James White (theologian)
Encyclopedia
James Robert White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, an evangelical
Reformed
Christian
apologetics
organization based in Phoenix, Arizona
. He is the author
of more than twenty books and has engaged in numerous moderated debates
. White serves as an elder
of the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church.
organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a B.A.
from Grand Canyon College
, an M.A.
from Fuller Theological Seminary
, and a Th.M., a Th.D. and a D.Min. from Columbia Evangelical Seminary (formerly Faraston Seminary), a non-accredited Distance Learning seminary where students work closely with a mentor to create a self-paced curriculum designed to meet their own specific ministerial needs. He has served as a professor of Greek
, Hebrew
, systematic theology
, and various apologetics topics at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary's extension campus in Arizona and the non-accredited Distance Learning school Columbia Evangelical Seminary . He is also a critical consultant for the Lockman Foundation
's New American Standard Bible
.
White is an avid debater, having participated in almost 100 public moderated debates
, covering topics such as Calvinism
, Roman Catholicism, Islam
, Mormonism
, the King James Only movement, and Jehovah's Witnesses
. His debate opponents have included scholars such as Bart Ehrman, John Dominic Crossan
and Marcus Borg
and popularizers such as Dan Barker
and John Shelby Spong
.
He also contributes to an apologetics weblog, runs a chatroom on the Alpha and Omega website, and hosts a bi-weekly internet webcast called The Dividing Line, on which he answers call-in questions from listeners. Some of his most noted works have discussed topics such as the King James Only movement and the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism
. His books have elicited further response from those he criticizes.
He is an elder of the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church, has been married to his wife Kelli for more than twenty-six years, and has two children, Joshua and Summer.
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Reformed
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
apologetics
Apologetics
Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers...
organization based in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. He is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of more than twenty books and has engaged in numerous moderated debates
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
. White serves as an elder
Elder (Christianity)
An elder in Christianity is a person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is a clergy person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of Word,...
of the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church.
Biography
White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, a Christian apologeticsChristian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Grand Canyon College
Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University is a for-profit Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Grand Canyon Education . GCU was founded in 1949 as a non-profit liberal arts college. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. purchased Grand Canyon University in February 2004...
, an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
, and a Th.M., a Th.D. and a D.Min. from Columbia Evangelical Seminary (formerly Faraston Seminary), a non-accredited Distance Learning seminary where students work closely with a mentor to create a self-paced curriculum designed to meet their own specific ministerial needs. He has served as a professor of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, systematic theology
Systematic theology
In the context of Christianity, systematic theology is a discipline of Christian theology that attempts to formulate an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the Christian faith and beliefs...
, and various apologetics topics at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary's extension campus in Arizona and the non-accredited Distance Learning school Columbia Evangelical Seminary . He is also a critical consultant for the Lockman Foundation
Lockman Foundation
The Lockman Foundation was started in 1942 by F. Dewey Lockman and his wife Minna Lockman. It is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian ministry dedicated to the translation, publication, and distribution of the New American Standard Bible , Amplified Bible and other Biblical resources.The...
's New American Standard Bible
New American Standard Bible
The New American Standard Bible , also informally called New American Standard Version , is an English translation of the Bible....
.
White is an avid debater, having participated in almost 100 public moderated debates
, covering topics such as Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, Roman Catholicism, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
, the King James Only movement, and Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
. His debate opponents have included scholars such as Bart Ehrman, John Dominic Crossan
John Dominic Crossan
John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American religious scholar and former Catholic priest known for co-founding the Jesus Seminar. Crossan is a major figure in the fields of biblical archaeology, anthropology and New Testament textual and higher criticism. He is also a lecturer who has appeared in...
and Marcus Borg
Marcus Borg
Marcus J. Borg is an American Biblical scholar and author. He is a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, holds a DPhil degree from Oxford University and is Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, an endowed chair, at Oregon State University, from which he retired in 2007...
and popularizers such as Dan Barker
Dan Barker
Dan Barker is a prominent American atheist activist who served as a Christian preacher and musician for 19 years but left Christianity in 1984.-Biography:...
and John Shelby Spong
John Shelby Spong
John Shelby "Jack" Spong is a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was formerly the Bishop of Newark . He is a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author...
