I am never entirely sure why this happens, but the problems with the comments have really mounted over the last 7-10 days. I am very concerned about this as a matter of stewardship of the site.
In particular:
(1)There has been a tendency to import other agendas into a thread which are the concern of the poster, but not of the thread.
(2) The number of posts which express anger, bitterness, frustration and grumpiness without a balance of Christian charity and in a number of cases Christian hope has gone way up.
(3) We still have people who engage too much in ad hominem attacks or unnecessarily personal comments.
(4) Some individual are dominating certain threads to a unnecessary extent.
Please read my previous statements about the comments found here. Also, do take the time to read over and pray over your comments before you submit them. Consider taking a break from commenting if some of these concerns apply to you.
Thanks.
[blockquote] The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Proverbs 21:31 NLT [/blockquote]
And what is our collective “horse” but words—these words that we employ so fervently on these web logs? Collectively, we put too much faith in our horses, and expect too much in the way of results from our own efforts. This leads, of course, only to disappointment, frustration and anger.
I have also noticed the increasing frustration and impatience on the web logs of late. There are many who feel injured and betrayed by the developments in TEC and the AC over the last year, and it’s beginning to show up here. In myself I have noticed a temptation to just write it all off; to give up on the Anglican hope.
But the battle belongs to the Lord. It is he who sets the course of events, and victory will not be won before its time. None of us know how low TEC and the AC leadership must sink before the Lord is ready to act. Perhaps there must be more destruction before the healing begins. The Lord knows, and we are in his hands.
The Christian Hope cited by Kendall does not rest in our actions, but in the Lord. Let us all step back from the insistent immediacy of our words and opinions and leave more room for the work of the Lord our God.
[size=2][color=red][url=http://resurrectioncommunitypersonal.blogspot.com/]The Rabbit[/url][/color][color=gray].[/color][/size]
Kendall,
Right now there is a great feeling of betrayal. On one hand there are those who are seeking to live out their commitment to Christ within the Anglican Communion separate and apart from the Episcopal Church USA. On the other are good and faithful Christians who believe that some form of compromise is possible.
I count myself in the former category. I am a member of a congregation in Virginia which is being ruthlessly sued by a bishop and supported by the entire structure of the Episcopal Church USA. We do not see any tangible support from our Brothers and Sisters in that later category. Indeed, it appears to us that they are providing both monetary and moral support of the attacks on the Gospel of Christ Jesus our Lord.
As you yourself noted in your remarks to the Presiding Bishop, the attack on Bishop Cox was totally lacking in Christian Charity, Grace or Mercy and is terrorizing his elderly, disabled wife. In my opinion, this is unconscionable. There was absolutely no need for this — he is an 88 year old man who is exercising no ecclesiastical office or responsibilities. He long ago transfered his credentials (forgive me for not knowing the correct terms of art here) to another jurisdiction in communion with the ABC. This action was completely uncalled for and appears to be the actions of a bully or, in this case (since it is a large group) a lynch mob. And we have seen no evidence that the compromisers, our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, have done anything to forestall, defend or dissent from this action. You are quite correct – we should suffer these indignities with grace and mercy and not fall into sin ourselves. It is so difficult however, when the sense of betrayal is so high.
It is one thing to be attacked by people you know are hostile to you and to the very Gospel of Jesus — it is another to be betrayed by those who profess the Lordship of Christ Jesus.
If I may make an allusion to a recent movie — this feels like a scene out of Braveheart. On one hand you have the Scots who want to live faithful to their people and on the other you have the nobles who are willing to sell out for more land and titles. We feel betrayed.
[blockquote]William Wallace to Robert the Bruce: Nobles. Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don’t follow titles, they follow courage. Now our people know you. Noble, and common, they respect you. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they’d follow you. And so would I.[/blockquote]
It is time to choose.
Grace and Peace,
William P. Sulik
I do not think 4 is a cause for concern. The others who wish to comment are not being shut out, and it is common that one commenter, starting an argument, wishes to continue to develop the position.
