[CS-FSLUG] Administrative note: A Christian community is shutting down.

[Josiah Ritchie]

On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 11:32 AM, Warren Sanders
<warren at sandersonline.org> wrote:
> veritosproject at gmail.com wrote:
>  > I'm a member of Christdot (christdot.org), a site that is somewhat
>  > like a small Christian Slashdot. The admin is shutting the place down,
>  > so we're all talking about where we will move. I was thinking of
>  > introducing this list to the membership of that site.
>  >
>  > Their group is quite a bit less "serious" than this list. Not all
>  > would be able to join here, as Christdot does not require belief to
>  > join (this was intentional, as they wanted to at least _talk_ to
>  > non-believers and hear their input (regardless of its truth).
>  >
>  > Their theological range is quite diverse, ranging from Baptist to
>  > Pentecostal Mennonite to Orthodox and Catholic.
>  >
>  > What are your opinions on whether I should make known the existence of
>  > this list to the members of the site?
>  >
>  And IMHO, I had a sense there were already ppl here of the mentioned
>  denominations.  I think we tend to know that, yet I don't recall any
>  issue ever being raised over our differences.
>
>  The point I'd like to bring to the table is we need to be "inclusive".
>  If this virtual group were a physical meeting place, I would hope we
>  wouldn't be having this conversation about letting others in the door.
>  If there were ppl in this group without faith in God... they too would
>  not fit the guidelines and therefore be "excluded".
>
>  I have faith in our God who continues to teach me His truths.  I don't
>  fear the chance of being swayed by another's' belief/theology/dogma.  I
>  put it all to the test God's Word teaches us.
>
>  Lets welcome them with open arms!

I think that is a question of what the function of the group is. If
we're hear to be an encouragement to other believers and to bolster
our efforts in supporting them, then it seems we are best able to
serve by being somewhat exclusive, but if we desire to be "on the
front lines" in a somewhat evangelistic role then we need to be more
open. Certainly, as individuals we all have roles in both sides, but
as for the groups role, I'd suggest that, to date, it has been about
internal fellowship & encouragement rather than an outward reaching
element and has served well in that role. To change this would change
the culture of the group, a difficult expectation given our loose ties
with one another.

It is my opinion that in order to reach out to those who do not
ascribe to our doctrinal statement, that we should actually go out and
be involved where they are, not expect them to come to us. In fact, I
think this group has been responsible for encouraging others in their
efforts to reach out into the FOSS community. I would personally be an
example of just that sort of person. I come here and am encouraged
that Christ is served by Christians in the FOSS tech community,
despite the significant presence of many out-spoken unbelievers
elsewhere.

I think it appropriate to have a doctrinal statement because of the
role of encouragement. Knowing that we have a certain number of things
in common is important to me. I'm not looking for a 25 page document
ruling out anyone who has a wife with a skirt that rises above her
ankles when she sits in a particularly low chair or anything, but a
certain number of things that we agree on are what binds us together
as a community. If someone disagrees with our doctrine, the Internet
is full of potential for creating new groups with different or no
doctrine. Doctrine isn't about dividing, it is about gathering
together as a community of believers. The dividing is done by men with
human flesh who make doctrine into a weapon. Our Christian culture
very proficient at waving doctrine around like a loaded gun, let's not
make the mistake of throwing doctrine out with those who would abuse
it.

I like the current approach to our community, let's be careful not to
change it too much. I think this group serves its purpose well which
is why it has been around for as long as it has been. (That and Tim
providing the resources to run it continually, even if he has gone
Mac!)

JSR/

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