O’Neal’s Letter To Caldwell Concerning the 2002 Postscript

01-10-2001

Dear Colly:

Donnie Rader sent me a copy of the note that you are going to put in the 2002 Florida College lecture book.

I knew last year that Donnie delivered an outstanding speech at the lectures but I did not realize how powerful it was until I got the note from him. It was so powerful that you are still trying to destroy its effect.

(1) You permitted Bob Owen to read his prepared statement replying to Donnie after Donnie finished his lecture.

(2) You announced and permitted Ed Harrell to pass out by Florida College

personnel a statement in reply to Donnie’s lecture.

(3) You announced and permitted Earl Kimbrough to pass out a statement in

reply to Donnie after his lecture.

(4) Now you are printing a statement a year later in the lecture book to try and defuse Donnie’s excellent lecture.

Bob Owen was correct when he said in his statement that he was probably making a mistake by saying anything about Donnie’s lecture. No doubt about it! From the stand point of Florida College, you would all have been better off to have said nothing. But then Colly you seem to have an ability that I never knew you had – to take a bad situation and make it worse!

Colly, are you going to print a statement in the 2003 Florida College lecture book still further trying to offset Donnie’s lecture? What about 2004 and 2005? How long will you continue to try to nullify Donnie’s lecture? The more you do, the more you are admitting how excellent Donnie’s speech was. The more that people check into what Donnie said, the more they are going to see that he told the truth and correctly represented the matter.

Colly, with your education to the Ph.D. level you know enough about research that you could personally check out Donnie’s sources, if you have not already done so. If you have or will, you will see that he did not misrepresent these brethren in the least. I was among several brethren that read his speech before he gave it and had I seen any misrepresentation in what he said, I would have raised my voice against it. As close as Donnie and I are, I would not allowed him to have misrepresented these brethren just because we differed with them on certain matters. I know the other brethren who reviewed his speech would have done the same thing. Do you think Donnie correctly represented what the above mentioned brethren taught? I wish you would let me know. Colly, like Esau of old who sold his birthright for some pottage, I am afraid you have sold your soul. I hope you haven’t but I am afraid you have.