For me this was perhaps the least satisfying of the four segments - 25 minutes is just not sufficient time to do the subject justice. For instance, the foundational issue of what is the purpose of sex (something we’ve referenced a number of times on this blog) wasn’t discussed at all, and without settling that foundation it is very difficult to discuss the meaning of marriage at all, and thus the legitimacy or otherwise of same-sex relationships.

In terms of the overall impact of the debate there was probably no single knock out blow. Who you think ‘won’ will probably be based on which side of the arguments you were on in the first place, but I think some important issues were aired in a helpful way. Both Steve and Andrew are highly engaging, articulate and intelligent, so they make good debating partners. Clearly Andrew is the better read and more scholarly informed of the two, but Steve has an incredible wealth of experience and a more impressive track record of social engagement. Of course, from my side of the fence Andrew’s arguments were by far the most convincing, and I think it is a tragedy that Steve has shifted so far from a biblically defensible position. The most amusing thing was how embarrassed Steve looked every time an episode was introduced with a, “in this weeks debate…” when clearly the whole thing was filmed in one go. Anyway, in case you missed them, here are the first three rounds of the debate: