Goodbye

I have never been afraid to speak out. The difference is that I know when to hang up my hat. Some never know when to give it a rest, and keep on going on, even when there is no point to ponder.

It is like the preacher who spoke on giving. He got my attention first off. He then convinced me to give. Soon I had purse in hand.but wait, he kept going on and my purse slid into pocket and I left without giving.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I hope to, yes. I will reiterate that this should not become a slugfest. I appreciate the demeanor of the posts thus far. I have only had time to skim them but I will try to answer directed questions as they occur.

A few general statements:

Recognize that the moderators of this board are only human and volunteer workers at that. We make mistakes and covet your graciousness as much as you covet our's.

This board works on a chain of command type system. ALWAYS begin to try to resolve problems with the person with whom you are in conflict. Often, private means, if enabled, are a better course.

Feel at liberty to use the "report post" feature at the bottom of any submission. Bear in mind as you do so that this does not guarantee action. This board is centered around debate, so if you are "fragile" you may not always have a knight in armor running to your rescue.

If you are dissatisfied, PM the moderator(s) and politely state your concern. Refrain from attack when doing so. Remember that we reap what we sow.

If you still do not think that justice or the cause of Christ is being served, PM or email one of the administrators: Dr. Griffin, Barnabas, the webmaster or me. We are very diverse in our personalities and I would think that you would find at least one of us approachable.

When addressing concerns to anyone on this board, keep in mind that we are not talking in "real time." If you PM me, for example, I may be at work, at a family member's house, at church, etc. Please be patient with us and other members. It may take hours, or even days, before you get a reply.

Know that I view all of you who are fellow Christians as part of the Body. I am speaking personally here. If you are hurting or injured I want to know about it. It is the only way in which I can assist you. My PM and emails are enabled and I have no members on my block list so if you feel timid about posting here, let me know through one of those mediums. I promise you that you will not be penalized in any way. I want you to know that you are being heard.

My apologies for not going point by point right now. I am still in schedule for today.

 

This is a very real concern for me as well if the statement is made as a judgment. Please make sure that these posts are reported. I know as a moderator that there are some days that I can not view all the threads in all my forums. An email with the specific link will call this to the moderator's attention.

I would also recommend that should this occur, remind the attacker of Romans 14:4 and James 4:12. The condemnation of such an act is pretty much irrefutable and is backed by all conservative commentary on those verses throughout church history. If it happens enough, we may be able to break people of this unscriptural habit.

This is a perspective which has never occurred to me. I think, however, that there is a line that could be made between condemnation and questioning.

I will also note once again that this board is centered on debate. James tells us that NO MAN can completely tame his tongue. Some are worse about it than others. So once again if you are fragile, I must assert - POSTER BEWARE!

I can also tell you as a veteran of this site that your debating skills will become much more honed as you continue to participate. Your skin will thicken and you will come to recognize many attacks as mere rhetoric. Not to imply that thick skinned should become callousness, but words are really a rather mild form of persecution. You will also find that after you have entered the same debate a few times that you will be countering your opponent right from the outset. Your initial posts will cover all the points that used to take you three.

Also, never let your own behavior be such that it calls you into question. If someone says, "You are (1)unchristian, (2)unsaved, (3)dumb, (4)fill in the blank..., then your actions should prove or disprove the statement. When your demeanor disproves it, your opponent just ends up looking bad.

I remember two times in this board's history that bannings have occurred without notice for reasons other than rule breaking. One was the atheist some time ago and the other was announced here: http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000178

The board reserves the right to enact immediate bannings for obvious reasons. We haven't had any trolls lately (at least none of the high quality ones like days gone by ) but they do come on the board from time to time and we immediately remove their accounts.

Banning policy is set in the moderator forum and we act as best we can on guidelines that are set out for us. Members who are banned are sent notices at the time the account is deactivated. The Administration does not mention names on the public board as it is not our desire to be hurtful or insulting to anyone. The act is done for the good of the board as determined by a consensus or majority of the moderators, an administrators discretion in extreme cases, or by decree of the webmaster (he owns the place, that's why we get to post for free).

Your concerns are real in this matter and will be taken under consideration. This is a matter that has received some attention but, as any parlimentary body is likely to do, we end up tabling discussions as other issues are brought to our attention.

Please report these posts.

We require your assistance in this matter. If it is a question regarding board policy and no answer is forthcoming, please point it out to me. If it is something that you (the member) can answer, please assist us by doing so.

My hope is that through continued constructive dialogue we can work through this difficulty together. I will state here so that everyone can see, you do not have to be afraid to tell me, personally, what you think.

I may disagree with you, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear you. To the contrary, if you don't tell me, I will not know.

