i know this has been a long time coming, and i apologize for that. i wanted to communicate with you all first and for you all to gain clarity before sharing with the rest of the board.
before i get into it, i just want to ask you all to try and read this as from Christ's perspective. what i mean by that is to try and put our own biases aside. the below statement can be taken from a "liberal" standpoint in an anything goes attitude. it can also be taken "conservativly" in a walk on eggshells around everyone. it is not meant for either extreme.
as i have been praying over the last few weeks, this was the only thing that kept coming back to me.
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt 22:36-40
As pertaining to Christ:
i try to think of CF as church, and i thought of the character of Christ and what he would want his people to be like. i want CF to be a place where Christians have a place to discuss the things of Christ...even amongst all the different denominations out there. it would be a place where all who claim to have a personal relationship with Christ can come to talk about Him and worship Him.
As pertaining to Life:
i would want people to develop deep relationships with each other and be able to walk with each other both in the bright and dark times of life...share in both bliss and sorrow...joy and heartache....in essence live life and grow together
As pertaining to those that dont know Christ:
i want those that are not believers to be able to interact amicably with believers on the board. i would hope that the believers on CF would welcome non-believers with open loving arms and for the believers to show them the light of Christ in their interactions with them in speech and attitude.
however, let's say CF was a ford mustang forum. if someone really loved chevy camaros, and started to say how camaros were better than ford and fords suck and constantly caused trouble with other members, they are not here to be friends nor are they here to find out more about ford mustangs...hence they would no longer be welcome on the boards. i think you all get the picture.
may it never be said that someone, whether christian or not, did not find gracious love here on CF at some point.
please post questions, and i will try to answer them to the best of my ability.
__________________ We are none of us infallible--not even the youngest of us.
- WH Thompson
Your vision doesn't seem to be that different from what the board claims to do. Are you proposing changes in how this vision is going to be implemented? If so, what changes do you have in mind?
__________________ I love Moriah.
May God richly bless all who seek the Lord.
So, was it an actual "vision"? Did it seem liek someone was speaking to you in the room? Or was it more of a dream? Or jsut a thought that you thought up?
What do you think about the "new" commandment to love others as *Christ loves us*? Isn't that even more stringent that the golden rule? ANd how would we implement that here?
What about those who want to have a "personal relationship" with Christ but are having a difficult time achieving that? Would they be welcome to talk about him?
How does one "worship" Christ on an internet forum?
__________________ "Love the sinner, hate the sin? How about: Love the sinner, hate your own sin! I don't have time to hate your sin. There are too many of you! Hating my sin is a full-time job. How about you hate your sin, I'll hate my sin and let's just love each other!"
As companies have vision statements, this is what this statement is also.
__________________ "Many of us...have been willing to put our foot down on this issue to state publicly and strongly that it's not right how immigrants in this country are being treated, especially how they're being portrayed as criminals." --Bishop Jaime Soto
"At least one-third of the Bible is poetry ... For example, the creation acounts of Genesis are liturgical poetry, not history or science. What is literal about poetry is that God did it, and because God created, the creation has meaning. When we insist, as some do, that the creation account be turned into a science of the origins of the world, we lose the heart and soul of the poetic message and turn a liberating imaginative poem into a dry intellectual fact that must be affirmed scientifically. This deadens truth."
~Robert Webber in "Ancient Future Worship"
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Last edited by K9_Trainer; 2nd July 2009 at 12:50 AM.
Can I also assume you will have a wide range of people, both conservatives and liberals, in leadership positions?
__________________ Poverty is not only low income and no assets. It is a condition of exclusion from the institutions and organizations of modern life. In many countries law courts, banks, education, health services, roads, water, electricity, even respect, are not available to the poor.
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Pauler, plerase dont get weighed down with a lot of side issues as your vision is proper and right on. Only suggestion I will make is that staff be fair and that policy and enforcement be uniform with all. It disturbs me that liberal or conservative would even enter into being chosen for staff. They need to be fair and balance3d and in unity as to their approach across the board. Anything less than that invites confusion and dissention. Continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit and may you be blessed as you take on this difficult task.
__________________ They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
I very much agree with the thoughts expressed in the OP and with the vision for Christian Forums. There are a few fundamentals that Christians always need to remember in interactions regarding their faith; Pauler has already touched on some of them:
First and foremost, the fundamentals of our faith, as expressed in Matthew 22: 36-40 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Second, the example that Jesus provided for us when He walked on this earth- several passages describe this:
1 Timothy 1: 15-16 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
and
Hebrews 4: 14-15 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
I maintain that Christian Forums has the potential to reach more people throughout the world than any other ministry in the history of our faith. Anybody with access to the Internet can come here and share their faith, and, in the case of those who are not yet Christians, find out what Christianity has to offer.
So here are a few more comments and questions interspersed in Pauler's OP:
Originally Posted by Pauler
i know this has been a long time coming, and i apologize for that. i wanted to communicate with you all first and for you all to gain clarity before sharing with the rest of the board.
Are you referring here to the site- or is there, as I have long maintained there should be, a true governing Board of Directors that defines how Christian Forums should be managed?
As pertaining to Christ:
i try to think of CF as church, and i thought of the character of Christ and what he would want his people to be like. i want CF to be a place where Christians have a place to discuss the things of Christ...even amongst all the different denominations out there. it would be a place where all who claim to have a personal relationship with Christ can come to talk about Him and worship Him.
Matthew 18: 20 20 "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
We may not be able to share communion and participate in other activities that a physical church does, but nevertheless, this is still a church where thoughts and prayers can be conveyed, just as they are when we pray silently to God and know that He is able to hear those prayers.
As pertaining to those that dont know Christ:
i want those that are not believers to be able to interact amicably with believers on the board. i would hope that the believers on CF would welcome non-believers with open loving arms and for the believers to show them the light of Christ in their interactions with them in speech and attitude.
Again, as I noted above- we need to always adopt the same attitude that Jesus did when we interact with others: confidently speak the truth- but do so with love and in a manner that has the greatest probability of turning someone to Jesus, rather than away.
__________________ John 6:33: "For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
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