I want to encourage a conversation on this blog. I will attempt to be a part of the conversation. My goal is to build community. I truly believe that we grow stronger when we talk to each other. I hope you learn some things from my writings. But, I also want to learn from you.
In order to do that we must build a healthy community – a safe place for people to find help. To that end, I have developed seven (a nice, Biblical number) rules for any comments you want to make on this blog.
I tried to keep it short and simple. If you break any of these rules you will be given a warning. If you break them repeatedly you will be banned from this site. Thanks for doing your part in making this a safe place to talk about Jesus.
1. No personal attacks
This should go without saying. But, I’ll say it anyway. The essential Biblical ethic of love for God and neighbor is founded on the sacred nature of human life. Every person is of ultimate value to God, and therefore, should be treated with respect and love – whether or not you think they deserve it.
2. No cursing
No exceptions. Cursing is any visceral or profane word used to demean, diminish or humiliate another human being. It will not be tolerated.
3. No inappropriate or off-color jokes
They are not funny. Period.
4. No spamming
I have no idea how this happens, but whoever you are … I’ll do whatever I can to stop it.
5. No blatant self-promotion
My blog has no advertising on it. I’m not making any money off of it. I don’t expect you to try. If you are a blogger and would like to be a part of the conversation, that’s fine. If occasionally, you want to reference a relevant blog post that you wrote (or a book or product that might be helpful to the conversation) that’s fine. However, if you make no attempt to add to the conversation, but simply post links to your products, or if I sense that you are on the site only to promote yourself, I will ban you.
6. No attacks on Jesus, the Church, or the Bible
This is not a blog on apologetics. I am not here to defend the historicity of Jesus, the past or present failures of the Church, or the veracity of the Bible. I have studied all of those things and am quite capable of conversing about them … but, that’s NOT the purpose of this blog. I choose to write about the ways the life and teachings of Jesus can make a difference in your life. If you want to challenge the Bible or the Church or the divinity of Jesus – go somewhere else – there are plenty of blogs that address those issues.
7. No political rants
This is not a blog on political ideology. This is a blog about Jesus. Although Jesus certainly speaks to relevant cultural issues and the power structures of society, the primary focus of this blog will be on how Jesus helps people. There will be times when political issues can and should be discussed. However, I will ask that the comments stick to the biblical/theological ramifications and that we stay away from political or economic ideologies. And rules 1-3 apply to politicians as well. After all, they are people too.
Thanks for respecting these rules and for being a part of this community. Together we can create a safe place for exploring the life and teachings of Jesus.