My thanks to Jim, j_barner and Abiyah for their thoughts. They, like me, are familiar with the "trenches" on this board. I suspect they will agree with me that sometimes we can become a little numb to the harsher elements here, but I do not want to ever forget that not everyone can do this.

I will try to write more later but in the meantime I am still listening.

 

Clint I thank you for waiting and also for making it clear what this board is centered on. I must have missed that part when I signed up. Silly me, I thought the board was here so we could fellowship with other believers. Now that I understand the "centering" of the BB, I understand things a little better and have less to say....


Clint, the Lord has removed my thick skin and through this transformation I have become very fragile. I know in advance this leaves me in a very delicate condition. Odd how the Lord picks out a few old tough nuts and skins them to the bone and yet, leaves others with skin in tact. I am not sure I like the new me, but this seems to be what the Lord wants, so I will just have to adjust. Most of you are very brave or thick skinned to jump into these debates here on the BB. Sarcasm runs thick at times and every so often some are wounded. You fight a brave battle!


I was very sad after reading what Larry in TN and Elnora had to say. I have debated with every one of you here on this board. What? You don't remember me? Oh yes, I have typed many, many replies!!! But, after taking a little time to reread, pray and ponder over what I had typed, I knew the Lord did not want me to press the "Add Reply" button. I feel sure most of you are doing the same thing before replying. Maybe one day the Lord will turn me loose to debate here. For now, I will wait for Him to teach me to debate in a Christ like manner.


I will just remain the "Silent" debater here. Maybe you will be able to feel the heat from my keys as I stomp out my reply! Or, maybe you will feel me when I encourage you along in your battle of words! Either way, just know I am lurking in my little safe haven praying for each of you!!!


Love in Christ,
GloryBound

 

GloryBound,
In the words of John Milton, the English poet:
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?
I fondly ask.........They also serve who only stand and wait....."

It is OK to stand by and wait upon the Lord for you to speak. We all might benefit the same..to wait....and speak. God bless,

Cheers,

Jim

A gentle reminder, The Coffee Shop is always a safe haven for fun and fellowship.

 

Sue? Take it from a Babe in Christ, if I have not been "turned away" from the things I have already read in the "Debates" going on here on the BB, rest assured, this mild mannered posting is not going to run me off and I doubt any other guest or Babe in Christ will either. Shucks, this post smells clean as a babies behind compared to the things being said in the debate forums!!! Of course, this is just my humble opinion.


GloryBound

 

Thanks, GloryBound.

When I first joined BB, I, in my eager innocence, dived into a discussion in which I thought, as a Christian and a Baptist, I was well-grounded and would find like company. I quickly learned I was in with the wrong crowd. Their extremely liberal views about things which God speaks clearly about in His word took me totally by surprise. I soon learned there was no point in "debating". Nothing I could say would change their minds, and nothing they could say would change mine, although we ALL claimed to be born-again believers.

I came here seeking online fellowship with like-minded believers as a supplement to my face-to-face fellowship with like-minded believers. I soon learned there are areas of wonderful fellowship here, and there are areas of heated debate. I have chosen to participate in the areas of fellowship.

There are many avenues of online discussion here at Baptist Board, many of which are fun, edifying, and uplifting to the body of believers. There is a Baptist History forum, a Missions/Witnessing/Evangelism forum, forums for books, computers, travel, finances, praise, inspiration, and prayer. These are educational, interesting, and fun!

I would encourage those of you who are disillusioned, upset, angry, sad, mad, and hurt to seek out some of the forums mentioned above, join in and use your God-given abilities, interests and talents to enhance the discussions in THOSE areas. The choice of forums in which to participate is YOURS...if you feel beat up in a particular forum or discussion, find another one that is more edifying, but don't feel you have to leave to make your point. There are many other discussion areas in which your values, opinions and insight would be appreciated.

CJ

 

I am new to the board and for the most part I would say everyone here seems to post with tact. There are a few that I have already noticed that have personal problems with each other and you can tell it by their posts that they are no longer debating to learn from each other but have moved to tearing down the other for a personal reason. I do not reply to posts by these people for the simple reason is that while they suggest a subject for debate, they have already made up their mind that anyone who disagrees with their point of view will be attacked.
I do not visit certain subject areas because I know what my opinion and conviction on that subject is, so why bother. One would be the homeschooling forum, I dont go there because it is made for those who homeschool. I dont, I have my reasons but why would I go there? The only reason would be to stir up trouble, and thats just not me.
I did find one thread with an extremely interesting topic but as I read further and further into the posts I realized it wasnt what I thought. The post reminded me of my kids when they were little in the backyard playing army...."i shot you...know you didnt...you missed"....so on and so forth. In the end all those who were posting had closed minds already and really were just attacking each other. So I will research the issue on my own and decide myself, after all that is what we are told to do.

