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<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Gary</span></font></st1:place></st1:City>
Writes:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>…As to why I refuse
to come over to your way of thinking, here's the short version, hundreds of
apparently happy, easy to get along with Kirkers who, for the most part, mind
their own business vs. a couple dozen shrill internet forum posters that
includes two (count 'em two) disgruntled former church members, several
atheists and at least one sanctimonious, holier then thou sky pilot wannabe. Even
with the "new math" this story problem isn't too difficult to cipher.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Me:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>I’m usually disappointed in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:City>’s
method, and I doubt it would help matters if I exposited and critiqued this
latest. I should note again however, that many of his points I agree
with; and I think some of them Joe and others would agree with too. However,
I did want to here note one seemingly very large problem with <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:City>’s “short version”
argument: it is what we might call a “category mistake.” <st1:City
w:st="on">Gary</st1:City> wants to compare those members of the class of people
who are vocal in criticizing Doug Wilson publicly with those members of the
class of people who comprise the entire membership of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
It is not clear precisely how this argument is supposed to work, but the
rhetorical feel is unmistakable. <st1:City w:st="on">Gary</st1:City>
doesn’t like the few public critics, but he suspects that he would like
the hundreds of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> members. The
problem is that this is not comparing apples to apples at all, and ultimately
misconstrues what many of us are even arguing for. In fact, I think I
like the good majority of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> members far more
than Gary Crabtree, and I’m actually one who knows them all personally.
If we were to turn this point into a just rhetorical maneuver, we could
try comparing all those fine Christian and non-Christian people out there who
agree with my criticism of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType> with the membership of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
But even this would be off base: the “threat” or “immorality”
of the typical <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Christ</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> member,
particularly those who “mind their own business” is simply not the
issue at all, and never has been the issue – particularly with me. If we
were to go this route, I doubt my stance would be jeopardized, as I have firm
evidence that there are hundreds of fine Christian people giving their complete
thumbs up to the nature of my public criticism of Doug Wilson. But I don’t
want to go there since it is not the point. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The only way to begin making this kind of rhetorical maneuver fair
would be to compare <st1:City w:st="on">Wilson</st1:City>’s public
critics with <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wilson</st1:place></st1:City>’s
public defenders. If you do this, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:City>
simply doesn’t have a defensible position. We would only wish that <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wilson</st1:place></st1:City> and his public
defenders were merely “shrill” in the way they responded; they
dehumanize their opponents and insult them in ways that Keely, Joe, and others
would not imagine doing. But even this is still a bit off base, at least
as far as my criticism is meant to be taken; this is because I see the nature
of my criticism largely “in house,” within the pail of Christian
concern. A Christian must hold a religious leader to higher standards
than the typical laymen, and he must even hold the typical laymen to higher
standards than the local non-Christians. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>In sum then, I do not see a concern expressed by Gary relevant at all to
my critical project (which would be similar to at least some of Joe’s and
Keely’s concern); and it is still not clear how it is relevant to the criticism
of others. I think this will be my last answer to Crabtree, since it does
not appear he is interested in dealing directly with my position and arguments
(something I’ve noticed for the last five months); I’m also not sure
where he is ultimately headed with all this after accusing my writing style as
being “shrill.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Yours,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Michael<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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