meaning of the atonement.
The affirmative argues from Isaiah 53:5-10, Romans 3:25-26, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Galatians 3:13. The negative argues that Scripture's dominant images are victory, ransom and representation rather than penal exchange, that penal substitution sets the Father against the Son, and that it is a late systematization of a richer biblical picture.
per point: 1.9 · 1.3/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Justification By Faith Alone
Round 5 ACTIVEResolved: A sinner is justified before God by faith alone (sola fide), apart from works of the law, and not by a faith formed and completed by works of charity.
The Reformation's material principle: Protestant sola fide against the Catholic understanding of justification as a process involving faith, grace, and good works.
per point: 3.7 · 1.0/20
Theosis
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Salvation is best understood as theosis — real participation in the divine life and transformation into the likeness of God — rather than primarily as a forensic declaration of righteousness.
The affirmative (the Eastern position) argues from 2 Peter 1:4, John 17, the Church Fathers, and the incarnation itself. The negative argues that the forensic language of Romans and Galatians is central and that participation follows from, rather than replaces, justification.
per point: 3.5 · 1.9/20
Sanctification
Baptism & Salvation
Baptismal Regeneration
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Water baptism is the ordinary means by which God gives the new birth and the forgiveness of sins, so that baptism is necessary for salvation wherever it can be received.
The affirmative argues from John 3:5 ('born of water and the Spirit'), Acts 2:38 and 22:16, Titus 3:5's 'washing of regeneration', and 1 Peter 3:21 ('baptism now saves you'), and from the early church's unanimous reading of them. The negative argues that Scripture ties salvation to faith apart from any rite (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4), that Cornelius's household received the Spirit before they were baptized (Acts 10:44-48), and that baptism is the believer's public confession of a new birth already given, not its cause.
per point: 2.5 · 3.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Water baptism, administered in the name of Jesus, is a necessary component of the new birth, such that a genuinely repentant believer who has not yet been baptized is not yet savingly regenerated.
The Oneness Pentecostal/Apostolic reading of Acts 2:38's "repent and be baptized... for the remission of sins" as a necessary step in salvation, against the broader evangelical and Trinitarian Pentecostal position that a person is saved by faith alone the moment they believe, with water baptism following as obedience and public testimony rather than a saving act itself.
per point: 4.8 · 2.0/20
Believers Baptism
Round 2 PAUSEDResolved: Baptism is to be administered only to professing believers upon their own confession of faith (credobaptism), not to the infant children of believers (paedobaptism).
The Baptist/Anabaptist position against the Reformed, Lutheran, Catholic, and Orthodox practice of infant baptism, and what the sign is held to signify and confer.
per point: 3.6 · 1.9/20
Church Practice & Order 19 debates Hide Show 19 debates hidden — click to show
How the church orders its common life — leadership, worship, giving, and the ordinances it observes.
The Sinner's Prayer
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Leading a person to pray a prayer of decision is a sound biblical way to bring them to salvation.
The affirmative argues from Romans 10:9-13, the call to confess Christ, and the apostolic pattern of calling for immediate response. The negative argues that no such prayer appears anywhere in Acts, that the apostolic call is to repentance and baptism, and that the practice has produced assurance without regeneration.
per point: 3.0 · 2.4/20
Christians and Alcohol
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Scripture permits a Christian to drink alcohol in moderation.
The affirmative argues from Psalm 104:14-15, the wine of Cana in John 2, Paul's counsel in 1 Timothy 5:23, and the cup of the Lord's Supper. The negative argues from the warnings of Proverbs 23:29-35, the Nazirite and priestly abstinence, the law of love in Romans 14:21, and the harm that follows where the church permits it.
per point: 1.1 · 1.7/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Divorce and Remarriage
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Scripture permits a believer whose spouse has committed adultery or abandoned the marriage to divorce and to remarry.
The affirmative argues from the exception clause of Matthew 19:9 and Paul's provision in 1 Corinthians 7:15. The negative (the permanence view) argues that Jesus taught marriage is indissoluble, that the exception concerns betrothal or separation, and that remarriage while a spouse lives is adultery.
per point: 2.6 · 1.4/20
Messianic Jews and the Torah
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Jewish believers in Jesus should continue to keep the Law of Moses -- Sabbath, food laws and circumcision -- as their covenant calling.
