Dr. Norman L. Geisler (author, educator, and Dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC) and Mr. Farrell Till (editor of The Skeptical Review and English teacher at Spoon River College, Canton, IL) met for public debate March 29, 1994, at the Columbus College Fine Arts Hall (Columbus, GA). The proposition was "Jesus of Nazareth died and rose bodily from the grave," which Geisler affirmed and Till denied. The format was two 20 minute speeches followed by two 10 minute rebuttals. There was then a 30-minute period of questions from the audience and finally, the closing speeches of two minutes each. Geisler won the toss and, thus, spoke first.
NOTE: This transcript is not the official record of the debate although it has been reviewed and approved by Farrell Till. While complete accuracy was attempted, errors no doubt persist. Square brackets ([]) were used for explanatory insertions and to indicate that it was impossible to determine from the tape what was said. Ellipses (…) were used to show that the speaker did not complete his thought (they do not imply that words were left out of the manuscript).