.
He also contributes to an apologetics weblog, runs a chatroom on the Alpha and Omega website, and hosts a bi-weekly internet webcast called The Dividing Line, on which he answers call-in questions from listeners. Some of his most noted works have discussed topics such as the King James Only movement and the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
. His books have elicited further response from those he criticizes.
He is an elder of the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church, has been married to his wife Kelli for more than twenty-six years, and has two children, Joshua and Summer.
Authorship
White has written articles for the CRI Journal, Modern Reformation, Tabletalk, and the Reformed Baptist Theological Review.Formal debates
- "Is the Bible True?" vs. Robert M. PriceRobert M. PriceRobert McNair Price is an American theologian and writer. He teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, is professor of biblical criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute, and the author of a number of books on theology and the historicity of Jesus, including...
, May, 2010, aboard ship on the Carnival LegendCarnival LegendCarnival Legend is a Spirit class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. It was built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards which was a subsidiary of Kvaerner, in Helsinki, Finland. It was launched on December 17, 2001, and delivered to Carnival on 14 August 2002.Carnival Legend currently offers a 7-day... - "Is the New testament Inspired in Light of Textual Variation?" vs. Bart Ehrman, January, 2009, aboard ship on the Celebrity Century
- "Is Homosexuality Compatible with Authentic, Biblical, Orthodox Christianity?" vs. John Shelby SpongJohn Shelby SpongJohn Shelby "Jack" Spong is a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was formerly the Bishop of Newark . He is a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author...
, November, 2006, Orlando, FL - "Is the New Testament We Possess Today Inspired?" vs. Shabir AllyShabir AllyImmam Shabir Ally is the president of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International in Toronto, Canada. He is a Muslim activist, preacher and speaker on Islam and Muslims. He is also a debater engaging in regular debates in different parts of the world....
, May, 2006, La Mirada, CA - "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ", vs. Marcus BorgMarcus BorgMarcus J. Borg is an American Biblical scholar and author. He is a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, holds a DPhil degree from Oxford University and is Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, an endowed chair, at Oregon State University, from which he retired in 2007...
and John Dominic CrossanJohn Dominic CrossanJohn Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American religious scholar and former Catholic priest known for co-founding the Jesus Seminar. Crossan is a major figure in the fields of biblical archaeology, anthropology and New Testament textual and higher criticism. He is also a lecturer who has appeared in...
(with James Renihan), August, 2005, aboard ship on the Sun PrincessMS Sun PrincessSun Princess is a Sun class cruise ship built in 1995 and operated by the Princess Cruises line. At the time of her construction, she was one of the largest cruise ships in the world... - "Is the Orthodox, Biblical Account of Jesus of Nazareth Authentic & Historically Accurate?", vs. John Dominic CrossanJohn Dominic CrossanJohn Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American religious scholar and former Catholic priest known for co-founding the Jesus Seminar. Crossan is a major figure in the fields of biblical archaeology, anthropology and New Testament textual and higher criticism. He is also a lecturer who has appeared in...
, August, 2005, Seattle, WA - "Are Roman Catholics Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ?", vs. Douglas WilsonDouglas Wilson (theologian)Douglas James Wilson is a conservative Reformed and evangelical theologian, pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, faculty member at New Saint Andrews College, and prolific author and speaker...
, November, 2004, Los Angeles, CA - "Is Homosexuality Consistent with Biblical Christianity", vs. Barry LynnBarry W. LynnBarry W. Lynn, Esq. has been the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and a prominent leader of the American religious left...
, May, 2001, Long Island, NY - "The Papacy", vs. Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, May, 1998, Long Island, NY
- "Sola Scriptura", vs. Gerry Matatics, August, 1990, Long Beach, CA