The Cairo Debate — Page 3
Debate in Progress. Can any one except Jesus be impeccable?. In the Christian school of theology this dogma is of cardinal import. They construct the premises and deduce Atonement along the following lines. . Every man is under the sway of sin. Its hold is universal. A redeemer and savior is called for. . Since mankind is a race of wrongdoers it cannot serve as its own redeemer. But Jesus was God. . He assumed the body of man. He was, therefore, whole and upright. It follows he can make good the loss of man and offer atonement. . If we evince that a man-or for that matter men had led the lives of absolute moral purity the Christian view will fail instantly. . The warp and woof of Atonement will disintegrate. The infallibility of prophets stands as anathema to. Christians who trade in Atonement. Dr. Philips stuck to his guns. Sinless man is inconceivable. . We argued the question twice. In the first discussion Dr. Philips was dumbfounded. He demanded time to prepare his answer stipulating that I hand over my own notes and relevant references. Willingly. I fell in with his wishes intent on leaving no room for any excuse. Two weeks of deliberation 3