Bible Question:
Hank, do you still feel this way about the forum? I have found it to be enlightening, sometimes even entertaining. To be honest, your, Nolan's, and Kalos' posts have been very inspiring and helpful in clearing up confusion on some of my questions, to the point that I haven't needed to post them. So, do you still feel this way? And to the other members of this forum, have we thought about the accountability to which Hank points? We are all held accountable for what's in the heart, for the heart is a wellspring for all that comes from it (thoughts, spoken word, and actions--see especially James, Colossians, Proverbs, and 1 Corinthians). I exhort all of us, including myself, to pray first before speaking, for we are to be light and salt to the world, including fellow believers. Sorry, let me get down from my soapbox now. Hank, do you still think your thoughts are true of the forum? If so, why? In Christ, Estelle |
Bible Answer: Rovlear, or Estelle, if you prefer -- Thank you first of all for your kind words regarding the posts of my friends, Makarios and Kalos, and of mine. The post about which you inquire was the product of my thoughts regarding the forum in March of this year. And you ask whether they still reflect my views today. By and large, I'd have to say that they do, at least in certain critical areas. By that I mean that posts continue to be added almost every day that are not and cannot be supported by Scripture. I am particularly concerned about two groups of people who may read error-laden posts and not be able to discern whether what they are reading is sound doctrine or falsehood. The two groups are the sincere seekers who do not yet know Christ, and those who do but who are not yet solidly grounded in the faith -- the "babes in Christ." From time to time I have been horror-struck as I read some of the truly outre things that have been entered on this forum. While all is not sweetness and light on the forum, Estelle, all is not sour and dark either, not by any means. We have two very positive things going in favor of the forum. The first I will mention is the tremendous asset of being blessed with a fairly large number of fine, reliable people, many of whom have been active users since the forum was in its infancy. They know Scripture, they are keen in recognizing false teaching and swift to refute it with the word of God. In their absence, the kooks would have a field day :-).... And the second thing I will mention is positive, even though at first blush one might tend to think of it as a negative. I'm talking about the "Report Abuse" feature that Lockman has wisely set in place. We have had, over the year and four months that I've been active on this forum, a generous share of users who did not comply with the standards of usage that Lockman has seen fit to establish. Their abuse was reported to Lockman by other users and in a certain amount of cases, the abusers' privilege to post was revoked. This is indeed a valuable feature, to be able to rid the forum of recalcitrant users.... So there you have it, Estelle. I don't know whether I've answered you fully or satisfactorily, but thanks for asking anyway, and I've had fun trying to respond in a manner that may make at least some sense. --Hank |