A Road Less Travelled

Howdy, folks. Recently there has been a comment conversation that got me a little hot around the collar due to the lack of courtesy I perceived in the commenter. As co-moderator of this blog I thought this would be a good time to lay some ground rules as to what is polite and acceptable in the comments section. First, as an over arching rule I look at this blog as my space. Our space, really, but it’s easier to think of it as my space. It is fine to come in and say something, but if you wouldn’t say it in my house, to my face than perhaps you should rethink what you were going to say. There are still rules of etiquette and the basic rules of polite and loving conversation apply. Second, with rule number the first in mind, if your comment is purely on the level of “You’re wrongâ€? then that is not helpful. “You’re wrong for reasons X, Y, and Z which are found in the Bibleâ€? is another matter and I welcome those comments. They are an opportunity to see matters from a view I had not previously considered or maybe real live edification could be going both ways. But a simple, “You’re wrongâ€? is not edifying and leaves no room for dialogue. If you can give me real, God-honoring reasons you think I am mistaken in my views then please share. But if what you are saying can be boiled down to “You’re wrongâ€? without any other content than please refrain from commenting. Third, if you say something have the courage to stand by it. No take backs. And please don’t phrase things in such a way that it was a backhanded insult, but you can still say you didn’t call me that. Raquel and I do not allow anonymous comments on this blog for this very reason. If you are going to say it you need to be willing to stand by and claim it at the end of the day. If you feel you need to clarify a statement or if you feel you needto explain a bit more that is one thing, but saying “I didn’t call you a smelly pile of monkey dung I just said that you were saying something that made you *sound* like a smelly pile of monkey dung” is not acceptable. Again, if you wouldn’t say it in my house to my face you shouldn’t be saying it at all. I am not trying to be mean to anyone and I don’t mean to pick on the individual who commented. On the Internet you don’t have the benefit of tone of voice to soften your choice of words. Your words can come across in a way very different from what you intended. There are people who take advantage of this and use it as an excuse. But there are rules of proper, loving behaviour and they are especially needed on the Internet because I can’t see you or talk to you face to face. Those rules tend to go out the window on the Internet and I think that is evil and it needs to stop. So I will influence the only space I have influence over. I don’t think these ground rules are anything new to most of you, but I felt the need to say them openly. I don’t know exactly who reads this blog, but there could be people who need to see how Christians talk and how Christians fight. So we need to talk and fight well to the glory of God and the building of His kingdom.