LawrenceU
Puritan Board Doctor
Brothers and sisters,
I´ve been a member of this board since immediately after its restart. During this time I´ve become close friends with some on this board, come to respect many, seen the board grow tremendously, and change greatly. Some of you have prayed fervently as I´ve labored to bring Biblical reformation to the congregation I serve. For that I cannot express enough the debt I owe. However:
Today, Sunday 16 October, I´ve resigned as a Moderator. There are a variety of reasons that exist for this action. I will outline a few below:
1. The drift of this board away from charitable discussion into combative debate.
I´ve never hesitated from debate be it in person, print, or online. However, the drift of this board in to combative debate has come to a point that I can no longer tolerate. I am not trying to paint every person with a broad brush, but I am pointing out a drift; a drift that has been fought against by some, but is still continuing.
2. The place that this board seems to take in the lives of some members.
This board is an internet forum. It is not a local church. Yet, I´ve noticed that in the eyes of some it seems to be a place that is beginning to replace real face-to-face fellowship. Christ commands and compels us to make disciples. Disciples must be made in an intimate setting. An intimate setting is only found in the local congregation.
This board has the potential to be a dynamic assist toward spiritual growth. However, I am concerned that it has become a hindrance. That leads me to
3. The ever increasing schismatic nature of stances
It seems that rather than being a source of cohesion the Puritan Board has become a place of schism. Almost daily I hear Paul´s words to the church in Corinth ring in my ears as I read the board, "˜Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.´
Over the past year I have seen various minor points of interpretation be held up as standards of orthodoxy. This is tragic. Christ did not die for EP, Theonomy, Sabbatarianism, etc. He died for the Gospel. He did not die for the LBC, WCF, Three Forms, etc. He died for the Gospel.
Additionally, the owners of the board, whom I love and care for as brothers, have in the past year adopted theological and ecclesiological stances with which I have significant disagreement. As a moderator on the board I´ve been seen as tacitly endorsing these stances a number of times. I can no longer be in that situation.
4. Time
Frankly, I do not have the time to fulfill my duty as a Moderator. Between being a husband, father, pastor, and contractor my time is precious. Any free time I have can and must be spent in more important venues than this forum.
Having listed all the above, it is not my desire to thumb my nose and leave. The primary reason that I´ve remained active on the board over the past year is because of men with whom I have specific relationships, both peer and mentoring. These relationships can be maintained apart from the PB.
It is my earnest prayer that this forum can be shepherded well and jettison the non - edifying detritus that has collected and become a place of great service to the Body of Christ
Sincerely,
Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
I´ve been a member of this board since immediately after its restart. During this time I´ve become close friends with some on this board, come to respect many, seen the board grow tremendously, and change greatly. Some of you have prayed fervently as I´ve labored to bring Biblical reformation to the congregation I serve. For that I cannot express enough the debt I owe. However:
Today, Sunday 16 October, I´ve resigned as a Moderator. There are a variety of reasons that exist for this action. I will outline a few below:
1. The drift of this board away from charitable discussion into combative debate.
I´ve never hesitated from debate be it in person, print, or online. However, the drift of this board in to combative debate has come to a point that I can no longer tolerate. I am not trying to paint every person with a broad brush, but I am pointing out a drift; a drift that has been fought against by some, but is still continuing.
2. The place that this board seems to take in the lives of some members.
This board is an internet forum. It is not a local church. Yet, I´ve noticed that in the eyes of some it seems to be a place that is beginning to replace real face-to-face fellowship. Christ commands and compels us to make disciples. Disciples must be made in an intimate setting. An intimate setting is only found in the local congregation.
This board has the potential to be a dynamic assist toward spiritual growth. However, I am concerned that it has become a hindrance. That leads me to
3. The ever increasing schismatic nature of stances
It seems that rather than being a source of cohesion the Puritan Board has become a place of schism. Almost daily I hear Paul´s words to the church in Corinth ring in my ears as I read the board, "˜Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.´
Over the past year I have seen various minor points of interpretation be held up as standards of orthodoxy. This is tragic. Christ did not die for EP, Theonomy, Sabbatarianism, etc. He died for the Gospel. He did not die for the LBC, WCF, Three Forms, etc. He died for the Gospel.
Additionally, the owners of the board, whom I love and care for as brothers, have in the past year adopted theological and ecclesiological stances with which I have significant disagreement. As a moderator on the board I´ve been seen as tacitly endorsing these stances a number of times. I can no longer be in that situation.
4. Time
Frankly, I do not have the time to fulfill my duty as a Moderator. Between being a husband, father, pastor, and contractor my time is precious. Any free time I have can and must be spent in more important venues than this forum.
Having listed all the above, it is not my desire to thumb my nose and leave. The primary reason that I´ve remained active on the board over the past year is because of men with whom I have specific relationships, both peer and mentoring. These relationships can be maintained apart from the PB.
It is my earnest prayer that this forum can be shepherded well and jettison the non - edifying detritus that has collected and become a place of great service to the Body of Christ
Sincerely,
Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
to what Scott said. 
