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CORVALLIS -- The OSU Socratic Club will sponsor a debate on the topic, "Does the World Need Jesus?" on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in Austin Auditorium of the LaSells Stewart Center. 

The speakers are Marcus Borg and Martin Emmrich. The debate focuses on what the Jesus of the Bible has to offer to a world of relativism and cynicism. The speakers will ask: Why should his voice be heard? Is it merely one among the appeals of many pundits that compete in the marketplace of ideas? 

The debate is free and open to the public.

Borg is a member of the Jesus Seminar and author of more than 18 books including "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time." He holds a Ph.D in Philosophy from Oxford University. He was recently appointed Canon Theologian of Trinity Cathedral in Portland.  

Emmrich is currently pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Corvallis. He holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Hermeneutics from Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. He is the author of "Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews" and several articles on biblical subjects.  

The debate opens the Socratic Club's eighth year as a student organization at Oregon State University. The club is modeled on the original Socratic Club, which was founded at Oxford University in 1941, with C. S. Lewis serving as president. At OSU it offers a forum for opposing points of view on subjects of contemporary debate at the intersection of Christian belief and contemporary culture. Each speaker is given 25 minutes to present one side of an issue, after which the two query each other regarding their differences before the floor is opened to questions from members of the audience.

For more information visit the OSU Socratic Club online at http://oregonstate.edu/groups/socratic/index.html