Today Paul Owen (click here for picture) showed his utter disregard for truth, honesty, and fairness, by posting on reformedcatholicism.com a screed that should pretty well end any confusion in anyone’s mind about his ability, or willingness, to speak the truth in love. I have posted a number of his loving e-mails on this blog, and on the NTRMin webboard, over the past year. I could go back to 1996 with the same kind of condescending material in my personal e-mail archives (he, of course, cannot produce anything of the like in response). But until he began to publicly seek to contradict anything I say (even when it gives aid and comfort to Mormons or anyone else, it matters not) I did not make mention of him in public.
But today Dr. Owen revealed the Crusader in him by posting a long screed on the issue of my review of Mark Seifrid’s comments on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, a topic our regular readers will know well. The basic thesis of the article is that scholars can write whatever they want, and if you dare respond, even with fairness and consistency, you are a mean-spirited person who cares nothing about people but are only out to perform a publicity stunt. The amount of vitriolic ad-hominem is classic Owen, but what truly angers me is the fact that despite everything I have done to avoid personalities (so that the issue itself can be focused upon), Owen has chosen to make sure it is personal. Not just his obvious hatred of me (resulting in enough falsehoods to keep me writing for a week just documenting them all), but most sadly, in regard to Dr. Seifrid. Rather than helping to keep the situation in the bounds it should be in (that of examining the statements in the book and considering their meaning in light of Scripture) Owen’s hand grenade is designed only to hurt and to harm.
If you wish to see what nearly a decade of pent-up anger and animosity will do to one’s ability to read fairly, read Owen’s article, see how many times he says I leveled accusations, engaged in a witch hunt, etc., and then remind yourself of what you have read right here. The clear disjunction between truth and Owen’s words will be transparent to any fair-minded individual.
Next week I will point out some of the more outrageous statements from Owen.
Ironically, at the same time Paul Owen has adopted the Michael Moore view of truth and honesty, I heard from one of the “firebrands” I was referring to just below who kindly wrote and said, “Don’t be such a lukewarm wuss. If you can’t discern what these people are about (and the degree that they are now attacking the Gospel of Christ) you need to get out of the role of public Christian apologist.” I think I saw a “help wanted” sign at my local gunstore. Yeah, that would be cool. Maybe I could do web design, IT stuff…that sounds enjoyable. One thing is for sure, some of these religious folks have simply gone nuts….
