Falwell: Debate Team Makes Appearance in Nation’s Number One Book

The Nation’s Number One Debate Team Makes an Appearance in the Nation’s Number One Book

Date: June 19, 2006
From: Brett O’Donnell, Liberty University Debate Coach

Brett O’Donnell, coach of the Liberty University Debate Team, which this year became the first university ever to win all three intercollegiate debating associations, has issued the following press release:

Liberty Debate receives mention in conservative author Ann Coulter’s latest book, Godless, which is the number one book this week on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover/nonfiction. The paragraph found on page 15 recounts the story of Dr. Falwell being misquoted by Newsweek magazine in the recent article on Liberty Debate. (The Newsweek article may be read at this site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11078887/site/newsweek/ <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11078887/site/newsweek/> ).

Three paragraphs from Ms. Coulter’s book are excerpted below.

Meanwhile, Newsweek ran an article about the looming danger of evangelicals learning to debate, noting that Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University had the number-one debate club in the country. The reporter quoted Falwell saying, “We are training debaters who can perform assault ministry.” These evangelicals are scary!

Newsweek later ran a correction stating: “Newsweek misquoted Falwell as referring to ‘assault ministry.’ In fact, Falwell was referring to ‘a salt ministry’ — a reference to Matthew 5:13, where Jesus says, ‘Ye are the salt of the earth.’ We regret the error.”

Liberals consider it self-evident that they are being persecuted simply for wanting to do the right thing and always believe their critics’ motives are vile and corrupt — which may be why Liberty University routinely kicks their butts in debate.

In March, Dr. Falwell’s National Liberty Journal, in an article on the Newsweek error and what the paper identified as a growing “biblical illiteracy” in the media, noted: “Once again we see that the secular press is lost when it comes to having any knowledge of the Bible.”

For additional information on Liberty Debate, readers may contact:
Brett M. O’Donnell, Director of Debate
Liberty University
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24502
434-582-2080

What a freakshow! :freak: :freak: :freak:

Seems like a very appropriate place for Liberty University to locate itself.

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Debate

Liberty's Inter-Collegiate policy debate program, led by Brett O'Donnell, was ranked number one overall in the National Debate Tournament <12> in the fall of 2005. <13> The touting of this by Liberty has lead to some controversy, as the overall ranking included results for novice and junior varsity debates. In varsity rankings, Liberty was twentieth. The mischaracterization by the media of Liberty having "one of the nation's great collegiate debate programs"<14> has sparked anger in other debate leagues, including the two parliamentary leagues.

Freelance writer, businessman, and social commentator Ed Brayton, in his blog, Dispatches from the Culture Wars, has alleged that the Liberty Debate team accumulates points by sending lots of teams to small tournaments while avoiding known debate champions like Michigan State, Berkeley, Dartmouth and Harvard, instead favoring lesser ranked opponents like Kings College, Army and Richmond. <15>
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http://www.answers.com/topic/liberty-university

pnorman

book comes from the (Neocon) Urban Legend that the Supreme Court declared humanism a religion in the 80's. In fact, it was a state supreme court in one of those red state hell holes that declared this and the decision was overturned once the case reached a court where judges possessed cerebral cortices.

MSU would wipe the floor with them. I think they just won the NDT again.

I think the debate subculture is more likely to change these fundie kids (for the better) than they are likely to use their debate skills to influence the system to Falwell's advantage.