What is so funny about GAVcon?

I quite like the sound of it

Gav

Stephen,

I agree that sometimes people are unnecessarily harsh in how they make their points, and I have said so elsewhere.

But I think you are the one who over-reacted this time. The ‘pale Galilean’ phrase has been around for ages. I think Tony was just trying a bit of a humorous update with the skivvy thing. Maybe Justin Moffatt can let us know from over there in NY!

And actually, Jesus used some harsh language at times - especially for religious leaders. Check out Matthew 23 to the scribes and Pharisees: “hypocrites”, “blind guides”, “whitewashed tombs”, “serpents”, “brood of vipers”.

Also, in what appears harsh to our ears at first reading, but perhaps had more of a humorous needle to it, Jesus made an implicit comparison between Gentiles like the Canaanite woman and scavenging dogs in Matthew 15:21-28, only to encourage her for her great faith. Yet many people since have found his ‘humour’ here right on the edge.

And he talked about not casting pearls before swine and so forth.

Perhaps we might extend the same charity to Tony for his colourful phrase.

Sandy,

Thanks for the considered response.

I agree that Jesus didn’t hold back with his criticism of the religious leaders of the day, and I suspect his language may have even been more colourful in unrecorded remarks.

I still think that those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Humility should, I believe, always over-ride any sense of point scoring or conceit we may harbour about our strongly held convictions.  Both sides of the theological divide need to remember this!

Cheers.

For those of us in Britain:

what’s a skiwy?

Steve Walton