I have engaged in similar debates with similar characters in the past. The issue that I always find is that the two incompatible statements are "I have chosen him because my questions will not shake his faith and he thoroughly knows the Bible" and "I want to try to refrain from attacking here. I just want to open this man's eyes to the problems with this text - that's it."

This man's belief system has been built and self-reinforced year upon year. His belief system can not remain intact whilst at the same time his eyes becoming opened and his ignorance being challenged. His belief system IS based on his own ignorance. He has never seriously questioned his belief system. I'm sure his belief system happens to largely coincide with the belief system of his parents and his local community - it's not even his own belief system, it's just a shared ignorance that he decided to subscribe to because lots of people around him conditioned him to.

With all belief systems, those things that reinforce it are grasped on to, whilst those things that point out the gaping great holes in it, are ignored or explained away with phrases including "god moves in mysterious ways," which, whilst making for a nice sound bite, unfortunately mean absolutely nothing.

This is an issue close to me as someone I care for just blindly bashes every belief system and religion other than his own, repeating a few quotes, phrases and "facts" that usually aren't even accurate, and just evading any other questions that he doesn't like.