Surely Not Us by S. M. Hutchens

Quodlibet

Surely Not Us

by S. M. Hutchens

As a reader of material submitted to Touchstone, let me do potential contributors a favor by advising them to be very, very cautious about gathering the omnium by use of the first-person plural. Indicating what we think, or must think, or surely think, or naturally agree upon, as all reasonable Christians must, is a parlous game, for unless one is dead right about that, the reader, beginning with the chap who receives the goods, will be justified in seeing this as a low device for putting what you think on his account, and is likely to take justifiable offense. This is not to say this must never be done; there are times when doing it is reasonable—but not as many times as some writers seem to think.

 

S. M. Hutchens is a Touchstone senior editor.

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