Stryker 1

Reflections:
1. I learned how to interpret criticism from the revision process. I got a ton of feedback for
my essay and I didnt really know what to do with it or how to implement it. Rather than
try to change everything, I went through my paper and decided which parts of my
argument needed changing and revising and looked back on my comments to see what
others had said needed to be changed. The revisions also helped me really take apart and
analyze what I was saying; in order that I might more effectively see what was working
in my paper and what wasnt.
2. Hopefully, this will help me slow down during my initial writing process. This will help
me be more conscious of the argument I am constructing, as well as the general
cohesiveness of my writing. I want to be able to critique my own writing in amore indepth manner, so I can find where my writing needs patch work or total re-construction.

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Juliette Stryker
Cami Richey
Wrtg 150 MWF
27 October 2014
Passion and Wisdom: A Rhetorical Analysis of Tussling Over Jesus
Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, once said in response to the turbulence of
todays modern world, This is y simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is
kindness. Currently, congregations of American conservatives fight to maintain their religiondriven family-centered values, while liberals fight for the freedom to make their own
independent choices, regardless of religious influences and historical precedents. Many
Americans cringe and turn away from discussions of abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun
control because of the wedge these topics drive into relationships. The civil divide concerning
abortion has pitted social groups against one another, forcing the government to take a stand.
Politicians struggle to find which angle benefits their cause or campaign the most, while the
militant populace seems to prepare themselves for an all out, to the death, government-citizen
brawl over ethics and morality.
However, a new aspect of this global war of values has been brought to light, that being
the matter of congregation members versus the established Catholic Church concerning the
debate on abortion. In Nicholas D. Kristofs 2007 article Tussling Over Jesus, Kristof
considers the clash of Catholic believers against the traditional church over the matter of abortion
in the context of a local bishop stripping St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center on Phoenix
of its affiliation with the Roman Catholic diocese. Throughout his piece, Kristof reveals his

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argument smoothly with flair and skill by utilizing a refreshingly bellicose tone while still
maintaining a high level of credibility, and an assortment of grand overstatements that effectively
illustrate the deep moral conflict at hand; yet, he mistakenly engages a logical fallacy called
stacking the deck, by disregarding pertinent information.
Kristofs tone in the article is one of refreshing sophistication. He allows all social groups
to participate in the dialogue he wishes to incite with his writing by ignoring the basic
controversy of the practice of abortion. Instead, he jumps right into his own pet theory, that the
Catholic Church is oppressing its faithful members, even those that work the hardest to carry
out the healing ministry of Jesus. He speaks in an easy and crisp tone, catering to the emotions
of readers by using words like, evicted, deserted, and breaking point to describe what is
happening between the organized church and its members. He eloquently portrays Bishop
Olmsted as the villain, gracefully accusing him of possessing a moral certitude [that] is lifeless,
leaving no place for compassionate Christianity, while still maintaining a mature and scholarly
profile. Kristofs confident voice takes a powerful stance against the authorities of the church
and gains the audiences trust, by cashing in on the historic conflict between the Catholic
Churchs authorities and its members.
When talking about the bishop and churchs wrongdoings, Kristofs tone also takes on a
very relatable tone. While introducing a religious analogy, Kristof says, the thought that keeps
nagging at me is this and then he goes on to explain his analogy. This word choice makes it
seem like Kristof is leveling with the audience, allowing them access to his deeper thoughts and
trust. He treats his views like a universal reaction to the material that every reader should
naturally have. He implies that his nagging thoughts are an obvious issue. This small phrase
eases the readers into believing Kristofs opinions and is a very subtle way to get them on board

