Who makes the better argument?

There are very few questions or statements that truely stimulate my intellect and light a fire to my thinking cap other than this:

"Who makes the better argument?"

 

Ahh, I love it! I don't so much like to be IN the debate, but I love to witness a good debate. I love to see the wheels turning in someone's head as their beliefs, experiences and organized theories are challenged. Even if I believe the person is wrong, there is something to be said about the one who makes the better argument. Was it their verbiage? Their tone of voice? Their extensive knowledge on the subject? It could be a number of reasons, but someone had the edge.

 

On a light note, this morning I read a little debate about coffee, which if you know me you know I LOVE. One Dr. argued that there are so many benefits to drinking coffee that everyone should partake. She gushed about how the clinical studies show a decline in the percent of recorded and admitted depression. The other Dr. said that while there are benefits to coffee, it should be treated as a drug only for recreational and occassional use. He went on to say that the afternoon "low" increases depression and raises cortisol levels which is is reason enough to not drink coffee at all. I wish these two would sit down and talk to each other with their charts and clinical findins over a cup of....um....water? And I wish that I could be a fly on the wall - or to not turn into an annoying flying insect - a person sitting at the table with them would suffice. Either way, I wish I could be there, drinking coffee (yessssss) and listening to the reasoning behind their ideas.

 

On a much more serious note, we saw the "social media trial of the century" (here) where Casey Anthony had every hateful finger in America pointing against her for the murder of her 2yr-old daughter, Caylee. Reading the articles and Wikipedia summary about Caylee's death is sickening. I have my views that I could rant and rave about but that is not what my goal is today. My question in this moment about this particular case, is who made the better argument? They - whoever "they" are - say that the prosecution relied too heavily on Casey's shady character instead of being able to prove how Caylee was murdered (which in my opinion was enough ALONE to seal the deal). What psychological pictures did the defense paint to even give the slightest hint of "reasonable doubt"?

 

On a much much more serious note, I have to be honest and say that I so often fall short in providing a good argument for my faith. This being prefaced by a couple paragraphs above when I said I would much rather witness the debate than actually be in it. I have no problem expressing my opinions, beliefs, or thoughts on any particular issue. I know what I believe and know all the Bible words to say that I have heard pretty much my whole life. But at the end of the conversation, day, year, life - will I be able to say that I made the better argument for why Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life? He has taken me from a broken, horrible place into a communion with Him. He has given me unmerited favor that can't compare to any gift I have ever or will ever receive.

 

Isn't is my responsibility and ultimately should be my joy to make the better argument?