The affirmative (Messianic Jewish) argues that the Jerusalem church was 'zealous for the law' (Acts 21:20-24), that Paul himself kept the law and circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3), that the Jerusalem council freed Gentiles, not Jews, from the law (Acts 15), and that Jesus did not come to abolish the law (Matthew 5:17-19). The negative argues that Christ abolished the law of commandments that divided Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14-16), that food and Sabbath laws were a shadow of Christ (Colossians 2:16-17, Mark 7:19), that in Christ circumcision counts for nothing (Galatians 5:6, 6:15), and that Paul lived 'as one under the law' only to win Jews (1 Corinthians 9:20-21).
per point: 2.1 · 2.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Leadership & Ordination
Church Government: Elders or Congregation
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The final earthly authority in a local church rests with its plurality of elders, not with the gathered congregation.
The affirmative argues from Hebrews 13:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17, and the appointment of elders in every church. The negative argues from Matthew 18:17, the congregation's role in Acts 6 and 15 and in 1 Corinthians 5, and that elders lead by teaching rather than by ruling over the body.
per point: 2.7 · 3.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Women in Pastoral Leadership
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Scripture permits women, equally with men, to serve as pastors and elders with full authority to teach and lead the local church.
The historic Pentecostal practice — reaching back to Azusa Street and grounded in Joel 2's "sons and daughters shall prophesy" fulfilled at Pentecost — of ordaining women to pastoral authority, against the complementarian position held across much of non-Pentecostal evangelicalism that restricts the pastor/elder office to qualified men.
per point: 2.4 · 3.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Worship
The Seventh Day Sabbath
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The seventh-day Sabbath remains a binding commandment for Christians, and Sunday worship does not fulfil it.
The affirmative argues from creation, the Decalogue, Jesus' own practice, and the absence of any command changing the day. The negative argues that the Sabbath was a sign of the Mosaic covenant fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2:16, Hebrews 4) and that the first day marks the resurrection.
per point: 1.0 · 0.0/20
What Governs Corporate Worship?
Round 3 ACTIVEResolved: A local church's corporate worship practices — musical style, raised hands, dancing, spontaneous singing and prayer — are rightly governed by the normative principle (permitted unless Scripture forbids it), not the regulative principle (permitted only if Scripture commands or clearly warrants it).
The normative principle assumed by Pentecostal, charismatic, and most broader evangelical worship practice against the regulative principle of worship historically held by confessional Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which restricts corporate worship to elements Scripture explicitly authorizes.
per point: 0.7 · 0.8/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Instrumental Music in Corporate Worship
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: The New Testament's silence on instruments in Christian worship, against its explicit language of singing, means the church should worship in song alone, without instrumental accompaniment.
The affirmative (a cappella position) argues from Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16's 'psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs', and the pattern of the apostolic church. The negative argues that the Psalms themselves command instruments (Psalm 150), that scriptural silence does not bind what it does not forbid, and that the regulative principle is being applied selectively.
per point: 1.1 · 3.1/20
Giving & Stewardship
Tithes: Home Church Only
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The Bible teaches that tithes must go only to a person's home church, and not to Christian ministries outside the home church.
The affirmative argues from Malachi 3:10's 'storehouse', the Levitical pattern of tithes supporting the priests who served the people (Numbers 18), Paul's teaching that those who preach the gospel get their living from it (1 Corinthians 9:13-14, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:17), and the orderly weekly giving at the gathering (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), that the local congregation is God's appointed treasury. The negative argues that the New Testament gives no single-church-only rule: the Philippians supported Paul's mission outside their own church (Philippians 4:15-18), the Gentile churches gave to the saints in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26, 2 Corinthians 8-9), John commends supporting traveling workers (3 John 5-8), and 2 Corinthians 9:7 leaves each giver to decide in his own heart.
per point: 0.4 · 1.7/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Is the New Testament Church Bound by the Old Testament Tithe?
Round 5 ACTIVEResolved: The Old Testament tithe (ten percent of income) remains binding on New Testament believers as God's minimum standard of giving, not merely a voluntary, grace-motivated pattern believers are free to exceed or fall short of.
The tithing doctrine taught widely across Pentecostal, charismatic, and much of the broader evangelical church against the position — held by a range of Bible teachers across traditions — that the Mosaic tithe was part of Israel's covenant law and was never repeated as a command for the church, whose giving is instead voluntary and grace-motivated (2 Corinthians 9:7).
per point: 1.5 · 1.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Does God Guarantee Financial Prosperity to Believers of Sufficient Faith?
