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Letters
January 23, 2007
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Dear Editor:
I am immensely grateful for Viola Larson's review of Milton Winter's "Presbyterian and Separatist Evangelicals." I felt moved to respond to Winter's suspect essay but cannot spare the time. Larson's analysis is cogent and extremely helpful. I wish she would add more! I hope that Winter's essay will not be touted around the country as "scholarly" when there is such selective use of quotations and such selective referencing. After all, if Augustine held a view, let's have the reference! And don't scholars read an author's second chapter on a subject rather than conclude that the first chapter is all there is to say? Calvin's chapter 2 of book 4 of the Institutes clearly balances 4.1. I see no reference to it in Winter's paper. The imbalance in the referencing reflects the bias in his essay. One of the hallmarks of good persuasive writing is the ability to state your opponents'
argument as well as or better than he can. That didn't happen in Winter's article. I feel pretty sure he's talking about people like me, and I feel most certain his article doesn't begin to describe what motivates me or our congregation. Thanks again to Viola Larson for her commentary.
Gerrit Dawson
First Presbyterian
Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
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