As to 2, I suspect you are looking as a the outward signs of a deep and festering illness in the psycho/social body. We are watching the complete failure of leadership from the ABC, and there are no other leaders to look to. Moreover, what is wrong with TEC and all its social cognates is obvious to all, and equally obvious is that there is nothing anyone can do about it. This feeling is now commonplace in America, I submit, namely that what is wrong is both obvious and beyond anyone’s ability to repair. The Spitzer problem is a case in point. We read the facts and we compare them to his political positions and we ask the central question, “Who CAN you trust?” And the answer seems to be ,”No one.”
Place this malaise next to another common perception, especially here, namely, that the bad guys are winning the war even though the good guys win a battle or two. One thinks, of course of Yeats and The Second Coming, and with the best of reasons. From what sun will come the heat for the return of spring? LM
As you note, many of these comments rise out of frustration with the betrayal of faith that is all around us. Do you suppose that controlling and suppressing them will lessen that frustration and anger?
I agree with the points made by the previous commenters and would particularly emphasize the profound sense of betrayal by Canterbury.
Comments here and on Stand Firm became markedly more negative after the Sept. 30 deadline passed with a cluster of related betrayals:
— Kenneth Kearon’s role at the New Orleans House of Bishops meeting, where he helped broker ECUSA’s defiance-couched-as-compliance language.
— The joint standing committee’s report purporting to find ECUSA in substantial compliance with the demands made by the Primates at Dar es Salaam. This report was a whitewash: silly at best, mendacious at worst.
— Canterbury’s decision to hold no Primates’ meeting to evaluate ECUSA’s response to the Dar es Salaam communique.
Kendall,
Thanks for posting this. I, too, have noticed the increase of [i]anger, bitterness, frustration and grumpiness[/i] on the blogs from all sides of this conflict.
I attribute it to being tired of the battle and being gripped with fear. Much like actual combat, atrocities occur most often when discipline breaks down and fear takes over; in this case seen in the words which come out of the abundance of our hearts. Unfortunately, being coupled to such negativity corrodes all of our souls as we lose sight of the one who has given us hope and taught us not to fear but to love one another.
We are not naturally prone to love others who hurt us in any setting. It might also be that we are not naturally willing to love anyone other than ourselves. Thus betrayal of what we feel is important brings out the anger and grouchiness in our souls as efficiently as fasting for a week.
This is a good reminder for us as we reflect this coming week on Jesus’ humility and love for us who are so well represented by His disciples in both betrayal and fear. We need to learn to walk in the way of His suffering, that we may share in His resurrection.
I agree with everyone of your points but most especially with your second and third points. Proverb 15.1 (“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger”) seems born out in many threads as the one post cascades into an evermore vehement set of posts. Although the sense of betrayal many posit as the root cause of this phenomenom is perhaps true, the principles of edification and charity should more guide posting than it sometimes seems to. Perhaps I Cor 10:23 applied in charity would help everyone when they choose to comment.
Pax et Bonum,
Steve
Regardless of how bad things are outside of this blog, I believe we can and should, as Kendall urged in his link from this post, all strive to post “constructive, edifying, focused comments, for the upbuilding of all.”
I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! (Capt. Renault, Casablanca)
Can an anonymous weblog truly be a “Christian†experience?
Jesus calls us into relationship and into community? Can that really happen virtually?
Personally, I try to catch up with the going ons in our church, once in awhile. It is always very frustrating reading before I even gets to the comments. As one looks at the state of the Episcopal Church (yea the entire Western Church), how can one not be filled all the emotions that are contained in the Psalms?
Just a few suggestions, in order of your points:
1) It is not your job or responsibility — unless you insist on making it so — to keep a conversation between other people “on [your] topic”.
2) Consider it a thermometer. Yes, it gets hot out sometimes. Not taking the temperature anymore doesn’t make it any cooler… but yeah, staring at the thermometer can make it SEEM hotter than it really is.
3) you can easily ban the troublemakers
4) see #3.