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with Kristofs argument without ever having to ask for, or earn support. Thus, effectively
allowing Kristofs argument to gain momentum, as readers gain confidence in his analysis of the
events surrounding the excommunication.
Moreover, another important rhetorical component of Kristofs writing is the inclusion of
overstatements in his descriptions of the Catholic Church. Kristof masterfully creates a large,
looming, villainous presence by hurling insult after insult at the church; more specifically, at the
bishop who was in charge of the churchs withdrawal from the hospital. Kristof calls the church
an increasingly out of touch hierarchy, and he accuses the bishop of being a lazy and callous
bureaucrat and compares him to the innkeeper from the Nativity story (This is actually a faulty
analogy, due to the fact that the innkeeper never directly turned away Jesus, to whom Kristof
compares both the nun and hospital. Also the innkeeper provided a barn for Mary and Joseph, so
really this analogy is completely unsatisfactory on a factual basis). Then, to cap it all off, Kristof
says, Then along comes Bishop Olmsted to excommunicate the Christ-like figure in our story.
All of these comparisons and images provide the audience with a feeling of clear and present
danger. Modern media voraciously seeks out scandals and corruption in governments and large
organizations, and the Catholic Church has been preyed on for centuries for being too cold and
business-like when dealing with the order of the priesthood. Kristof capitalizes on this and
mocks the Catholic chain of command, weaving a mental picture of the Catholic Church as a
faceless corporation selling God. For example, Kristof labels Sister Margaret as Christ-like.
Practically every person who would be reading the New York Times, where this article was
published, would be aware of how Christs life ended. Kristof uses this as an archetype for his
own story. By labeling Sister Margaret as Jesus, the audience automatically labels the Catholic
Church officials as Satanic or evil figures from the story of Christs crucifixion, such as Judas

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Iscariot or even Pilate. And, though there is no mention of it, the audience can sense the
subtextual image of the crucifixion of the poor protagonist Sister Margaret, with Bishop Olmsted
as the villainous antagonist.
These radical overstatements are extremely effective in inciting anger by quickly and
vividly communicating Kristofs perception of the church. Despite their efficiency, these
overstatements ignore a lot of facts. By calling Bishop Olmsted a bureaucrat and putting the
blame of the sisters excommunication and the hospitals loss of church support on his head,
Kristof is forgetting about the actual faith and principles of the Catholic Church. These standards
and laws are set forth by the Pope and have been present for centuries, and Bishop Olmsted is
merely enforcing the Churchs policies. By using these overstatements, Kristof can draw out a
large emotional response from the audience without providing any actual evidence to prove that
the bishop was malicious in his actions or that the church was eager to exclude the hospital at all.
In other words, the overstatements simply create a scary card-board cut out of the Catholic
Church, that, while being totally effective in winning over the audiences emotions and
strengthening his argument, still leave a gaping lack of evidence.
One of the most effective ways to manipulate human thought is to interfere with the flow
of information. While it may not be intentional, Kristofs article contains a logical fallacy, called
stacking the deck, which does just that. This fallacy entails only including information that helps
the writers argument, thusly making it appear that there is little to no opposition to the writers
logic. Kristof displays this in his characterization of Sister Margaret. Kristof only mentions that
she was excommunicated for approving an abortion to save the life of the mother, which
communicates a deceptively positive message. Saving lives is not sufficient grounds for
excommunication; in fact, that is the mission of the Catholic hospitals. But, if that life is saved

