Thank You, James White

On October 3rd James White [JW] gave us more air time on the Dividing Line, again. Around the 42 minute mark JW begins his commentary on some of our recently published blog posts. After listening to his commentary I struck with a kind of thankfulness. So I thought I would take today’s post and thank JW.

1.) I want to thank JW for taking the debate in the first place. In the broader evangelical world he’s a big fish and I’m a small fish.

2.) I wanted to thank JW for the increase of traffic here to the blog and to our YouTube channel. The argument for a standard sacred text is spreading and in large part because of JW.

3.) I want to thank JW for the increase in opportunity to both answer questions and explain our position. I have lost count how many folks have reached out to me via email, FB private messenger, and here on the blog asking for clarifications, book recommendations, and answers to potential objections. This would not be possible without JW.

4.) I want to thank JW for the opportunity to debate. It has been very instructive in what debates look like among Christians, what Christians care about in debates, and what I can do to meet them where they are.

5.) Concerning the October 3rd DL, I want to thank JW for once again demonstrating that my arguments remain undefeated. I mean he complains about the faces I made and the fact that he had never heard these arguments before, but even 10 days later he has offered no substantive response.

6.) Concerning the same DL, I want to thank JW for doing exactly what I said he would do in this post and this post. JW is going to JW.

7.) I want to thank JW for bringing up the same failing stale arguments he always does. They made my work a lot easier and they also leave room for significant improvement for anyone interested.

8.) I want to thank JW for allowing me to live rent free in his head especially considering he regards our position as a minority position and idiosyncratic. Nevermind that in the history of the Church it is his position which is the minority and is idiosyncratic; the fact that JW persists in addressing us tells me that we are definitely onto something. Thank you for that affirmation JW.

I am reminded of the Archbishop who sought to buy all of Tyndale’s New Testaments only to burn them. Augustine Packington, who was in league with Tyndale, replied that he could get most of Tyndale’s New Testaments, at least those that were not yet sold. The Archbishop agreed and Packington sent the New Testaments which the former promptly burned. The comedy of it all was that the Archbishop had unwittingly funded through Packington the production of Tyndale’s second edition of the New Testament. In like manner, JW has been more help to our cause here than he knows and for that we are thankful. By all means, keep up the good work.