If I’m going to be really starting this up again, it is probably wise to give the periodic reminder about this blog.
First, I want to thank you all for your readership and your kind words. This is largely a writing exercise and an opportunity for me to get thoughts out of my head. I remain humbled by positive response and the appreciation. To everyone who has let me know you are reading, ever liked a post, or commented, thank you. It is appreciated more than you could know. To those of you who read in silence, thank you as well.
I would also like to use this time to post a reminder of the blog rules, and to provide advance warning. There will be blogs that will either make you mad or will upset you or challenge your position on a particular topic. The blog is my personal space and soap box, so it will reflect my biases and my contrarian streak. I will also likely question things that many people believe are and should be settled.
I do remain open to civil discourse on almost any topic.
Finally, I wanted to pass along a reminder that I have an email subscription option on the page. With that, you'll receive an email link each time a new post is added. There is also an RSS feed option, in case anyone prefers that method.
Further, an update of the reminders that have been previously posted:
- This blog represents the thoughts and opinions of its writer, me. I stand behind what I write, but it does reflect my views and opinions at the time of writing. I provide myself the opportunity to change my mind and to learn new information.
- I promise, I will post on topics that are so niche-focused, so utterly nerdy that anyone but me is going to be bored to tears. I try to keep those to only once or twice a week and to rotate through a variety of topics throughout the week to keep it interesting. I use the labels so that you can screen out certain topics if you want to.
- I will post things that you will disagree with and that will potentially make you upset. I know I am more liberal than the majority of my audience. Probably regarding doctrine and politics both. These are both topics I'm going to write on from time to time. I personally favor moderation and lean center-left, but will post on a variety of viewpoints from center-right to hard left (maybe even hard right in a few instances, though increasingly unlikely).
- I am going to be harder on Republicans than I am on Democrats. While I am not a fan of many politicians of many different political parties, I am growing to despise what the Republican party is becoming. And I reserve the sharpest criticism for them due to one fact above all: the perverse mixture of politics and religion that Republicans promote. Because they purport to hold themselves out as the Christian party, I'm going to hold them to that impossible standard.
- I am likewise harder on churches and Christians than I am on non-believers. Those who profess to believe have identified themselves as recognizing a higher standard. To put it simply, "we should know and act better." And do so based on a reading of the entire Bible. Sadly, we all too often fall far short of this. While I do want to extend grace to those that slip, when errors occur as abuses of power in the church or in ways that belittle the faith they claim to hold, I will be discussing it.
- I'm generally more interested in questions than concrete answers. I think we as a collective are less curious than we should be and settle for comfortable answers when we should still be asking harder, more difficult questions.
- I am completely open to disagreement and debate. Honest and open dialogue is the only way we can move forward in any civilized society. However, I have a few ground rules for debate:
- I will not tolerate name calling or muckraking. When the thread resorts to calling each other racists, "liberal snowflakes," "libtards," or four-letter words, I will shut it down. Likewise, I'm not going to let stereotypes and sweeping generalities go unchallenged. All liberals do not want the destruction of our country, all conservatives are not bigots, etc.
- I hope for discussion that will foster conversation, not end it. So I expect more than "guns don't kill people, people kill people" in a discussion on gun control, for example. I will not let those conversation-enders stand unchallenged.
- Compromise is not a dirty word. And likewise, I do hope people change their mind from time to time based on what they learn. Including me.
- I follow this hierarchy for the value of information: facts, then informed opinions, then general opinions. Saying "that's just my opinion" is going to get nowhere with me if it is not supported by the facts.