My Friends

[No Swansong]

I ask you to please forgive me for my recent departure. I have sought out counsel and it has been suggested to me that I should return to STR and try to help it to once again become a Christian site. If not then to try to get them to change the name to remove that of my Savior.

This will certainly be the congregation that I most frequent.

John

[desmalia]

It's good to see you back, John!

[DeaconDean]

I ask you to please forgive me for my recent departure. I have sought out counsel and it has been suggested to me that I should return to STR and try to help it to once again become a Christian site. If not then to try to get them to change the name to remove that of my Savior.

This will certainly be the congregation that I most frequent.

John

John, before I say anything please know, that I love you as a brother in Christ, and have always respected you and your opinions.

It breaks my heart to see this post. Many moderators, after Erwins announcement, resigned their positions. You did, I did, and a few others. Then, after a few days, I saw many moderators, most of whom I respected very much, do the back flip and return. Some returned and earned a promotion.

No matter what, I must stand by my convictions. I do not feel that God has led Erwin to do such changes as he has. To allow people who deny the very deity of Christ, to allow them to carry the "title" of Christian, brother, that is wrong and certainly not God-led.

Now what I'm about to say is in accordance to the scriptures, but when I read that you are going to come back in some capacity, it nearly broke my heart.

Please know, that I will always love you as a brother in Christ, but the respect that I once had for men like you, who stood on Christian scriptures and what is right, just took a big blow. Its just that I see a good many friends quit because of Erwins "reforms," and then come right back. Integrity, where is Christian integrity?

I guess it is a relic of the past, look for it no more for like the movie title, it has "Gone With the Wind."

Now, if I have offended you, please PM me and I'll come back to this post and offer a public apology, and I'll delete this post.

Sorry brother. I would be less than a friend, I would be less than a Christian brother if I did not tell you how I am feeling right now.

I'm outta here.

God Bless

Till all are one.

[No Swansong]

John, before I say anything please know, that I love you as a brother in Christ, and have always respected you and your opinions.

It breaks my heart to see this post. Many moderators, after Erwins announcement, resigned their positions. You did, I did, and a few others. Then, after a few days, I saw many moderators, most of whom I respected very much, do the back flip and return. Some returned and earned a promotion.

No matter what, I must stand by my convictions. I do not feel that God has led Erwin to do such changes as he has. To allow people who deny the very deity of Christ, to allow them to carry the "title" of Christian, brother, that is wrong and certainly not God-led.

Now what I'm about to say is in accordance to the scriptures, but when I read that you are going to come back in some capacity, it nearly broke my heart.

Please know, that I will always love you as a brother in Christ, but the respect that I once had for men like you, who stood on Christian scriptures and what is right, just took a big blow. Its just that I see a good many friends quit because of Erwins "reforms," and then come right back. Integrity, where is Christian integrity?

I guess it is a relic of the past, look for it no more for like the movie title, it has "Gone With the Wind."

Now, if I have offended you, please PM me and I'll come back to this post and offer a public apology, and I'll delete this post.

Sorry brother. I would be less than a friend, I would be less than a Christian brother if I did not tell you how I am feeling right now.

I'm outta here.

God Bless

Till all are one.
Dean my brother you have not offended me at all.

Perhaps I did not communicate well. I have only one purpose for returning. To either make Christ the center of Christian Forums again, or to have His name removed from the Title of the forums. I have no intention of being on staff again under the current guidelines nor do I intend to stay if I cannot accomplish my goal. I appreciate everything that you said in your post and have enjoyed both our working relationship and our friendship.

John

[desmalia]

Dean my brother you have not offended me at all.

Perhaps I did not communicate well. I have only one purpose for returning. To either make Christ the center of Christian Forums again, or to have His name removed from the Title of the forums. I have no intention of being on staff again under the current guidelines nor do I intend to stay if I cannot accomplish my goal. I appreciate everything that you said in your post and have enjoyed both our working relationship and our friendship.

JohnA worthy mission, John! That is my primary reason for hanging around these days as well.

[DeaconDean]

Dean my brother you have not offended me at all.

Perhaps I did not communicate well. I have only one purpose for returning. To either make Christ the center of Christian Forums again, or to have His name removed from the Title of the forums. I have no intention of being on staff again under the current guidelines nor do I intend to stay if I cannot accomplish my goal. I appreciate everything that you said in your post and have enjoyed both our working relationship and our friendship.

John

Brother, it is I who owe you an apology. I took your statement wrong. To me, it sounded like you were returning to the staff. I too, am only here to fight against these "reforms." For in my own opinion, Erwin has showed that he is not being "Spirit led." I have voiced my opinions in just about every thread in the Announcment section. And like you, I am willing to "fight the good fight."

So once again brother, it is I who owes you the apology. I have always treasured our reponses, we can be frank with one another, and not offend one another. And I don't if you know it or not brother, but that is very rare.

