Tonight (Friday, March 20), the Ballard Campus of Mars Hill Church will be hosting a debate I am participating in on the existence of Satan. On my side, arguing that Satan does exist, is my Christian sister Annie Lobert, who works to free women from sexual abuse and slavery. On the other side, arguing that Satan does not exist, is New Age guru Deepak Chopra and former Pentecostal pastor Bishop Carlton Pearson, who in recent years has denied much of what is Christian in favor of vague spirituality.
This is the final lineup after some changes. When I originally signed on for the debate, self-proclaimed former Christian and leading critic of the reliability of the Bible Bart Ehrman was supposed to be with Deepak Chopra. I began preparing for the debate by studying Ehrman’s work and requesting that either Ravi Zacharias or Don Carson be invited to join me in representing the Christian side of the debate. Apparently Ehrman had to back out, and, in God’s providence, the curious foursome is now set.
The debate will be filmed before a live audience at Mars Hill. Seats were spoken for as soon as the opportunity opened up, so please don’t show up thinking there will be a seat. The show will be edited and then will air on Nightline. Additionally, at some point the debate will be posted online, and we’ll let you know where to find it when it is available. The show normally enjoys some 3 to 4 million viewers a night, but the producers have said that the faith-based, debate-type issues have historically drawn record ratings for them.
For those who feel inclined, prayers for Annie and me would be appreciated so that we would honor Jesus in both our attitudes and answers. Furthermore, you can pray for the editing process because hours of footage will be reduced to minutes of television.
You can also pray for me as this is a wonderful opportunity amidst a very busy season. Last week we had an amazing international church planters summit at the church (with upwards of eight hundred men from around the world coming in for training), a one-night training conference for the people of Mars Hill, and I officiated my little sister’s wedding. Last Sunday my wife Grace, though sick, joined me on stage to help answer questions about the sermon I preached from 1 Peter 3:1–6 on gender roles in marriage. Meanwhile, the ongoing media requests and nitpicking of critics is eating up an hour or two a day.
After the debate, the manuscript for the book Doctrine is due. It has turned out to be quite a major project, taking far more time than I was anticipating and has me up ‘til midnight most nights. Then, it’s Easter, which is our biggest day of the year, followed by the Gospel Coalition conference in Chicago and another event I’m preaching at on the Song of Songs in Springfield, Missouri. This is on top of my usual duties as a husband, daddy to five kids, pastor of a church, and occasional little league parent, helping my sons learn to hit the outside pitch without pulling it and invariably popping it up. Overall, life is good. But lately it’s just so full that keeping it all moving forward is admittedly complicated and I find myself grumpier than normal.
