A high-powered Catholic/Protestant debate! Held before an audience of over 1,000 people at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, California in March, 1995.
Dr. William Marshner joins Patrick Madrid and Bob Sungenis, a team of three Catholic apologists, against a three-man team of Protestant apologists: Dr. Robert Godfrey (Calvinist; president of Westminster Theological Seminary, Escondido), Dr. Rod Rosenbladt (Lutheran; professor of theology, Scripture, and apologetics at Concordia University), and Dr. Michael Horton (Reformed Episcopalian; author and host of “The White Horse Inn” radio show).
8 audio CDs — also available as an audio MP3 download from www.patrickmadrid.com.
The first day of debate (approximately four hours) was on the question of sola Scriptura (Latin: by Scripture Alone). The Protestant side defended this Reformation principle, arguing for the notion of the formal sufficiency of Scripture.
The Catholic team countered with a biblical and historical critique of sola Scriptura, arguing that “Scripture alone” is itself unbiblical and alien to historic Christianity; it is not what Christ or the Apostles taught, it was not believed or taught by the early Church, and it has wrought incalculable theological damage and division within Protestantism over the last 500 years.
The second day of debate focused on the Reformation principle of sola fide (Latin: [justification] by faith alone). Again, the Protestant team argued from Scripture in their effort to demonstrate that we are justified by faith alone, and that the Catholic teaching on justification and salvation is unbiblical.
The Catholic team offered a robust critique of sola fide, aiming to show, from Scripture and the testimony of the early Church Fathers, that this pivotal Reformation principle is, in fact, founded upon an mistaken understanding of Scripture and is, therefore, alien to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Powerful, dramatic, challenging, and grace-filled! A serious debate for all serious students of Catholic apologetics.