 

CJ, thank you so much for your gentle words of encouragement. You have brought light to my thoughts. Through your words I have come to realize that I have clearly been asking for anger to enter my heart by entering into some areas here on the BB.


I knew before entering the thread they were speaking about things that go against my beliefs and personal convictions. But yet, I would enter and read the posts until they angered me. This is not the fault of the person speaking in the thread, but my own fault for being so quick to leap into an area where I had no business being. Debating was not my purpose for coming here and I thank you for helping me see more clearly CJ.

I will be checking out all those threads you spoke of and again, thank you! May the Lord bestow a special blessing upon you today!


Love in Christ,
GloryBound

 

Brother Jim, move over, I am on my way to The Coffee Shop......


GloryBound

 

An interesting point has been raised here.

For me, personally, I live in a fairly sheltered rural area but it is very quickly growing. As this happens, new people and new ideas enter the community.

I feel well informed and able to defend any infiltration into my church that would threaten our doctrine - and I owe a great deal of that to the debates here on the BB.

Most times I also merely lurk on the threads. One thing I have learned is that 90% of the time someone will say what I would have by page 3 anyway. That's why I usually don't pop in until page 6 or 7.

However, by watching those with whom I disagree, I can learn what tactics, what Scriptures and what techniques they use to construct their arguments. Then when one of my "allies" counters them, I can examine what techniques work and which fail. There have even been times that I realized that I was in the wrong and I had to adjust my view. It made me a stronger Christian either way.

I would also suggest that it is important to recognize others, even if they disagree with you, as also being members of the Body of Christ. I may disagree with you, but that does not mean that I do not respect you or do not love you. It merely is what it is - a disagreement.

Remember too that even if the other person is attacking you that never justifies attacking them back, at least not by Christian standards. 1Peter 3:14-16

Yes, I know, some people are harsh but bear in mind that we all err (James 3:2) and our condemnation of the errorist may make us (if even only to God) hypocrites.

Another bit of advice I would give:
When I was new to moderating a subject came up in one of my forums that I was opposed to for very personal reasons. Had I not been a moderator, I wouldn't have even looked at it, knowing where it was going. I jumped on the thread and did everything within the guidelines to sway it, divert it, change it, etc. All I was accomplishing was bumping the thing up to the index page and getting very frustrated.

I spoke to Brother Barnabas when the smoke cleared and told him that I hoped my demeanor was befitting the board and explained that I was actually getting angry about it. He reassured me that it had been handled okay and gave me a great piece of advice:

"Don't debate the person, debate the issue."

It has made such a significant difference in my view of certain threads. By separating the person from the issue, I can still clearly see them as a fellow believer, but still argue my points just as forcefully. It removes the temptation to resort to ad hominem attacks. All they accomplish are anger and bitterness.

[ November 05, 2003, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

I have been on the BB for over a year now. I have had my moments of debate, some with a good attitude, others with indignation. I have found that when I start a topic with a question that needs an answer, I get an answer. The answer may not always be what I expect, but I can take it for whatever it is.

If I post a topic that I look for debate, then that's what I get. If I look for an argument, I get it. I have been helped by many in this way. I sometimes want to know how to debate something. I want the other thought, the other side. If I want an answer to something I am struggling with, it is my attitude that makes the topic beneficial.

I really appreciate those that do not see the way I do. They teach me what I don't see. I may not agree, but I can appreciate what they contribute. When the discussion gets very heated, I have the choice to leave, to look back if I dare, and answer if I choose. I can avoid who I want, go into any topic that I want, and leave when I want. If I don't feel like debating, I can go into a fellowship forum, and find peace, laughter, empathy, joy, or whatever I choose.

I think this board is balanced. We can choose to go to whatever, whenever, or just leave. Friends are lurking here. We are in control, and the moderators are what they are. They do a good job. Sometimes we allow emotion to run us, but we only need to give ourselves time to get over it. I find this board addictive, so I have a pretty hard time leaving, even if at that moment I do.

 

I agree with theolivebranch....

There is a good balance here. I enjoy debating pertinent topics that churches everywhere are facing. I enjoy topics concerning families,husbands, and children...sometimes these topics can bring controversy,esp if people believe differently on the roles of husbands,wives,working outside the home,etc....I can debate these things,but have learned to be careful and gracious....I never want to hurt or offend others. I do have very strong beliefs in this area. I have learned to be encouraging in these areas. I also see many here who I would enjoy just visiting with.

I think the moderators do a fabulous job!!!

Molly

 

"Don't grieve that the roses have thorns

...Rather rejoice that the thorns have roses!"

 

The posting rules have been updated to reflect current board policy. Please not the addition of rule #2 (I am assuming that the new rule was not added sequentially, but in order of importance).

http://www.baptistboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000191

http://www.baptistboard.com/postingrules.html