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because the life of an unborn child was ended, then the Catholic Church has a right to protest the
nuns support of the procedure. On the Vaticans website it says in no unclear language that the
willful and deliberate termination of a life/pregnancy should never be allowed. Also, this
standard is not new. Sister Margaret had to have been aware of this church-wide standard, and
yet she defied the church and approved the abortion anyways. Furthermore, since this truth goes
unmentioned in Kristofs article, the audience feels the need to immediately side with Sister
Margaret simply because she is a nun. Kristof describes her as having emulated the life of
Jesus and having toiled away for decades on behalf of the sickest and neediest among us. He
thusly creates a very convincing saint-like depiction of Sister Margaret, due to the lack of
evidence to the contrary.
Similarly, Kristof does the exact same thing to Bishop Olmsted, instead in this case he
leaves out evidence that would humanize or help the bishops image. Bishop Olmsted is only
spoken of in negative and aggressive language, without ever mentioning the fact that all bishops
throughout the church have to take vows of celibacy and poverty in order to more fully commit
to their role in the church. In reality, it is very likely that Bishop Olmsted has had to selflessly
sacrifice many aspects from his own life in order that he may better serve the Lord. Regardless of
all of this, Kristof still describes the bishop as a traitor to Christs true mission to help those in
need of temporal and spiritual assistance. This dark depiction of the bishop works hand in hand
with the spotless illustration of Sister Margaret to create a very clear conflict. Kristof writes in a
way that provides an undeniable villain and victim.
In contrast, this stacking of the deck may not have been deliberate. Kristofs writing is
fast-paced and relatable, and to keep in line with that, Kristof simplified the conflict between the
church and Sister Margaret. This simplification allowed him to communicate the main issue that

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he hoped to speak about, without having to go into incredible detail that may have cost him his
audiences attention. Kristof wrote for efficiency, and so doing, his argument soars and stirs the
hearts of readers. Nevertheless, from a skeptical point of view, one might see that there is indeed
information missing from the writing. Kristof majorly downplays the actions of the nun in
question. Kristof displays great sensitivity to the distress of Sister Margaret and the thwarted
hospital by saying, The hospitals offense? It had terminated a pregnancy to save the life of the
mother. While the cause may have been noble, Kristof forgets to mention here, or is unaware of,
the real weight of the situation. He presents the first part of that phrase as a question, implying
that the hospital did very little to provoke such a response from the Catholic authorities. He
justifies the decision to carry out the abortion, despite the Catholic Churchs very strict code of
ethics regarding abortions. In truth, this hospital defied a very important belief of the Catholic
Church, and while the justice that was served may not be convenient for hospital patients or staff,
the church upholds the right to only allow Mass to be practiced in places worthy of the presence
of God.
Kristofs article conveys a clear message, calling the Catholic Church members to
actively question the morality of their leaders decisions. He praises Sister Margaret for standing
up for what she believes is right and even gives the hospital an honorable mention for supporting
the sister during her excommunication. The uses of confident and modern tone, vivid
overstatement, and logical fallacy communicate an argument that is lacking in evidentiary
support and is missing a wider scope of consideration. And while all of these elements may
cause a skeptical reader to furrow their brow, to the normal audience member, all of these
elements contribute to an arousing and convincing argument about religion and social change.

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Kristofs article also carries great weight in the fight for human rights on a global scale.
Ordinary churchgoers all over the world are tiring of being pigeonholed by their faiths and
expect their leaders to reciprocate the amount of dedication they exhibit on a daily basis. Modern
convictions of faith are found by personal acquisition of unique beliefs, specially fitted to each
individual person, all formed in the spirit of questioning and discovery. The Catholic Church is
infamous for its historic vaguery and corruption, and in a world where living righteously by any
Christian standards is increasingly difficult, believers want more support from their leaders, not
punishment and messages of brimstone and hellfire. With abortion and gay rights efforts gaining
momentum and acceptance, religious people of all faiths are calling for new reactions from their
leaders, new revelation fit to their modern situations. After centuries of radical religious
movements and revolutions, a sense of normality and calm is most appealing to todays average
churchgoer. Kristofs message, if accepted by the catholic community in America, can bring
about the start great social change. By supporting Sister Margarets decision to preserve the life
of a mother, members demand mercy and compassion from their distant and unknown
authorities. The Catholic Church may be forced to finally step up and create a more personable
and intimate relationship with its American members, allowing for more open discussions with
high authorities about relevant issues. Essentially, Kristofs message, if it indeed spreads and
evolves, may lead to a church-wide simplification of Catholic ideals, adapting them for the
modern, average faithful member. Like the Dalai Lama said, the philosophy is kindness; a
philosophy that modern day Catholics and people of all faiths now pray is implemented into all
human practices.