Round 4 PAUSEDResolved: The Bible teaches that God guarantees material financial prosperity, as a covenant blessing, to believers who give generously and believe and confess His promises.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that God gives the power to get wealth to confirm His covenant (Deuteronomy 8:18); that the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles in Christ (Galatians 3:13-14); that Christ became poor so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9); that giving is returned in good measure (Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38); and that John prays his reader may prosper (3 John 2). The negative argues that 2 Corinthians 8:9 speaks of grace and its context asks the Corinthians to give to the poor; that the blessing of Abraham in Galatians 3:14 is “the promised Spirit through faith”; that Paul learned contentment in hunger and need (Philippians 4:11-13); that godliness is not a means of gain and the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils (1 Timothy 6:5-10); and that Jesus and His apostles lived poor (Matthew 8:20; 1 Corinthians 4:11).
per point: 1.0 · 3.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Ordinances
Foot Washing as an Ordinance
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: In John 13 Jesus instituted foot washing as an ordinance for His church to practise, alongside baptism and the Lord's Supper.
The affirmative argues from the direct command of John 13:14-17 ('you also ought to wash one another's feet ... do as I have done to you'), from 1 Timothy 5:10, and from its continued observance by Free Will Baptists, Adventists, Mennonites and many Pentecostal churches. The negative argues that the command teaches humble service through an example drawn from the everyday hospitality of dusty roads, that the apostolic church never treats it as a church rite, and that making it an ordinance confuses the lesson with its illustration.
per point: 1.1 · 0.0/20
The Baptismal Formula
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Christian baptism must be administered in the name of Jesus alone, as in Acts 2:38, and baptism pronounced with the threefold formula of Matthew 28:19 is not valid baptism.
The affirmative (the Oneness Pentecostal position) argues that every baptism the New Testament actually records is 'in the name of Jesus' (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5), that 'the name' in Matthew 28:19 is singular and is the name of Jesus, and that the apostles obeyed the command exactly as they understood it. The negative argues that Matthew 28:19 is Christ's own command and supplies the words, that 'in the name of Jesus' in Acts describes the authority and kind of baptism rather than a spoken formula, and that the Didache and the whole early church baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
per point: 0.7 · 2.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Eucharist
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: In the Lord's Supper the bread and wine are truly and substantially changed into the body and blood of Christ (the Real Presence), and are not merely symbolic or memorial.
Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran real-presence views of communion against the Reformed and Baptist memorialist view.
per point: 1.8 · 2.0/20
The Outward Ordinances
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Christ commanded His church to observe water baptism and the Lord's Supper as outward rites until He returns, and a church that sets them aside departs from that command.
The affirmative argues from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), 'do this in remembrance of me ... until he comes' (1 Corinthians 11:24-26), and the unbroken practice of the church from Acts onward. The negative (the Quaker and Salvation Army position) argues that the baptism that saves is the inward baptism of the Spirit (Matthew 3:11, 1 Peter 3:21), that communion with Christ is continual and spiritual rather than tied to a meal, and that outward rites were never made conditions of grace and can come to stand in for the reality they signify.
per point: 3.4 · 0.8/20
Baptismal Regeneration
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Water baptism is the ordinary means by which God gives the new birth and the forgiveness of sins, so that baptism is necessary for salvation wherever it can be received.
The affirmative argues from John 3:5 ('born of water and the Spirit'), Acts 2:38 and 22:16, Titus 3:5's 'washing of regeneration', and 1 Peter 3:21 ('baptism now saves you'), and from the early church's unanimous reading of them. The negative argues that Scripture ties salvation to faith apart from any rite (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4), that Cornelius's household received the Spirit before they were baptized (Acts 10:44-48), and that baptism is the believer's public confession of a new birth already given, not its cause.
per point: 2.5 · 3.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Water baptism, administered in the name of Jesus, is a necessary component of the new birth, such that a genuinely repentant believer who has not yet been baptized is not yet savingly regenerated.
The Oneness Pentecostal/Apostolic reading of Acts 2:38's "repent and be baptized... for the remission of sins" as a necessary step in salvation, against the broader evangelical and Trinitarian Pentecostal position that a person is saved by faith alone the moment they believe, with water baptism following as obedience and public testimony rather than a saving act itself.
per point: 4.8 · 2.0/20
Believers Baptism
Round 2 PAUSEDResolved: Baptism is to be administered only to professing believers upon their own confession of faith (credobaptism), not to the infant children of believers (paedobaptism).
