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Title: Did Jesus Claim to Be God? Debaters: David Wood (Affirmative) vs. Alex O’Connor (Negative)

 DEBATE SUMMARY REPORT

Title: Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

Debaters: David Wood (Affirmative) vs. Alex O’Connor (Negative)

Moderator: Present

Date: April 2025

Source: The Odd Xian Blog


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STRUCTURE OVERVIEW

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- Opening Statements (20 min each)

- Rebuttals

- Counter-Rebuttals

- Open Dialogue

- Audience Q&A

- Closing Statements


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SUMMARY OF POSITIONS

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David Wood (Affirmative):

- Jesus claimed to be divine explicitly and implicitly.

- Cited OT texts (Daniel 7) and Jesus' own words (John 8:58).

- Emphasized early Christian worship of Jesus as divine.

- Argued that Jesus was executed for blasphemy, affirming His divine claims.

- Connected Jewish expectation of a divine Messiah to Jesus’ self-identification.


Alex O’Connor (Negative):

- Jesus never claimed divinity; those ideas developed after His death.

- Highlighted discrepancies between Synoptic Gospels and John.

- Pointed to Jesus’ humanity (e.g., prayer, ignorance of the hour) as incompatible with divinity.

- Argued that theological development explains divine titles and worship.

- Warned against anachronistic readings of 1st-century texts.


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CATEGORY ANALYSIS & SCORES

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1. Scriptural Evidence

   - Wood: Strong, detailed use of OT and NT texts.

   - O’Connor: General critique of Gospel reliability.

   - WINNER: Wood


2. Historical Context

   - Wood: Positioned early Christian belief as consistent with Jewish thought.

   - O’Connor: Emphasized gospel timeline and theological evolution.

   - WINNER: O’Connor


3. Logical Coherence

   - Wood: Coherent link between Jesus’ actions, trial, and worship.

   - O’Connor: Raised questions but lacked explanatory power.

   - WINNER: Wood


4. Rebuttal Strength

   - Wood: Anticipated objections, directly addressed them.

   - O’Connor: Focused on ambiguity, left some key claims untouched.

   - WINNER: Wood


5. Persuasiveness & Delivery

   - Wood: Energetic, structured, pastorally engaging.

   - O’Connor: Calm, philosophical, academic.

   - RESULT: Tie


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OVERALL EVALUATION

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Final Score:

- David Wood: 3 Wins

- Alex O’Connor: 1 Win

- 1 Tie


Conclusion:

David Wood presented a more cohesive and compelling argument, strongly supported by Scripture, logical structure, and historical context. While Alex O’Connor raised important questions about Gospel development and historical uncertainty, he did not sufficiently refute the affirmative's central claims.


Winner: David Wood


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RECOMMENDED FOLLOW-UP

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- For Christians: Study Daniel 7, John 8, and early Christology (e.g., Philippians 2).

- For Skeptics: Examine Gospel authorship timelines and compare Christological claims.

- Suggested reading:

  - Daniel Boyarin, *The Jewish Gospels*

  - Larry Hurtado, *Lord Jesus Christ*

  - Bart Ehrman, *How Jesus Became God* (for counterpoint)

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