1 Timothy 2:5 - Matt Slick Wants a Shorter Email From Me, So a Shorter Email I Will Write

Back on the 19th, I had sent Matt Slick, President of the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry at Carm.org, an email with regards to what I felt what his misuse of 1 Timothy 2:5.

I had anticipated some form of response. The following is the email I received in return:

Monday, November 19, 2007 12:11 PM
From: "carm.org \(carmstuff@yahoo.com\)"
To: smhutton
Subject: RE: My thoughts on 1 Timothy 2:5
Urgent New


your email is way too long.

give it to me in ONE sentence.

Thank you for writing to the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (www.carm.org)



Now, I understand how pressing time constraints can be. I understand that we don't all have an enormous amount of free time, and that sometimes, other things take precedent over responding to a lone email from an amateur Catholic apologist.

In terms of how much that Protestant apologetics website has to deal with and respond to on a daily basis, sure, my email IS probably "way too long."

Still, that being the case, I didn't exactly write an apologetics work similar in length to "War and Peace." I gave a short commentary that could easily be read inside of 10 minutes.

Once again, I DO totally understand if Matt Slick and the staff of CARM just don't have the time to deal with my email. At the same time, I think that if Mr. Slick had the time to post that "debate" in which he invoked 1 Timothy 2:5 against a Catholic on his website, he could have had time to examine criticisms of that application.

I also think that ONE sentence is MUCH too short! As tempted as I was to send my email back to Mr. Slick again, after having removed all punctuation, I did not. Yet I also hesitated to send a ONE sentence email.

In debate, when you let the opposition speak more than you, you aren't typically leaving yourself in a good position. There's a REASON that formal debates give a certain amount of specific time to each participant, so as to create a more fair atmosphere.

I refuse to enter into a dialogue with Mr. Slick, or any member of Carm, in which the entire proceedings will be effectively those individuals lecturing me at length and not providing me with ample time to state my criticism. Presidential debates may have degraded into "sound bites", but debates that I am involved in will not function in that same manner so long as I can help it.

I also understand if Mr. Slick and the members of Carm do not feel that an individual like myself is reputable enough to engage in a debate on this matter. That may be the case...but the substance of my argument stands, regardless of whether or not it comes from me or any of the, say, apologists from Catholic Answers. It should be dealt with.

So, I intend to email Mr. Slick again...and, in one paragraph, I will state my case against his (mis)use of 1 Timothy 2:5. Hopefully, it will work out better this time around, and I will get a substantial reply. Matt Slick wants a shorter email from me, so a shorter email I will write.

- Sean

Mass Debate Continued...Curiouser and Curiouser...

Interesting enough, when I had checked to see if Cory Tucholski had responded to my comment that I left on his website, I found something that I was hardly expecting.

Nothing.

Well, that's not entirely accurate. What I did find was a fancier, rather pleasant looking background to the page in question, very in keeping with the upcoming Christmas season, and Mr. Tucholski's original post.

The comment I had left was gone.

Gone, too, was a comment that someone else had made, and left, before I made mine. In the spirit of charity, as of this juncture I will refrain from assuming too much as a result of this occurance. It is entirely possible that my comment was removed, and not responded to, for a variety of technical reasons. Perhaps the transition to the much prettier background had to result in the loss of my comment.

However, at the same time, the comment FEATURE is also gone from that page. Simply take a look at the original "Mass Debate" that I posted on the 18th, and check out the link. If you go to it, you will find that Josiah Concept Ministries no longer has a "leave comment" option for that specific article against Catholicism.

It is my intention, as of now, to email Mr. Tucholski and ask why. It is not for me to speculate as to his motivations for doing so, at least not yet. However, I think I am entitled to an explanation, whatever that explanation might be...

- Sean