meuer@quasifuchs (Mark Meuer) (08/04/89)
This is a response to a previous note where someone said that they are going to unsubscribe to this group because the discussion here tended to be bickering rather than upbuilding, and was often not carried out with a spirit of love. The moderator responded with the fact that he only posts what is submitted. (I didn't save the letter, so forgive me if this is not an accurate summary.) I agree with both of these points, so I have a request for everyone who reads this group. Would you pray for the group every time that you start to read it? Every time that you read a post you disagree with, would you take some time out to pray for that person? It is SO easy for a forum like this to degenerate into endless arguing. If we bathe soc.religion.christian in prayer, God WILL permeate it and bless it and use it as a tool for His glory. Please do not take this as a criticism. I'm sure that many of you already do pray like this. It's humbling to realize that I've been reading this group for many months and this thought just occurred to me today. I'm excited to think that along with talking about Jesus, we can all be talking with Him as well. The peace of the Lord be with all of you. -mark ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Meuer | 1200 Washington Ave. So. Geometry Supercomputer Project | Minneapolis, MN 55415 meuer@geom.umn.edu | (612) 624-1867 Standard Disclaimer ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Meuer | 1200 Washington Ave. So. Geometry Supercomputer Project | Minneapolis, MN 55415 meuer@geom.umn.edu | (612) 624-1867
hassell@ncar.ucar.edu (Christopher Hassell) (08/09/89)
<Aug.3.23.43.05.1989.2125@athos.rutgers.edu> meuer@quasifuchs (Mark Meuer) writes: # This is a response to a previous note where someone said that they are # going to unsubscribe to this group because the discussion here tended # to be bickering rather than upbuilding, and was often not carried out # with a spirit of love. ... # I agree with both of these points, so I have a request for everyone # who reads this group. Would you pray for the group every time that # you start to read it? Every time that you read a post you disagree # with, would you take some time out to pray for that person? ... Isn't it on us all, to see what kinds of futile and near-meaningless haggling we can perpetuate....without need for resolution. This issue is one that I have confronted somewhat myself in this group. I belive the "effect" of which articles are posted to this group is merely an effect of what Usenet is for in some ways. Myself and other posters in some ways wish that such a group with a dedicatedly "Christian" arena of discussion, like this one, could be a place for support, discussions with agreements and encouragement, and comfort. Basically our wish (I believe) is to have a forum that is an interesting place to be more Christian without many of the concerns and/or prejudices that face-to-face organizations sometimes produce. (in that I mean that very few cliques and centralized groups are created and "acceptance" comes almost always from a knowledgible post or two here on Usenet.) That is what I belive I would wish upon this group, if it could be, so that Usenet can provide a place for those like myself who see some difficulty in finding more thoughtful fellowship with the Groups that are available, in my knowledge. In some ways I've seen some more unabashedly Christian postings here than I've seen for years at my church, I think its the lack of confrontation meself. In that respect, this group has succeded with the ideal I presented before. But, to continue with this point, the reality I see is also that Usenet is a place to take the generic and global discussions that exist for everyone who watches events and issues. The discussions/debates that people would have not attempted, for fear of offending a brother in the faith or creating turmoil in general, are attempted here. Issues that have divided up Protestantism and have made such a diversity of worship possible still exist here and are discussed with gentleman(or woman)ly concern. Discussion about political and current event policy also enter the fray as more justified subjects. This, this group, is not the same possible group that I spoke of above. I believe that sort of group would be very nice and is even a requiem for the net for those who follow Jesus. I cannot see this newsgroup's declaration any time soon, in any sort of net resembling this one. Alas, such a strong bond of such value binds us all as Christians, and yet there is enough room to clash idea against idea. A group that can actually accept the "New Age"y Worldly-ethic of "accepting diversity" and yet still know when to rebuke seeds of discontent and un-love and things that detatch us from God ... there, that group would be one that could survive and prosper and consolidate us as we who follow Christ face issues of rejection and even seeds of hate and persecution today, along with the concern we have for the non-believers in this fallen world. I would like to continue some points in here, but I fear they are not yet very clear in this bleary mind....|-<> <yawn>. I would like to consider more of what Christians ought to be doing when almost all Christianity is church and some political stances <all value oriented> shown to the outside world, with a goodly bunch of daily kindness packed in for Godly measure :->. Christianity isn't considering itself against The World <in a battle of Love>, it is considering itself AS The World's Leaders and in some ways AS THE WORLD ITSELF. (as if we could rule it until it's holy) When we show off all of our own well-formed opinions on subjects such as Mass and Baptism and Biblical Literature, in most ways we are doing precisely and nearly nothing. This Christianity-Space, is just an erudite show-off zone in one deeply-seated facet. The fact that that sort of activity is so popular shows something of how closely our own hearts percieve the Lord. The fact that not many other issues make it here shows how much of our Christian-hood pokes out into the colder world, the world which would show us less comfort. The lack of other subjects simply shows something of what we consider Christ to mean to what we say and want to say here. I feel unity is something we have become too apathetic towards. Unity of Christianity is not an issue of coalitions of people ready to Rule More of The World, but it is simply what we really are, one, not ONE INTEREST GROUP, not ONE CULTURAL GROUP, and not ONE RELIGIO-POLITICAL GROUP <though everyone KNOWS that's all churches are :-b>. I believe I'm rambling too much, forgive me. I'll give it a better try later. ### C>H> ### [[ CONCLUSION FORTHCOMING ... E.T.A. a night's sleep later ]] |->zzzzzzzzz