The Baptist/Anabaptist position against the Reformed, Lutheran, Catholic, and Orthodox practice of infant baptism, and what the sign is held to signify and confer.
per point: 3.6 · 1.9/20
Scripture & Authority 9 debates Hide Show 9 debates hidden — click to show
Where final authority rests — Scripture alone, the teaching church, or continuing revelation.
Israel and the Church
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: National Israel retains distinct, unfulfilled covenant promises — including the land — that the Church has not inherited or replaced.
The affirmative (dispensational) argues from the unconditional Abrahamic covenant, Romans 11, and the literal reading of prophecy. The negative (covenantal) argues that the promises are fulfilled in Christ and the one people of God, Jew and Gentile, and that the land points to the new creation.
per point: 3.3 · 2.1/20
The Seventh Day Sabbath
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The seventh-day Sabbath remains a binding commandment for Christians, and Sunday worship does not fulfil it.
The affirmative argues from creation, the Decalogue, Jesus' own practice, and the absence of any command changing the day. The negative argues that the Sabbath was a sign of the Mosaic covenant fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2:16, Hebrews 4) and that the first day marks the resurrection.
per point: 1.0 · 0.0/20
Rule of Faith
The Deuterocanonical Books
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The deuterocanonical books — Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1–2 Maccabees — are inspired Scripture and belong in the Old Testament canon.
The affirmative argues from the Septuagint, the early Church's use, the councils of Hippo and Carthage, and Trent. The negative argues that Jesus and the apostles received the Hebrew canon, that the books were never counted as Scripture by the Jews, and that Jerome and others distinguished them.
per point: 0.4 · 2.9/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Biblical Inerrancy
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The Bible, in its original manuscripts, is without error in everything it affirms — including matters of history and the natural world, not only faith and morals.
The affirmative defends the Chicago Statement position from the Bible's own claims about itself and Jesus' use of Scripture. The negative holds that Scripture is infallible in its saving purpose while containing genuine historical and scientific errors, and that inerrancy is a modern imposition.
per point: 2.2 · 1.8/20
Young Earth Creation
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Genesis 1–2 teaches that God created the heavens and the earth in six ordinary days within roughly the last ten thousand years, and a faithful reading of Scripture requires that conclusion.
The affirmative argues from the plain sense of the text, the genealogies, Exodus 20:11, and the theological link between death and the Fall. The negative argues that the text's genre and ancient Near Eastern context permit an old earth, and that day-age, framework, and analogical readings are faithful, not compromises.
per point: 2.7 · 2.1/20
Sola Scriptura
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: Scripture alone (sola scriptura) is the church's sole infallible rule of faith; sacred tradition and the ecclesial magisterium hold no equal or supplementary binding authority.
The Reformation's formal principle: Protestant sola scriptura against the Catholic/Orthodox claim that Scripture and apostolic tradition together, safeguarded by the Church's teaching office, form the rule of faith.
per point: 0.8 · 1.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Teaching Authority
Ongoing Revelation
Apostles and Prophets Today
Round 5 ACTIVEResolved: The New Testament teaches that the offices of apostle and prophet named in Ephesians 4:11 continue in the church until it reaches maturity, and were not confined to the first century.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative argues that Christ gave apostles and prophets alongside evangelists, shepherds and teachers “until we all attain to the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:11-13); that the New Testament names apostles beyond the Twelve (Acts 14:14; Galatians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 2:6; Romans 16:7); and that prophets served in local churches (Acts 13:1; 21:9-10; 1 Corinthians 14:29-32). The negative argues that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, laid once (Ephesians 2:20); that an apostle had to be a witness of the risen Christ (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:1), and Paul was the “last of all” to see Him (1 Corinthians 15:8); that the signs of an apostle marked that office (2 Corinthians 12:12); and that the New Testament already warns against those who call themselves apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13; Revelation 2:2).
per point: 1.9 · 2.4/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Authority of Modern Prophecy
Round 4 ACTIVEResolved: The New Testament presents the gift of prophecy in the church as authoritative revelation from God, not as a fallible impression for the church to weigh.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition, denominational statements and modern scholars' positions are not the standard. The affirmative argues that prophecy in Scripture is God speaking through a person (Deuteronomy 18:18-22; 2 Peter 1:21); that New Testament prophets spoke at the Spirit's direction (“Thus says the Holy Spirit”, Acts 21:11; Acts 13:1-2); that prophecy comes by revelation (1 Corinthians 14:30); and that it lays bare the secrets of the heart so that an unbeliever falls down and worships God (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). The negative argues that prophecy in the church is to be weighed and tested (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; 1 John 4:1); that “we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9); that Paul went to Jerusalem although disciples “through the Spirit” told him not to (Acts 21:4); that Agabus's details did not happen as spoken (Acts 21:11, 27-33); and that the apostles' word, not every prophet's, was received as the word of God (1 Corinthians 14:37-38; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
per point: 1.0 · 3.3/20
God & the Trinity 4 debates Hide Show 4 debates hidden — click to show
The nature and unity of God.
