WHY DOES JAMES WHITE
CONTINUE TO
POST ERROR ON HIS WEBSITE? [04/27--2005]
It has been
a week now since we took note of the error on James White's website where he
alleged in a headline that --
"Bob Ross Supports and Encourages
Anti-Lordship Viewpoint"
We offered to James or anyone else $100 for
every statement I made in my recent email which "supports and encourages the
anti-lordship viewpoint." Neither James nor anyone else has offered to collect
the money.
Yet I noticed today on James' website that he continues to
post this error, and continues to offer nothing to substantiate it. The question
I keep asking is, "Why?"
Whenever we have been
misrepresented, we have never been given to the practice of assuming that
someone has "deliberately lied" about us, but we have tried to always first
consider what other cause or reason might account for their erroneous
representation. In most cases, it has evidently been due to misinformation or
lack of information on the part of the one who has not properly represented our
views.
I may have come upon an answer of sorts in the case of James'
misrepresentation. A local friend and brother called my attention to a website
of a gentleman in Oklahoma City, and he published a blog on his website in which
he briefly reviewed the debate James had with Bob Wilkin. This brother says he
is a Calvinist, but he was not greatly impressed by James's effort. In fact, he
says he was "greatly disappointed." Here is an excerpt from his
blog:
>>
Last night I had the privilege of attending a formal
debate between Dr. James White and Dr. Robert Wilkin at Oklahoma City
University, concerning the nature of regeneration. Regeneration being the
redemptive blessing purchased by Christ for those the Father has given Him.
I must admit, I was greatly disappointed. Not in the sense that I
regret attending, I regret nothing - but I was disappointed by the... for lack
of a better word, mediocrity. . . .
It appeared that Dr. White
failed to sufficiently prepare for this debate, merely picking a couple
data-points and "winging it" from there. Hardly indicative of the quality of his
past work and impressive reputation.
Moreover, I sensed a
weariness in Dr. White - an uncharacteristic snappishness that first
emerged in his strange dealings with Michael Spencer and the irreverent
motley crew of the Boar's Head Tavern. I understand that Dr. White has been
under a lot of pressure lately and I fear it has begun to show itself in his
work.
>> >http://matthew.journalspace.com/<
Is
it "pressure" that has caused James to misrepresent me and continue to publish
the error on his website? That may be a possibility. Even I -- and I do not make
a habit of regularly reading James' blogs -- but even I have noticed some
expressions in his recent writings which seem to indicate he is under a great
deal of stress, even frustration.
In my infrequent past
communication with James over the years, it seems he has followed a certain
"pattern" of behavior. Whenever we have had some sort of "jostling" with him, he
resorted to withdrawal and avoidance. For example, a few years ago when he
upbraided me for being critical of John MacArthur's one-time non-creedal view on
the Sonship of Christ, rather than discuss the matter James simply offered his
"potshots" then withdrew from the field. Later, when MacArthur acknowledged and
recanted his former view in favor of accepting the same historic creedal view of
Sonship for which we contend, I never heard a word of apology or comment from
James. He has since followed a similar pattern of behavior when we have called
attention to a few of his faulty views in relation to some other significant
matters.
I doubt that our calling attention to this current error will
prove to be any different from instances of James' past "mechanism" of behavior.
Naturally, this type of irresponsible behavior would most likely engender a
certain amount of stress and pressure. It's a heavy load to try to rationalize
error so as to evade the responsibility of acknowledging and correcting
it.
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