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From: sdyer@bbnccv.UUCP (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: modern Christianity's lack of responses to Boswell
Message-ID: <329@bbnccv.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Feb-85 13:10:09 EST
Article-I.D.: bbnccv.329
Posted: Sun Feb 10 13:10:09 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Feb-85 07:56:48 EST
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Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, MA
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Uh, Paul, you dredged up a lot of old stuff in your reply to me unrelated
to this particular issue, so I'll take that up with you "off-line", as we
like to say.

Regarding the purpose of summaries, I would expect them to act much like
trailers for movies, to stir up interest in actually reading Boswell's work.
On the more mundane level of debate, they also are doubtlessly an attempt
to address those peculiar few who are wont to use quotes from the Bible
even more carelessly.  I don't think that Ron Rizzo assumes that the
debate is finished, only that it has not been addressed, and the arguments
used previously need not be responded to still one more time.

The publication of Boswell's work was a major event in 1980.  It was
reviewed in most newspapers and literary magazines.  Why then the lack
of attention from any of the Christian press?  Clearly it cannot be
their lack of interest in the subject.  No one is claiming "victory"
as you describe, but the silence is disturbing (wasn't it Thomas More who
claimed that "silence implies assent"?  That didn't help him either.)
In any event, you are right to note that with enough pressure and PR,
the work will eventually have to be addressed.  I hope this has encouraged
you.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
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