AtDA Ground Rules for Re-Directed Comments from SBC Outpost

Boys and Girls (Please let that be a jovial greeting, not a description of immature attitudes and words):

I was unavailable to host comments last night and have been involved in church-related things all morning.  Please forgive my tardiness in getting to the blog today!

As many of you know, my last post here was re-posted on SBC Outpost late yesterday afternoon and I asked for all comments to come here.  I also asked that you read “About This Blog” and respect the fact that, as my blog title and sub-title declare, we are seeking to “Agree to Disagree Agreeably” by “Playing nice while blogging about frustrating issues.”

I am dead serious about this and it is not because my name is on the line.  Every “train-wreck” at SBC Outpost drug the Lord Jesus Christ’s name through the mud and I am not going to allow that to happen here.

Here is how it is going to go.  Before you write anything, I commend you to the Holy Spirit to ask how what you are writing exhibits “love, joy, peace, patience… gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22, 23, HCSB).  If it doesn’t, I beg you, don’t hit the ‘Submit’ button.  Don’t do it!  If you can’t control yourself, the Spirit can.  Let Him do His job as your Paraklete, who is supposed to fill/control you and bring fruit through your life (Eph. 5:18ff., Gal. 5:22-23).

Second, please abide by my two previously-stated ground rules: 1) Have a balanced ‘take’ (i.e., say something positive, not just critical); and 2) Don’t sin… and anger not dealt with very quickly is sin (Eph. 4:26-27).  So, if you came in with an angry comment last night and, after I release the comments (and I will release all of them momentarily), you come in with another angry comment, guess what: you “let the sun go down on your anger” and, according to Paul, that’s sin.

Why are we so hesitant to admit our sin?  After all, surrounding the promise related to the confession of sin in 1 Jn. 1:9 are these statements: “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” and “If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10, HCSB).  Who do you think you’re fooling?

It was said at Outpost that people like to watch “train-wrecks.”  Maybe so, although I am not among that group.  I also noticed that there exists a certain group of commenters who like to cause train wrecks.

So you’ll know, I’m only releasing comments one by one and I’m not excluding any at this point.  But, I have no intention of allowing a “free-for-all” to break out.  If you try to either hijack the comment stream–which will emerge much slower here–or get angry and come back in later unrepentant, I will not allow you to comment again.  In other words, you will get a second chance, but that’s it.  The Lord’s testimony is much more important than your irresponsible fleshly desire to dominate through a comment.

The bottom line is this: “Civil discourse” is actually a low standard of behavior.  Any unsaved person can meet that standard.  But, only Christians can engage in “Spirit-led discourse.” 

Will you selflessly choose to be part of the answer to the blogging “train-wrecks” problem in the power of the Spirit or will you selfishly demand to “bite and devour one another” (Gal. 5:15) in the flesh?  Selah and Amen.