From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Thu May 11 2000 - 08:11:35 EDT
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<div>At 3:13 AM -0700 5/11/00, Robert W Meyers wrote:</div>
<div>>I am completely confused.<br>
><br>
>I so much appreciate the b-greek group and the help<br>
>it has given me with my repeated questions concerning<br>
>the Greek Scriptures. Thanks again to all who have<br>
>given me help in this.<br>
><br>
>But what I am confused about is what is considered<br>
>appropriate and what is not. <br>
><br>
>One group, call it group A (Paul, Steve, Jason, etc), has<br>
>been permitted to write extensive theologically oriented<br>
>posts, attacking group B, (Drs. Morris, Wuest, English, etc,<br>
>and myself), having nothing to do with the Greek text,<br>
>without being chided for being "off topic."<br>
><br>
>Is group B, therefore, permitted likewise to offer its<br>
>theological defense?<br>
></div>
<div>>Actually, I think that the cause of truth is better
served<br>
>by freedom, such as the above have exercised, rather than</div>
<div>>by suppression, which seems to be the list policy. <br>
></div>
<div>>But certainly only if BOTH sides have that freedom.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I have just posted a response under the subject-header:
"Re: PAROUSIA and EPISUNAGWGH" my comment on a thread that
emerged as a follow-up to the APOSTASIA thread in which I
commented on what seemed to me to be theology-driven argumentation
rather than strict grammatical analysis.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I was frankly a bit concerned at the outset of the APOSTASIA
thread that the focus even at the outset was upon the theological
"fallout" from a careful study of the diction involved in
the passage in question; in my own initial response to that message I
noted:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 5:43 AM -0500 5/8/00, Carl W. Conrad wrote:</div>
<div>>May I please urge list-members to be careful in responding
to this and to<br>
>remember that the focus of B-Greek discussion is the Greek text
itself and</div>
<div>>not doctrinal issues or general questions about NT
Eschatological teaching.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I think this warning was ignored--or more likely it wasn't read
until after respondents had already posted messages in response to
the initial APOSTASIA message (I have repeatedly urged B-Greekers
please to read through all incoming correspondence before replying to
any, but to little avail, since, after all, it's easier to read a
message, respond to it immediately, and then go on to the next
incoming message and read it. Habits don't change quickly if they
change at all.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I'm grateful to Robert for sharing his confusion and for calling
attention to the license exemplified in messages in this thread. It
is true that several of these posts have been theologically oriented
although we have expressly stated frequently that theological
discussion as such and hermeneutical discussion as such is out of
bounds for B-Greek.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>It may well be, and I do know that several list-members would
concur, "that the cause of truth is better served by
freedom, such as the above have exercised, rather than by
suppression, which seems to be the list policy." The "cause
of truth" has been the occasion of a good deal of bloodletting
over the centuries, not least of all in the era of the Reformation in
Europe. The fact is, moreover, that our experience on the list has
been that theological discussion has tended to become heated and
resulted ultimately in flame wars. It was the recurrence of that
phenomenon on B-Greek that led the list-owner of that time to appoint
the staff that came to oversee the operation of B-Greek. When we
initially drew up the guidelines of "list netiquette" we
stated as the very first principle:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000"> "1.
Respectful discourse: Those who participate in the conference
represent a wide range of theological and denominational
perspectives, perhaps even including some whose interests are purely
academic. Deep religious convictions surely characterize many,
perhaps most, of the list-participants, and some of these convictions
bear directly upon how the Biblical text is to be understood. At the
core of our discussion, however, is not what our convictions are but
what the Greek text may legitimately be understood to mean. If
discussion of this nature is to succeed, proper respect and courtesy
to other list members is important. While scholarly debate,
including disagreement, is encouraged as a goal of this conference,
attacks upon the character, intelligence, or faith of those
participating are not acceptable. Criticism must focus upon the
arguments of others; it may not be directed to the individual.
Those who violate this policy will be contacted politely by the
B-Greek staff and requested to conform to these guidelines.
Those who continue to violate the policy will no longer be welcome in
the conference."</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">I believe that several messages in the
APOSTASIA thread crossed over the line, whether intentionally or
unintentionally, in characterizing writings and reference works as
unreliable and even dangerous. May I therefore please urge B-Greekers
henceforth to steer clear of attacking (or defending) particular
theological viewpoints and once again to keep the focus of discussion
on the Biblical Greek text and the range of legitimate possibilities
of understanding that text.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div>-- <br>
Carl W. Conrad<br>
Co-Chair, B-Greek List<br>
Department of Classics, Washington University<br>
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018<br>
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649<br>
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad@ioa.com<br>
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/>
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