an oxgoad, eh? is the product of Don Johnson, pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria.
When this blog was only an idea, the matter of a name came up. Don told a friend that his name needed to be fundamentalist and Canadian. He thinks these themes are achieved by the title.
The term ‘oxgoad’ comes from the story of the Hebrew judge Shamgar who slew six hundred Philistines with an ox goad (Judges 3.31). Fundamentalists are known for utilizing blunt instruments. In the case of this blog, the intention is to use plain unvarnished truth as a blunt instrument against the many Philistine ideas that populate the foggy minds of the land.
The Canadian theme derives from the blogger’s home and native land…
- Main Entry: eh
- Etymology:Middle English ey
- Date: 13th century
—used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry ; used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener’s or reader’s agreement
[definition from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary]
The interjection reflects Canadian insecurity and self-doubt. While fundamentalists are blunt, Canadians are pathologically nice. Canadian fundamentalists are pathologically conflicted. It’s about the best we can do, eh?
a voice from the past giving us our fundie mandate…
“If we cannot say anything adequately, we can say some things inadequately.” Niebuhr, Christ and Culture
[Quoting Niebuhr is not an endorsement of him or his book. It certainly is not a recommendation of his book. It is a sardonic viewpoint of blogging, however.]
the ox at work: 
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