Does God Know the Future
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: God exhaustively and infallibly knows the whole future, including the free choices of His creatures, and open theism is therefore mistaken.
The affirmative argues from predictive prophecy, Isaiah 46:10, Psalm 139, and the classical doctrine of omniscience. The negative (open theism) argues that a future of genuinely free choices is not yet there to be known, that God changes His mind in Scripture, and that this honours both divine sovereignty and human freedom.
per point: 3.3 · 2.3/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Filioque
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque), and the Western addition to the Nicene Creed is a legitimate expression of apostolic faith.
The affirmative argues from John 15:26 with 16:14–15, Galatians 4:6, Augustine, and the unity of the divine operations. The negative (the Orthodox position) argues that the Father alone is the source of the Godhead, that the addition was made without an ecumenical council, and that it confuses the persons.
per point: 2.0 · 2.6/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Deity of Christ
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Jesus of Nazareth is fully God — co-eternal and of one essence with the Father — and the New Testament teaches this plainly rather than as a later development.
The affirmative builds the case from John 1, Philippians 2, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, the 'I AM' sayings, and the worship Jesus receives. The negative (unitarian and critical positions) argues that the earliest Christology was exalted-human or agent Christology and that full deity is a post-apostolic conclusion.
per point: 3.7 · 1.9/20
Trinity or Oneness?
Round 3 PAUSEDResolved: The Bible teaches that God is a single divine Person who is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, not three co-equal, co-eternal Persons in one Godhead.
This debate is argued from the Bible; church tradition, creeds and denominational statements are not the standard. The affirmative (Oneness) argues that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6, 24; 45:5); that all the fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus (Colossians 2:9); that the child born is called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6); that Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” and “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 10:30; 14:9); and that the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:17). The negative (Trinitarian) argues that the Son was with the Father before the world existed and shared His glory (John 1:1-2; 17:5, 24); that the Son prays to the Father and submits to His will (John 17; Luke 22:42); that Father, Son and Spirit appear together at Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:16-17); that the Spirit is “another Helper” sent by the Father and the Son (John 14:16, 26; 15:26); and that the three are named together (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
per point: 0.9 · 2.0/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
End Times 11 debates Hide Show 11 debates hidden — click to show
Eschatology — how and when the end unfolds.
All Israel Will Be Saved
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Romans 11:26 teaches a future, large-scale conversion of ethnic Israel to Christ.
The affirmative argues from Romans 11:11-15 and 11:23-29 (Israel's 'fullness', a partial hardening 'until' the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, gifts and calling that are irrevocable) and Zechariah 12:10 that a future turning of the Jewish people to Jesus as Messiah is promised. The negative argues that 'all Israel' is the whole elect people of God, Jew and Gentile (Romans 9:6, Galatians 6:16), that 'and so' means 'in this manner', and that Paul describes a remnant saved throughout the age (Romans 11:5), not a future mass conversion.
per point: 4.6 · 3.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Rebirth of Israel and Prophecy
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
The affirmative argues that the regathering promised in Ezekiel 36-37, Isaiah 11:11-12 and Amos 9:14-15 is a second, worldwide return distinct from the return from Babylon, and that 1948 is the budding fig tree of Matthew 24:32. The negative argues that those prophecies were fulfilled in the return under Ezra and Nehemiah or are fulfilled in Christ and his church, that the promised regathering is conditioned on repentance (Deuteronomy 30:1-5), and that a secular state founded in unbelief does not match the restoration the prophets describe.
per point: 2.2 · 1.8/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Israel and the Church
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: National Israel retains distinct, unfulfilled covenant promises — including the land — that the Church has not inherited or replaced.
