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Subject: Kata Markon

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  • From: JFAlward AT aol.com
  • To: gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Critique of Gibson's Conference Paper
  • Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 15:34:36 EDT


JOE ALWARD
When and if Jeff chooses to answer the many questions I have asked him, then
I will be happy to try to answer your questions, but I don't want to try to
do both at the same time, if that is all right with you. What I want Jeff to
respond to are these questions:


JEFFREY GIBSON (Tuesday, 10/22/02 6:19:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time)
It is **not** all right to make whether or not you will respond to Larry's
questions about your thesis and your handling of the evidence contingent upon
whether or not I respond.

JOE ALWARD (10/24/02 10:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time)
I only just now (Thursday night) read your letter, Jeffrey. I'm sorry for
the delay. The reason why I was reluctant to respond to Larry's posts before
hearing further from you is that it would direct the focus, and my time and
energy, away from the principal, Jeffrey Gibson. It is really your opinion I
am much more interested in reversing, for you are the one who plans to
present the paper in Toronto.

As the post below makes clear, I seem to have created the impression that I
was demanding that you reply to me before I would be prepared to respond to
Larry:

LARRY SWAIN
YOU on the other hand demand that he respond to your arguments but refuse to
respond to those asked of yourself. Rather than I or this list having a
double standard; the double standard, sir, appears to be yours and justified
only by you and for your convenience.

JOE ALWARD
Where is there a sense of a demand? Didn't I use the words, "If it is all
right with you"? I did not demand or insist that Larry do anything, did I?
Nor did I demand that you do anything. Did I not imply that I only wanted to
put my response on hold until I clarified your position? Why may I not choose
how and when I respond to a correspondent's comments?

I saw then, and see no point now, in debating the viability of your paper
until I knew exactly what your position was, especially as it relates to
context and continuity. What if I spent days debating Swain's interpretation
of Mark 14:38, only to find out that that is not your interpretation at all?
May one not choose the points to which one responds in a forum such as this,
and with whom one corresponds, especially if one's goal is in part to prevent
the original thread from unraveling into many separate threads, and then
everyone loses sight of the main points I had wished to debate?

Everyone has the right to focus on those matters which are of most interest
to them; Larry has that right, and attempted to exercise it, and he cannot be
faulted for that. But, so do I have the right to focus my attention on those
things which matter more to me. Do you not do the same thing, Jeffrey?

The main thing is, what do YOU think about the context and continuity, and
why you think it, because YOU ARE the one presenting a paper in four
weeks--not Larry, not me. What I would prefer to talk about first are your
views; then if there are still issues in contention, I would be happy to turn
my attention to Larry, if he still wanted it. What is wrong with that?

One final remark. Because of my failure to address Swain's comment, and
because some members complained about the tone of my remarks to you, I've
been put probation. I will try to moderate the tone of my remarks, make them
more professional, so to speak, but members must understand that I no longer
feel free to express myself as directly as I have in the past, and will
always wonder if I offer one hard-hitting remark too many, I may be kicked
off the list. Thus, there will be self-censorship. Perhaps many will think
that is a good thing.

I will return to offer more substantive comments pertaining to your thesis
sometime in the future.


Regards,

Joe
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Joseph F. Alward, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of the Pacific
Stockton CA 95201
email: JFAlward AT aol.com

Web Page: "A Skeptical View of Christianity and the Bible"
http://members.aol.com/jalw/joseph_alward.html




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