Problems with missionaries

[Jason]

I listened twice and that was tough.

You're stronger than me. I only made it through once! It really was hard to listen to, on both sides of the debate. James White is so smug in his "knowledge," but he pronounces both Greek and Hebrew words in probably the worst possible way. I don't know if he does it intentionally or if he just doesn't care. Lee Baker, on the other hand, has the basics right, but he doesn't have the depth of knowledge to hold his own against someone like White, who considers himself an expert on biblical languages.

I thought James White had the better oratory skills allowing for assumptions and premises that went unchallenged, while Mr. Baker was the honest one and although he did well enough he may have lacked the tools for this type of debate. He certainly had the passion.

The problem is that he was debating passion instead of sense.

Agreed Jason, it was a crapshow and a disappointment to not hear a stronger argument against James Whites take of Isaiah 53. Frustrating also was to hear him dismiss as irrelevant the other places in the Servant Songs where the servant is referred to as Israel when it was asked what he thought the audience may think of that.

Honestly, if the text itself is Messianic, it could be that עַבְדִּי could refer to two different people or characters at different times. In the book of Joshua, Moses is called עֶ֫בֶד ה׳ in one chapter, and then in another chapter it is Joshua who is called עֶ֫בֶד ה׳. If context demanded it, we could interpret Isaiah 53 as speaking of a different servant. The kicker is that context doesn't demand it. In fact, it speaks against Jesus as the "servant" there.

I would also have liked to have seen him challenged on Isaiah 7:14 and the Hebrew words for Almah and Betulah. He skillfully jumped to the Greek word Parthenos, smoothing his way into a discussion of the Septuagint. His oratory skills allowed him to dodge where someone with a stronger grasp of the Hebrew and Tanach could have countered.   He made many assertions that went unchallenged in the debate. Dual prophecies are an easy way out and for avoiding historical reality.

If I had to hear almah and bethulah from him one more time, I was going to pull out my hair. Why pronounce words like that?! Yuck!