Bashing D&M

Dale M. Wheeler dalemw at teleport.com
Tue Dec 14 12:05:17 EST 1999


I want to apologize to Gary Dykes for a misimpression that my previous 
email may have left...it occurred to me after I had sent it that it sounded 
like I was saying: "Well if you thought *I* was bashing D&M, look at what 
Gary Dykes said...now that's really bashing!!" That wasn't my intention AT 
ALL!!  My point was not that Gary was a mean-spirited person for saying 
what he said...he was just relating the true history of the situation (and 
he was being kind about not going into several other similar 
situations).  I was only trying to say that a lot more could have been 
said--by both of us--and the intention was NOT to bash D&M, but to let 
beginning students, esp., those who are not formally studying with a 
professor, that there are problems (I deem them to be serious) in D&M, and 
a beginning student would have no idea where they are at, and would 
consequently take everything at face value as true.

Now you'all are certainly entitled to your opinions about any and every 
grammar, but I don't think either I or Gary were "bashing" D&M by telling 
the truth about the book in an attempt to warn the neophyte.  In a 
scholarly discussion one must be willing to take valid criticism of one's 
work, and others should not be shy about offering informed, valid 
criticism.  If we don't accept this basic idea, then we might as well 
retitle Don Carson's book from "Exegetical Fallacies" to "Bashing Others I 
Don't Agree With", or change the title of Stagg's article from "The Abused 
Aorist" to "I'm Having Fun Abusing You."  We are certainly right to call 
others on the carpet if they are attacking someone personally, as is done 
here on bgreek, but I can't see that telling the truth about problems, 
errors, inadequacies, etc., in someone's work should be deemed 
"bashing"...which implies something about the critic's motives...and I can 
assure you that there was NOTHING sinister in any post attempting to point 
out the short-comings of D&M.

XAIREIN...


***********************************************************************
Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D.
Research Professor in Biblical Languages        Multnomah Bible College
8435 NE Glisan Street                               Portland, OR  97220
Voice: 503-251-6416    FAX:503-251-6478     E-Mail: dalemw at teleport.com
***********************************************************************




More information about the B-Greek mailing list