The affirmative (dispensational) argues from the unconditional Abrahamic covenant, Romans 11, and the literal reading of prophecy. The negative (covenantal) argues that the promises are fulfilled in Christ and the one people of God, Jew and Gentile, and that the land points to the new creation.
per point: 3.3 · 2.1/20
Eternal Conscious Torment
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The final state of the unredeemed is everlasting conscious punishment, not annihilation or cessation of existence.
The affirmative argues from Matthew 25:46, Revelation 14:11 and 20:10, and the parallel with eternal life. The negative (conditional immortality) argues that 'destruction' and 'perish' mean what they say, that immortality is a gift not a given, and that the fire is unquenchable but its objects consumed.
per point: 0.6 · 1.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Millennium
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: Christ will return bodily before a literal thousand-year reign on the earth (premillennialism).
The affirmative argues from Revelation 20, the Old Testament kingdom prophecies, and the early Fathers. The negative (amillennial and postmillennial positions) argues that the thousand years is symbolic of the present reign of Christ, and that the New Testament knows only one return followed by judgment.
per point: 1.2 · 1.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Timing of the Rapture
Round 2 ACTIVEResolved: The church will be removed from the earth in a rapture that precedes the seven-year tribulation, rather than during or after it.
Dispensational premillennialism's pretribulation rapture — official doctrine in the Assemblies of God's own Statement of Fundamental Truths and shared broadly across dispensational and non-denominational evangelicalism — against the historic premillennial, mid/post-tribulational, and amillennial positions held elsewhere in the church.
per point: 1.1 · 2.1/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Soul Sleep
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: The dead are unconscious between death and the resurrection; there is no conscious intermediate state in heaven or hell.
The affirmative argues from Ecclesiastes 9:5, Psalm 146:4, the New Testament's language of 'sleep', and the centrality of bodily resurrection. The negative argues from the thief on the cross, Paul's desire to depart and be with Christ, the rich man and Lazarus, and the souls under the altar.
per point: 1.1 · 2.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Messianic Jews and the Torah
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Jewish believers in Jesus should continue to keep the Law of Moses -- Sabbath, food laws and circumcision -- as their covenant calling.
The affirmative (Messianic Jewish) argues that the Jerusalem church was 'zealous for the law' (Acts 21:20-24), that Paul himself kept the law and circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3), that the Jerusalem council freed Gentiles, not Jews, from the law (Acts 15), and that Jesus did not come to abolish the law (Matthew 5:17-19). The negative argues that Christ abolished the law of commandments that divided Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14-16), that food and Sabbath laws were a shadow of Christ (Colossians 2:16-17, Mark 7:19), that in Christ circumcision counts for nothing (Galatians 5:6, 6:15), and that Paul lived 'as one under the law' only to win Jews (1 Corinthians 9:20-21).
per point: 2.1 · 2.5/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
The Third Temple
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Bible prophecy requires a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem before Christ's return.
The affirmative argues from Daniel 9:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, and Ezekiel 40-48's detailed temple vision as describing a future, literal structure. The negative argues the Church itself is now God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 2:21) and that Ezekiel's vision, like Daniel's, is symbolic or has already found its fulfilment in Christ.
per point: 3.3 · 2.6/20
Salvation and the Jewish People
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Jewish people can be saved through God's covenant with Israel, apart from faith in Jesus as the Messiah.
The affirmative (dual-covenant theology) argues that God's covenant with Israel was never revoked (Romans 11:28-29, 'the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable'), that Paul leaves Israel's final salvation in God's hands rather than in a mission to convert, and that the Church's call to the nations does not cancel Israel's own covenant. The negative argues that there is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12, John 14:6), that the apostles preached Jesus as Messiah to Jews first (Acts 2:36-38, Romans 1:16), and that Paul prays for his own people to be saved because zeal for the law without Christ does not save (Romans 10:1-4).
per point: 1.7 · 3.2/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE
Christians and the Modern State of Israel
Round 1 PAUSEDResolved: Christians have a biblical obligation to support the modern State of Israel.
The affirmative (Christian Zionism) argues from the blessing promised to those who bless Abraham's offspring (Genesis 12:3), the call to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), the Gentiles' debt to Israel (Romans 15:27) and God's continuing purpose for the Jewish people. The negative argues that the promise to Abraham's offspring is fulfilled in Christ and those who belong to him (Galatians 3:16, 29), that Christ's kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), that the New Testament binds Christians to no earthly nation, and that Christians owe love and justice to Jews and Palestinians alike, Palestinian Christians included.
per point: 2.4 · 3.0/20 ⚠ VOLUME-SENSITIVE