Once again, let me apologize for reading too much into your post. I know you are a man of integrity, and I hope and pray that you always will be.

Once again, I apologize brother. Please forgive me.

God Bless

Till all are one.

[Nagev]

Can someone please brief me in on what's going on? There are a lot of forums and threads, so can we cut to the chase?

I will keep this question up, but I was able to find the link and read it for myself. Sounds like this site is going secular, is this correct?


Thanks!

[Iosias]

Glad to see you back John my friend :)

[desmalia]

*

[Nagev]

Yes it is. Perhaps you should have started with this question.

I'm sorry. Did you say something important, desmalia? I think you've got quite an attitude, young lady. No blessings or smiley faces for you.

[cubanito]

It has been commented to me by many of my closest friends and family that I sometimes lack "tact." Sometimes I say something so bluntly that it is misunderstood as offensive.

So jtdad, the following is said with not a drop of offense:

I don't care if you come back or not.

What I mean is that, whether you come or stay, I trust you probably will make a mature decision from a good motive. I say "probably" because who knows what sin might suddenly "seize" you. :P

Erwin seems to be vacillating about CF. First he basically says that most rules are gone. Then it seems each sub-forum is given a democratic choice, then Erwin puts out a poll with a firm end date and says he will respect the oucome, then when it is clear the vote is to keep CF in the hands of Nicene affirming Christians, Erwin extends the date and then adds he will do whatever he pleases irrespective of the poll.

Well, it IS Erwin's site. He can do WHATEVER he wishes with it. Who am I to tell Erwin otherwise, Jesus? (Oh yeah, well, I mean "the other guy").:doh:

However, given the back and forth about what he will do, I can certainly understand people they will do one thing in response to what Erwin decides one day, and changing their minds when Erwin does so also.

If I watch the weather report and it tells me that a hurricane is very likely to hit my house in 3 days, I am not insane for preparing. If 2 days later the same weatherman tells me the hurricane went way north, I am not "double-minded" for taking down my shutters. If the next morning I am warned the hurricane looped back and is threatening again, why should I be viewed as indicisive for again getting the shutters up?

jtdad, you come back, or you go, and by me you have a pass either way. If it is none of my business to tell the weatherman (Erwin) how to forecast, why should I berate my neighbor for changing his mind about his shutters?

Personally, I like stormy weather. It's especially nice from the inside of a solid cement ceilinged house anchored to a massive Bedrock. If jtdad joins me here, great, another "Jesus freak" and "know-nothing, Bible-thumping fundy madman" to party with. If not, I very much doubt that My God, the God of jtdad, will find no further use of him

Godspeed brother, CF is just not the center of the universe. It is a tool, no more, and should be discarded if no longer useful.

JR

[No Swansong]

JR you are wise indeed. I guess that this is the first time in a long time that I have a slight disagreement with you but I do disagree that we shouldn't try to influence Erwin in this matter. (I think that is what you implied if not please correct me my friend) I do think that we should try to influence Erwin in placing our Lord at the center of this place which carries His name. But hey we can disagree it wouldn't be the first time and I am sure that if the Lord tarries it won't be the last.

And I have always appreciated that many of us here can be blunt with each other and take no offense. It witnesses a maturing relationship which should be the case amonst brothers and sisters.

John

[cubanito]

Influence yes, even argue one's case, for sure.

But some seem to think they OWN CF, like if they do Erwin a favor by letting him stay!

Look, I'm aware of the Wiki cooperative philosophy, but really, at the end of the day it is Erwin's call. Also it is YOUR call, as mine, to come, go and ping pong back and forth as we wish. And if Erwin is changing rules every week, I can see no reason to call anybody's integrity into question for staying or leaving.

I would be glad if you persuade Erwin to abandon "the dark side of the force." But I am just as glad if My God, Your God, steers you in some other productive direction. You and I will spend TRILLIONS of years in the same Great City as neighbors. There is enough time to amuze one another.

For now the time is short that we may accomplish His work. And what field you choose is between you and your God, who is My God.

Just please, whatever you do, don't do it from a sense of guilt or false "commitment" to some words you may have typed when Erwin wrote this or that. Yes we are called to integrity. But if the situation changes, the original commitment can as well.

If you want to come back and play, there's room yet in the sandbox. If not, it's OK, there will always be friends to play with.

JR

[No Swansong]

I can assure you my friend I am not here out of guilt or a false sense of committment. If I cannot persuade the owner to make the changes I feel necessary I won't feel myself a failure. I am called to fight the good fight. Not necessarily to always win. And I agree there is so much more to do.

[cubanito]

Yeah, fine, whatever... but my avatar can stomp your avatar to pieces, so stop trying to scare me.

JR

[No Swansong]

True, so true.