tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808697756426649418.post8545518515159390397..comments2023-12-25T09:58:54.563-06:00Comments on The Christian Freethinker: Let's Not and Say We Did!Mark Hausamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07371790103414979060noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808697756426649418.post-78926178434684565682012-11-06T11:19:44.191-06:002012-11-06T11:19:44.191-06:00Yes, it is helpful. Thank you!Yes, it is helpful. Thank you!Mark Hausamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07371790103414979060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808697756426649418.post-79390016442177668582012-11-05T17:00:51.366-06:002012-11-05T17:00:51.366-06:00Definitely not my birth name! It is my poorly and...Definitely not my birth name! It is my poorly and uncreatively thought out username I use on the Puritanboard that when I joined, I put down as a last resort in frustration cause all the good names were already taken and I didn't want to put a number at the end of my username! :)<br /><br />I'm not exactly one for social graces, on the web or in person! But it is probably best to first observe how people post on the Puritanboard, see what kinds of topics they bring up, and see what kinds of beliefs certain individuals hold. Perhaps it would also help to look up past discussions. The reason being that it seems to be the best way to become familiar with the atmosphere there, and so will help one choose one's words carefully in making a post. And further still, if you found it better to discuss it privately with someone, you would know who would be the people who would be best to contact. Beyond that, it often looks strange to have a completely new member join and start talking about controversial topics (as is the case with all message boards!), so it might be good to join and make a few other posts first so that you're more familiar to the posters there. Usually, since I'm rather uneducated compared to the rest of the posters there, I post or start threads by asking questions and keep my posts as non-confrontational as possible.<br /><br />I suppose I could try starting a thread on the subject, but I don't want to misrepresent your views, so it would probably be best for you to bring it up. The board has a policy against "blog wars" or "board wars", so I'm not sure I could simply just link to your blog posts (and besides, the longer it is to read/the more stuff one links to, the less likely one is to get responses). But besides that, I'm not sure when I would be able to start a thread on the subject, since I'm busy finishing my school semester, and I have something coming up during winter break that will keep me from posting initially. If I were to start a thread on the subject though, I'd probably hash out the ideas, then ask something like, "What do you all think about this? Is there a mistake in applying Reformed principles here?"<br /><br />Anyway, I hope that is helpful in some manner!Afterthoughtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808697756426649418.post-22346542703884145332012-11-05T10:03:05.151-06:002012-11-05T10:03:05.151-06:00Hello Afterthought (I assume this is not a birth n...Hello Afterthought (I assume this is not a birth name? : ) ),<br /><br />Thanks for your comments. I think that the reason my conclusions seem strange is because we in the Protestant world have simply become so used to accepting the state of denominational plurality that we have failed to think about it clearly or deal with it in terms of what the biblical and Reformed principles would require. We've become used to accepting the situation and compromising on the issues, and the church has been doing this for so long that it doesn't even occur to many of us. The real practical implications of these things did not begin to strike me until January or so of this year, although of course I had built up a base of ideas over the years that led quickly to this conclusion once the issue was properly raised before my mind.<br /><br />I would be happy to discuss these issues on the Puritan Board, or wherever. I haven't spent any time on there in the past, so I am not too familiar with the whole setup. Perhaps you could help introduce me to how to go about bringing it up, or perhaps you could bring it up and I could join in?<br /><br />MarkMark Hausamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07371790103414979060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808697756426649418.post-15890150694042103162012-11-03T22:31:14.432-05:002012-11-03T22:31:14.432-05:00Hello. There does seem to be some truth in what yo...Hello. There does seem to be some truth in what you say, yet the consequences of what you are saying makes it seem it is not the whole of it. I don't have my finger on what it is yet and am just a layman anyway (one involved with the OPC and yet having reached many of those old "Scottish" conclusions myself) who is admittedly weak in the knowledge of ecclesiology. Would you perhaps be comfortable expanding your horizons to figure out some answers on this rather serious issue? I know there are plenty of OPC and PCA pastors on the puritanboard; perhaps you could bring up the topic with them? If it isn't prudent to do so publicly, perhaps privately? Or perhaps you could discuss the matter with those few on there who would seem to agree with much of what you say, yet stop short of the fullness of your conclusions (like some of the Free Church people, or those who hold your principles yet work in the OPC or PCA)?<br /><br />I myself am curious about this issue and was going to ask someone about it or bring it up on the puritanboard myself, but I think it is more important that someone like yourself is satisfied without causing damage--if you indeed err--than for me to merely satisfy my curiosity, when I cannot be tempted by such thinking yet due to my own ignorance.<br /><br />Anyway, I hope you figure these things out. I know that shortly after I had become convinced of the various "Scottish" views, that I had difficulty with figuring out what my duty with respect to the Church was (and I don't entirely have it figured out yet; just enough to do what I am doing for now), and it wasn't the most comfortable of times. And I also hope you have a good Lord's Day!Afterthoughtnoreply@blogger.com