Mark Time

Bible Study on Blogs

This post and its comments are the online home for this Bible Study on blogging.  I hope that each of you will contribute.  If you wish to contribute anonymously, just e-mail your words to me and I'll post them under whatever identification you want (or none).

The basic question that we're covering is "what does the Bible say about blogging?"  This was prompted by a bit of a dustup that I've had with some members and staff of my congregation over things written by me on this blog.  So a sub-question is "Can you or should you ever post negative thoughts or facts about your local church on a blog?"

So far we've got two sides to the question (hey, most of us are Presbyterian!):

Post only what builds up the body of Christ - Coming from 1 Corinthians 13, but also from most of Paul's letters and strong support from the Gospels is the concept that we should blog in love for our fellow humans.  That we should blog only what builds up the body, and avoid that which would cause disruption.

Criticism that is intended to promote right action is valid - In this case, Galatians 2 is the key, particularly the narratives of the discourse between Paul and the Jerusalem leaders, and Paul's rebuke of Peter.  Here, it's clear that speaking truth to power (church leadership) and then writing about it to a larger group of 3rd parties has happened in Scripture.

Overlaying all of this is the injunction in Matthew 18:15-17 - if you have a disagreement, take it to the other party.  If that doesn't work, take a few friends to the other party.  If that doesn't work, tell it to the church.  If that doesn't work, write the other person off.  One question here - in terms of blogs, what is the definition of "the church"?  The local congregation?  The denomination?  The entirety of the Christian blogosphere?  Or all believers in Christ?

Another question is whether or not the rules are different when speaking of people that you see weekly in church vs. the greater church (the denomination).  Can you speak more harshly about those who you disagree with simply because they don't sit in the same sanctuary with you on Sunday?

I welcome your continued thoughts.  I plan for this post to be the home of this discussion.  Please put your thoughts in comments, or e-mail them to me to be added.  This is a Bible study, so let's focus on Scripture.

PresbyMEME

Meme courtesy of Shawn, originally started by Bruce.

• in about 25 words each (OK, I can't do that, but I think I average to about 25), answer the following five questions;
• tag five presbyterian bloggers and send them a note to let them know they were tagged;
• be sure to link or send a trackback to this post;

1. What is your earliest memory of being distinctly Presbyterian?

This is a close one.  Being elected as YAD to the Synod of the Northeast from Palisades Presbytery as a high school junior, followed 3 weeks later by ordination as a deacon.

The YAD election was really cool.  Youth from all over the presbytery (one per church participating - about 15-20 total) did a lock-in at a church in the middle of the presbytery.  The youth did a program to determine (today we'd say "discern") what skills and attitude are important for a representative to General Assembly or Synod.  Then in the morning we would elect 4 youth to represent the presbytery - a GA YAD, a GA alternate, a Synod YAD, a Synod alternate.

This is also one of the saddest memories of my life.  The girl who was elected alternate to GA died in a car/train accident about 4 weeks later - one day before I planned to call her and ask her out on a date.

2. On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend LESS energy and time?

Attempting to draw a line around the acceptable beliefs ("essential tenets").  This is religion, not a government computer system.  Gray is acceptable - black and white is not required.

3. On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend MORE energy and time?

Evangelism and mission in the local community.  We are dwindling in numbers because we think the "church" is a building.  The church is people.  We need to create, execute, and most importantly promote positive messages and actions in our communities.  We need to stop defining who is and isn't a club member and start being radically inclusive.  It's time to stop being a club and start being a movement again.

4. If you could have the PC(USA) focus on one passage of scripture for an entire year, what would it be?

Matthew 7:1-5.  Time to stop concentrating on others' beliefs and start concentrating on our own - and how well we live up to them.

5. If the PC(USA) were an animal what would it be and why?

A starving dog, who has started eating other dogs held captive with it in order to survive.

 

Extra Credit: Jesus shows up at General Assembly this year, what does he say to the Presbyterian Church (USA)?

"You seem to have a lot of food here; I guess I don't need to do the loaves and fishes bit.  How do you plan to share your abundance with those who need it?"

I tag:  Cheesehead in Paradise, Search the Sea, St. Casserole, some amusing blog pun, and Unresolved Tensions.

