Comments on: A Stanley Hauerwas Classic

By: Tiny Fat Kiwi

Tiny Fat Kiwi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:02:13 +0000

Watching a video of Hauerwas speaking at Baylor where he says the story is not true, although he has been introduced 2 or 3 times by folks who recounted the story. Says that he would never use the word “asshole” because as anyone from Texas should know, that’s a term of endearment.

By: JR

JR — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:29:02 +0000

Hauerwas says on page 133 (in a footnote) in “State of the University” that the story is not true.

By: Halden

Halden — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:11:33 +0000

Which means we must simply rebrand it as a joke. The possibilities are endless: Stanley Hauerwas, a Rabbi, and a Stripper walk onto the Harvard campus . . .

By: Alain

Alain — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:06:05 +0000

I told this story to my parents from Nebraska who are visiting. They proceeded to tell me what they say is an oft-told Nebraska joke in which a Nebraskan is on a plane, sits next to a woman, and introduces himself, saying, “I’m from Nebraska; where are you from?” The woman responds, “I’m from the East Coast, where we don’t end our sentences with a preposition.” The Nebraskan rephrased: “Where are you from, bitch?”

All of that is to say that the apparent currency of this joke, with its similar structure to the Hauerwas anecdote, points in the direction of the Hauerwas story being apocryphal. See, the historical-critical method triumphs again!

By: Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:33:35 +0000

Resist the urge to demythologize.

By: Aric Clark

Aric Clark — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:49:12 +0000

Stanley Hauerwas could single-handedly kill every living theologian in unarmed combat if he wasn’t a pacifist.

Stanley Hauerwas could write a better treatise than you on any subject if you recorded him while he slept.

Stanley Hauerwas once solved Hume’s Trilemma but he couldn’t be bothered to tell anyone.

By: Aaron Rathburn

Aaron Rathburn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:14:11 +0000

Any theologian with apocryphal stories is already a living a legend.

Hauerwas is the new Chuck Norris.

By: Halden

Halden — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:00:01 +0000

Maybe, Dave. I think I got it from some students fairly close to him, though. There definitely are some apocryphal Hauerwas stories out there, though.

By: Sports Dave

Sports Dave — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:55:08 +0000

i think i read hauerwas commenting on that story somewhere, something to the effect that it was apocryphal, but that he wished it had actually happened.

By: Ren Aguila

Ren Aguila — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:45:08 +0000

You may be right about that–a similar incident can be found in another movie about Harvard U., With Honors. (Joe Pesci’s character was the one who was involved in a public exchange with a professor.)

By: Ben Myers

Ben Myers — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:25:32 +0000

That is the best grammatical illustration I’ve ever heard.

By: Aaron Rathburn

Aaron Rathburn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:43:37 +0000

I was JUST telling my wife this evening about Hauerwas in this respect, thanks for the perfect illustration! ;-D

By: roger flyer

roger flyer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:34:58 +0000

Sounds like Raca to me.

By: Arni Zachariassen

Arni Zachariassen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:37:22 +0000

That beautiful!

By: erin

erin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:20:24 +0000

I’m in love!