Dr. Randal Rauser Asks Me for a Debate Rematch: "God of Genocide? A Debate on Biblical Violence"

I was happy to be asked to debate him and have agreed! It should be fun and informative and challenging.

Previously we had debated the existence of God at his home church in Edmonton, Canada, on June 5, 2013. On May 4th we're going to debate again, this time at Modern Day Debate which has a Religion and Atheism Debates channel with 45.6K subscribers! Our debate proposition is this: "The Bible, with its divinely commanded violence, wasn't inspired by a perfect God."

I'm sure his material can be found in his just recently released book from "2 Cup Press", Jesus Loves Caananites, you know, the people Yahweh told the Israelites to slaughter back before his day. 

When asked, Randal told me to prep by re-reading our co-written book God or Godless. Okay, I will. I would love it if my readers would do so as well. It's a really good book! [Blurbs below]. 

Even though our relationship had deteriorated to the point that he blocked me from his Twitter feed and prohibited me from commenting on his blog (which in all honesty was my fault due to an utter frustation with his obtuseness), I asked Randal late in January to consider writing a blurb for my very last book on the incompatibility of God and horrendous suffering, to be released near Halloween. He agreed and I sent him the book files for review. He read them then shocked me with this blurb:

As a Christian apologist, I can say that there is no intellectual objection to Christianity more daunting than the problem of horrendous suffering. In this important new book, John Loftus has gathered a diverse collection of voices that seek to build a comprehensive, multi-pronged critique of Christianity based on this most difficult problem. No Christian apologist can afford to ignore it. -- Dr. Randal Rauser, Professor of Historical Theology, Taylor Seminary.

I'm supposing he has some answers to my anthology, we'll see. Got any advice?

Blurbs for God or Godless:

"This is a fascinating and sometimes humorous intro to twenty common debates between atheists and theists. You'll find countless rambling and confused versions of such debates online. But here you will find a clear, concise, well-written exchange on each. Keeping it short, the authors can't include every point to be made, but they make a good show of where each side stands on these questions and why. If you want to continue these debates further, start with this." --Richard Carrier, author of Sense and Goodness without God.

"The argument between skeptics and Christians has existed since the beginning of Christianity. Randal Rauser and John Loftus continue that argument with gusto, conciseness, and civility. This book should be the first stop for readers shopping for dueling voices from two of the most articulate advocates for Christianity and atheism." --Hector Avalos, professor of religious studies, Iowa State University.

"In God or Godless?, Randal Rauser and John Loftus provide bite-sized discussions on a variety of topics. The discussions are very readable and provide helpful overviews. This book is an enjoyable and informative read that will challenge you to think about the issues discussed." --Michael R. Licona, associate professor of theology, Houston Baptist University; author of Paul Meets Muhammad.

"This is not a quarrel, nor one of those flame wars of the deaf that rage across cyberspace then spill angrily into print, nor even that stuffy, artificial creation known as a 'religious dialogue.' What we have here is conversation: at times witty, at times tendentious, often humorous, and almost always engaged on emotional as well as intellectual levels. Rauser is master of parables with a philosophical point; Loftus makes an art form of heart-on-his-sleeve pragmatism. Both land blows, yet the book contains hardly a trace of bitterness. At its best, it reaches the level of a mythical, Platonic debate in a pub. Almost no one will fully agree with either writer, nor fail to enjoy the rhetorical flow." --David Marshall, author of The Truth Behind the New Atheism.