An Apology to Classical Presbyterian

A few weeks ago, Toby Brown on Classical Presbyterian published two articles (Here and Here) regarding his decision to file charges against the Rev. Janet Edwards for her performance of a lesbian civil union and related matters.

In Toby's comments section, I took him to task for his decision (here, here, here, and here).  I stand by my words regarding the filing of charges in a case where the accuser does not know the defendant, does not have special knowledge of the situation, and where someone else who fits the other criteria is able to file the complaint.  However, I was intemperate in my remarks.

I had an "AHA!" moment regarding this today over at the Truth in Love blog.  I had imputed motives to Toby's actions.  I do not live inside his head, and there is no hole in the wall behind my cubicle that allows me to inhabit his brain.  I cannot truly speak to his (or anybody else's) motives for taking an action or making a statement.

Toby - I am sorry for my less than reasonable language.  I am also sorry for assigning a motive (particularly a negative motive) to your action.  I will take steps to avoid a doing either again in the future, though I suspect that I will backslide again at some point.

Mea culpa.

RIP Edloe

Last week, I was off the net for a week in a training class with no Internet access.  I'm finally getting caught up and I found THIS.

Edloe was nearly the headliner of Laurence's 4-cat show.  I will miss him.

Tonight I go home and give treats to Albert and Isaac, and give them extra hugs.

DirecTV and Tivo - did I make a mistake?

Two months ago, I plopped down $1000 for a DirecTV HD Tivo box.  It's a box that allows me to record 2 programs while watching a recorded program (or watch one and record one) from DirecTV or OTA (Over the Air - broadcast locals) digital source.

Yesterday, DirecTV made several announcements at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  What they amount to is this:

1. DirecTV is releasing their own DVR (digital video recorder), based on NDS technology and uCentric technology.  This is expected to be similar to what SkyTV has released in Europe - Fox owns SkyTV and DirecTV.  There are not likely going to be any new Tivo boxes from DirecTV.
2. DirecTV is going to use new satellites and new technology for their HD local channels and a supposed 150 HD channels.  They will be available starting in 6 months after the new satellites launch.  However, these satellites will be using MPEG-4 encoding and a new modulation technique.  That means that ALL existing DirecTV receivers will be unable to view those channels.  DirecTV promises to "convert" all existing HD customers - whatever that means.

So, the question is - what does that mean to me?  Do I now own a $1000 brick?

Misha tries to answer the question in this blog entry.

Personally, I think I blew it with my purchase.

Dead Pool 2005

Laurence Simon is running the Dead Pool again for 2005.  In order to participate, you have to have a blog (or be willing to make a small contribution) and select 15 identifiable people (not your neighbor - someone whose death will show up in the news) who you think/hope will die in 2005.  The year boundary is marked by the ball in Times Square.

It's a little late to announce this, but if you can get your list together in the next 34 hours, you can enter by following the instructions at:  Dead Pool

I have made my picks, and will be announcing them in a delayed post to be shown on January 1.

Atlas Line (USA) Really Is A Dirty Shipper

In this article, I posted a link to Chief Wiggles' site and a problem that they are having with Atlas Line (USA) regarding a shipment of toys for Iraqi children. Later that day I modified the post to say that things were resolved.

Apparently, this wasn't true. This shipper has failed to get the deposit transferred to the Kuwaiti company holding the shipment, and has started leaving callers on hold when they try to get this resolved. We need your help.

See HERE for Chief Wiggles' detailed post on the matter.

Then, call and make some noise:

Atlas Line (http://atlas-line.com)
President: Alicia Ludwig

Atlas Line (USA), Inc.
650 Atlanta South Parkway, Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30349

Phone: 404-766-4676
Fax: 404-209-8493

I just called, and they refused to put me through to anyone - "they are all in a meeting". I am supposed to call back in an hour to speak to "Brian".

Blogger's House Burns Down

Jay McCarthy writes about how his house burned down Sunday morning after being struck by lightning.

There was originally a movement to give him money, but in his latest post he tells us thanks, but he really doesn't need it - he's covered by insurance and already has an empty grandparent's house to move to.

