El universo tiene un prop贸sito? (Does the universe have a purpose?) This was the question at a Nov. 13 debate near Mexico City between some of the heavy hitters in the atheism-theism arena.

The debate was unusual in that instead of a one-on-one bout, it was a three-on-three tag team brawl that pitted a trio of theists 鈥 Biola University professors and , along with Rabbi David Wolpe 鈥 against atheists Matt Ridley, Michael Shermer and Richard Dawkins.

William Lane Craig speaking on a stage


The debate occurred on the final day of the third annual 鈥淚nternational Festival of Great Minds,鈥 a sort of Mexican version of 鈥淭ED Talks鈥 where mostly secular thinkers from a variety of disciplines are brought together from around the world to speak on a certain theme. This year the theme was 鈥淭he Origins of the Future鈥 and included such prominent intellectuals as Malcolm Gladwell, Chris Anderson and Stephen Pinker.

The elaborate stage design for the debate included jumbo screens and a regulation boxing ring with a podium in the center where debaters alternated throwing intellectual punches in short segments of allotted time. Prior to the debate, the theme from 鈥淩ocky鈥 played over the PA system.

鈥淚t was the most unusual venue I鈥檝e ever debated in,鈥 said Craig in his newsletter recap.

Hosted by Mexican journalist Andreas Roemer, the morning debate was held in front of a live crowd of 3,000 and was televised later that night to an estimated 2 million viewers who tuned in, appropriately, directly after the conclusion of a major televised boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.

In the theistic corner, Craig, Geivett and Wolpe collectively argued that if God exists, then the universe has a purpose, but if God doesn鈥檛 exist, then the universe is purposeless. Though their participation in the event had only been confirmed about four weeks prior to the event, the theist team was able to develop a strategy over e-mail during the weeks prior to the debate.

鈥淚 stressed that we needed to present a united front, and that whatever differences existed between us should be kept to ourselves,鈥 said Geivett of his side鈥檚 debate strategy. 鈥淚 think it shows. I think you can tell in