I promised to reveal The Chicken's identity when I knew for sure that he was indeed a chicken. Now that it has been confirmed I can tell you The Chicken is none other than Rev. Dr. Allen Hunt. I can tell you're surprised.
Here's the deal: several weeks ago I made an overture to Allen (by way of his long-suffering producer Andy) to debate him on an upcoming show. My offer was this:
Instead of having open mic hour (or "Hunt for the Truth" or whatever he is calling it these days- my own suggestion was: "Stupid Questions / Stupid Answers")-instead of that we have a friendly debate. Not name-calling, not attacking, just a chat between two reasonable people who are earnestly seeking the Truth. Allen is always yammering about how his show is the place "where real life and faith come together", so what better way to demonstrate that but have him engage in dialogue with someone like me?
But wait a sec, you say, why should Allen use his own airtime to debate someone who is an unknown, whose only credentials are that he hates the show? Fair enough. So I included in my offer an alternative. I offered to arrange for Allen to go on the Debate Hour (an Infidel Guy production) and debate scholar Robert "The Bible Geek" Price on the reliability of Scripture. Allen declined both offers. I found this out not from Allen himself, who couldn't be bothered to respond to me personally, but through Andy, who didn't offer an explanation (not much he could he say I guess, except 'Sorry, my boss is a pussy who can't stand up to a few honest questions').
But wait, I hear you say again. Couldn't it be something else? Maybe he is just too busy to debate you? Well...here are some things he has time for:
So yes, I'm calling Allen out. I'm pulling his bitch card for all the internets to see. I'm still fond of Allen in a strange way (the way you feel sorry for a mentally ill person), and I still respect his scholarship, but I no longer categorize him as something more elevated than the garden-variety televangelists who also consider themselves exempt from debate.
Why is it that our friend is afraid to answer questions from a skeptic? He has no problem questioning and challenging others. He has no problem giving his opinion on every subject imaginable (morality, ethics, psychology, history, biology, etc). His ego is even so large that he presumes to tell YOU how to live based on his faith in a magical instruction book. And yet he can't be bothered to engage in a civil debate with someone on the central issue that underlies his whole world-view. Typical, but disappointing nonetheless. I really had thought he was something better than this.
Bonus: October 8th and 22nd events. Maybe they should call it Allen-Fil-A
Listen to Allen's response to my challenge here:
