After just one year, the Moody Debate Society has been granted membership into the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA).

With this prestigious membership, Moody Bible Institute joins the ranks of more than 50 other members that include top-rated graduate institutions like Harvard, Yale and Stanford Law Schools, Yale Medical School, and Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. Moody is the only evangelical Christian school in the APDA membership.

The Moody Debate Society earned the invitation through their performance at the University of Chicago APDA Tournament, held during March 2012. Moody defeated Stanford, MIT and Duke/UWashington.

"We believe God is at work in weaving fresh relationships together through Moody Debate that could have impact on a national stage," said Brian Kammerzelt, chair of Moody's Communication Department. "This membership gives us the opportunity to not only demonstrate the ability of our students but to be Christ's ambassadors to those who will be thought leaders in our nation and world."

Because of the APDA membership, Moody has the opportunity to compete at Stanford's tournament in March 2013.

What is Parliamentary Debate? Parliamentary debate is an off-topic, extemporaneous form of competitive debate which stresses rigorous argumentation, logical analysis, quick thinking, breadth of knowledge and rhetorical ability over preparation of evidence. It is patterned after the style of platform debate first made famous at Oxford University. The format pits two two-person teams against each other in a contest of argument, wit and rhetoric which roughly simulates debate in a House of Parliament.