Recently I laid down some rules of thumb by which I will decide which reader comments I will post and which I will not. I will not post comments by persons who come here only to argue, heckle or try to embarrass me (or someone else). This is a forum for dialogue. I will never post comments that engage in ridicule or intentional misrepresentation of others’ views.
Fortunately, following those rules of thumb has worked to calm things down quite a bit. Some of the more aggressive Calvinists who came here only to heckle me or insist that I respond to a certain critic, etc., have gone away after I have declined to post their comments. For the most part, the discussion here has improved dramatically.
However, I need to add another caveat. It seems to me that some readers who offer comments want to drag me into a debate about basic Christian orthodoxy. Please know (everyone) that I am firmly committed to basic Christian orthodoxy and have no interest in debating about it. Others have done a marvelous job of defending it; that’s not my particular calling or gift. My calling and (hopefully) gift is to explain it so that people may know whether they believe it or not. If, after coming to understand what it is, they choose to reject it, fine. This is not the place for them to display their unbelief. If they are asking for elucidation and reasons, fine. But I won’t even post comments that seem to be from Jehovah’s Witnesses (for example) unless they are sincerely trying to understand Christian orthodoxy.
Useful conversation can only really take place with some shared common beliefs and values. Here we presuppose evangelical faith including basic Christian orthodoxy. Coming here ONLY to attack it will routinely have only one result–not seeing your comment posted here. It will be a waste of your time and energy as I don’t even read all the way through such comments before discarding them.
Also, please excuse me if I am not able to respond to every question. That simply becomes too time consuming. In many cases I will simply post a comment containing a question or questions and let others answer them.
Thanks to all of you who have used this blog to engage in constructive dialogue.
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