everything's a debate

As much as I've been helped by many of the writings of James White over the years, I've come to the conclusion that he is the embodiment of every negative connotation associated with the word "dogmatic." Sometimes I want to clobber him over his bald head and say, "RELAX!" Here's an excerpt from his thoughts on the death of John Paul II:

Sit back and start taking notes. How many, anywhere, even in "Christian media," will address the only relevant issue regarding the death of John Paul II? And that issue?
Well, it isn't the length of his Pontificate, one of the longest and most stable in centuries.
It isn't the fact that as far as Pontiffs go, he was a great administrator, traveler, even uniter of a very factionalized church. His "greatness" as a Pope isn't an issue.
It won't be that he was a nice man, or that he took courageous stands on controversial issues.
No, the issue almost no one will speak about is very simple: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And further:

As I have noted on the Dividing Line, the passing of John Paul II opens up a tremendous opportunity for dialogue. Are you prepared? Can you address the issue of the Papacy, the sufficiency of Scripture, and the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how Rome does not possess that gospel (but instead dogmatically denies it)?

You see? Everything in evangelicalism these days is turned into a debate to prove that we're right.
The reason he believes no one will get the "real" issue?

It will not be spoken of for the simple reason that very, very few today believe the gospel can be known with sufficient clarity and depth to even address the issue of Rome's teaching.

Well, maybe. Or maybe it's because not everyone in evangelicalism thinks that the day a pope dies is the day to embark on a 30 city evangelistic crusade to "save" Catholics. Or maybe not everyone in evangelicalism believes that White's particular version of "Reformed Baptist" theology is the most perfect definition of orthodoxy.

So if you're looking for a kinder, gentler Protestant response from a solid, orthodox Christian, check out Leithart on Pope John Paul II instead.