Blogging from your backyard while your house burns has to be a first!

Last Push for Spirit of America

The blogsphere has managed to raise $36,000 for Spirit of America. However, our goal is to raise $50,000.

The contest has been conceded, and our Victory Alliance came in second. Too bad for us, but very good for Spirit of America. Now, we are extending the "contest" one more day to raise the last $14,000 or so.

Please make a donation by clicking HERE.

If you make a donation over $10 or so, you can also claim a prize. See THIS PAGE for the list of current offers. There are also offers at THIS PAGE.

Give! We can make the $50,000 goal!

An Evening at the Command Post

Last night, I participated in the Command Post chat during the President's press conference.

This posting will discuss the chat itself - not opinions related to President Bush's statements or related issues. If I post those, I'll do it separately.

I was surprised at the number of participants, and I think the Command Post folks (Michele and Alan) were surprised as well. Within 5 minutes of opening the room, there were 50 people participating. I think the total peaked at about 95 during the press conference and stayed there until the conference ended.

I was also surprised at the good manners displayed by ALL participants. There were NO personal attacks against chatters by other chatters. In fact, there were very few perjorative attacks against political figures by the chat participants. I've participated in other chatroom settings and it's very rare to have such well-behaved folks.

Personally, I tend to be a social liberal and fiscal conservative. I supported the Iraq war based on what I was told at the time the war started, and I feel that we need to see it through - though I am concerned at how truthful the justification was. I am a registered Democrat. I list all of that because I want to compare myself to the majority of the chat participants.

Most of the chat participants seemed to be very pro-Bush. This was displayed through opinions that the press was attacking Bush and generally positive interpretations of his responses. I did interject occasional comments that were less supportive of the President, and the responses I got ranged from "that's a good point" to "what do you mean by that". Very cordial, no personal attacks, but I clearly felt that my opinions (as middle-of-the-road as they are on these issues) put me in the minority. It's not that I felt unwelcome - rather that I felt out of place.

It was also fun to joke about the side issues in the press conference. There was a strong consensus that somebody should have camera-tested the President's tie - it caused rainbow moire effects on my high-end HDTV with DirecTV on CNN. Others likened it to the seizure-causing Japanese cartoon from a few years back. My favorite comment had to be that it was a "mind control tie". Other "fun" subjects included the President's hair, the wardrobe of the press corps, and which reporters are never gonna be called on again by this President.

To sum up - it was fun, but I felt sufficiently politically out of place that I'm not likely to do it again. I was encouraged by Michele to provide a counter-point to the "usual crowd". I really think that the Command Post's chats (and website in general) have a right-side political bias and deserve the right to feel at home in their web home.

Command Post Chat Tonight

Tonight, the folks at Command Post will be opening their chat room at 8:15pm to coincide with the press conference by President Bush at 8:30pm EDT.

I think I'm going to participate tonight. It should be interesting! Click the link above to get the address.

Memespread

I'm just helping out a project on how memes spread on the web.

Here's the original meme site.

The World as a Blog

Just found this really neat site. The World as a Blog shows real-time blog entries on a map of the world. They pop up as their entry gets pinged on Weblogs.com.

With any luck, I'll see this one pop up in a minute .....

A Monkey's First Banana

Chief Wiggles posts a new story of his visit to a US elementary school to receive toys for kids in Iraq.

My favorite quote:

At one point, as I tried to help the students understand what it might feel like for the Iraqi children to get their very first toy, I asked the question, and the following response caused me to laugh with astonishment. In the Kindergarten class, Colonel Long's own son responded by saying, "I am sure it would be like a monkey getting his very first banana?" How true.

If you haven't ever checked out his site, or Operation Give, you really should. The Chief is an Army National Guard officer from Utah who started a charity while in Iraq to give toys and school supplies to Iraqi children.

Blogger Killed in Iraq

Bob Zangas was killed last week in Iraq while working as a civilian for the Coalition Provisional Authority.

You can go here to find his last entry.

Here is the web condolence book. We should be able to fill it pretty quickly.

I haven't been following his site, but from the few entries that I've browsed - this man was doing what needed to be done. This will be a big loss.

(Hat tip to Citizen Smash)