What is the Purpose of the Puritanboard? - EVERYONE READ

[caddy]

Amen to that !

Originally posted by Ivan
Thanks for bumping this, Bob. I appreciate the PB. My primary reason for being here is to help me in my understanding of Calvinism.

This board will do nicely for that purpose.

 

[rmwilliamsjr]

thank you very much for posting this.

i think that all activities should begin with an explicit purpose statement. i've even started putting purpose: at the bottom of new webpages i write. i think it a good exercise to think about why you are doing something and what you really want to get out of it.

sort of like asking, why should i get up, and force yourself to answer it each morning....

 

[Herald]

The PB provokes me to THINK! There is more to life than just Baptist circles and that is one of the reasons I appreciate the PB.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

Originally posted by Larry Hughes
As one elder pointed out to me that yes we exercise love but today's "nice" compromising climate is more like two cotton guts rubbing against each other under the guise of love. He concluded that when Iron truly does sharpen iron, sparks will fly.

Does that justify the anger and harsh attitude though? Does that mean that the ignited temper is justified? Sometimes when someone is justly rebuked for sin sparks fly for the wrong reason. Pride hides in all of us and the sparks are usually a result of our friction against being sharpened and rebuked. If the sharpness was already there the sharpening and sparks would not be needful. Plus, I have sharpened a few knives before and I have not seen sparks flying when I used my wet stone. Maybe the wrong tools are being used. A wet stone is much better than a file or grinder.

 

[panta dokimazete]

A bump from me since I have noticed more expression of Charity and changed my percentage...

 

[VictorBravo]

Originally posted by puritancovenanter

Originally posted by Larry Hughes
As one elder pointed out to me that yes we exercise love but today's "nice" compromising climate is more like two cotton guts rubbing against each other under the guise of love. He concluded that when Iron truly does sharpen iron, sparks will fly.

Does that justify the anger and harsh attitude though? Does that mean that the ignited temper is justified? Sometimes when someone is justly rebuked for sin sparks fly for the wrong reason. Pride hides in all of us and the sparks are usually a result of our friction against being sharpened and rebuked. If the sharpness was already there the sharpening and sparks would not be needful. Plus, I have sharpened a few knives before and I have not seen sparks flying when I used my wet stone. Maybe the wrong tools are being used. A wet stone is much better than a file or grinder.

Excellent point, Randy. No quicker way to ruin a good knife than with the zealous use of a grinder. I'd add that when I set an edge using a sharpening iron, there are no sparks at all.

Vic

 

[Cuirassier]

Originally posted by puritancovenanter


Does that justify the anger and harsh attitude though? Does that mean that the ignited temper is justified? Sometimes when someone is justly rebuked for sin sparks fly for the wrong reason. Pride hides in all of us and the sparks are usually a result of our friction against being sharpened and rebuked. If the sharpness was already there the sharpening and sparks would not be needful. Plus, I have sharpened a few knives before and I have not seen sparks flying when I used my wet stone. Maybe the wrong tools are being used. A wet stone is much better than a file or grinder.

Brilliantly said!

We have all fallen into the trap of believing that the truth of our particular viewpoint obivates the need to present it with love. Christ's example to us on earth, as well as Scripture's instruction, teaches these are not mutually exclusive. Eph 4:15 reminds us of that very clearly:

" but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head"”Christ"”"

Thanks for the "bump" !

dl

[Edited on 4-17-2006 by Cuirassier]

 

[Scott Bushey]

*Bump*

 

[Blueridge Believer]

I love you man. The PB has been a blessing to me. I enjoy spirited debate and appreciate a place that tolerates it! God bless you and all here who love the Lord Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!

 

[Pergamum]

I enjoy the board as a forum to get questions answered - though I do see much sin displayed in how people post.

I agree with many people here on the PB, but if some of you talked to me like you post to others, I'd have to restrain myself from knocking your lights out.


With that said, I have been sharpened and have met many friends here.

 

[caddy]

Thanks for bumping as well Bob. The Lord drew me to believe the Doctrines of Grace about 2-3 years ago. How rich my faith is knowing the Lord is even more in control than I had previously thought. I have throughly enjoyed this forum since I joined earlier this year. I appreciate the wisdom and the knowledge so many of the members display. It is nice to just come in and glean.

Thanks for bumping this, Bob. I appreciate the PB. My primary reason for being here is to help me in my understanding of Calvinism.

This board will do nicely for that purpose.

 

[BobVigneault]

Your welcome gentlemen but credit for this most recent bump belongs to Mr. Scott Bushey. Carry on.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I enjoy the board as a forum to get questions answered - though I do see much sin displayed in how people post.

I agree with many people here on the PB, but if some of you talked to me like you post to others, I'd have to restrain myself from knocking your lights out.


With that said, I have been sharpened and have met many friends here.

{Removing log from eye}

Yes, there are some sinful posts. Thankfully this board is, on the balance, very edifying.

 

[non dignus]

I want to apologize to all the Baptists on PB for my attitude when I first joined.

But I want to keep you on your toes like Cato did for Inspector Clouseau.

HI YAA!!!

 

[kvanlaan]

I've got to say that I find the attitude here very relaxed, on the whole. I really don't mind someone taking the stuffing out of me so long as their argument is Scripturally sound and the motivation in doing so is pure, and to His glory.

To me, these boards are a wonderful training ground and the best place to work the kinks out of one's theology. Witnessing to others, being questioned on the 'why' of my methods/beliefs and having nothing to come back with except a very pregnant 'um...' and a pause shows poor planning and inadequate preparation - two characteristics that are not usually seen as effective witnessing tools.

PS - Trevor, from the photos I've seen, you just don't look like the knock-your-lights-out kinda guy. Big enough to do it, sure, but way too friendly and happy-looking.

 

[Pergamum]

Kvanlaan;

Thanks. A cheesy smile can cover up many a sinful heart! Yep, we are pretty content.

Although a good theological wrangling gets my blood up ever so often! Some things ARE worth fighting for - just as long as our same Team doesn't get killed by friendly fire.

 

[JohnV]

Thanks to this being bumped I've had a chance to reflect on these posts, and especially my own. I think I need to amend my post above somewhat, now that it's about two years old.

I've come to realize the characteristics that are intrinsic to an internet discussion board. There are many peculiarities, such as the coming and going of people, the wide margin of subscription to the standards of faith, mixture of different topics going on at once by the same people. Some things that we took for granted at first become sharp differences over time and exposure. Some assumed orthodoxies change with the membership and participation changes. I could go on. The point is that it is not as simple as a communion under the authority and leadership of elders who are answerable for their rulings and leadership. Mutuality takes on another dimension on a discussion board. I don't think that we've tackled that problem head on. And because of that we experience problems that at times cannot be resolved by any means available to us. Good men have left the Board, and some have stepped back on their participation. It's kind of like a lowest common denominator type of ecumenicity, only with the lowest bar a bit higher than that of evangelical churches.

The changes we've seen have a lot to do with the maturity of the Board itself, not just its members. Its been around for a while, and some patterns have emerged that take on the face of how things are done here. We have to be able to differ with these patterns freely, without reproach. On the other hand, we also have to be ready to recognize truths even when we are in disagreement.

On the whole, I've come to be aware of trends that transcend this board, that show the philosophical or cultural foci of our time. Being embroiled in an irreconcilable difference with my own church has made it more clear to me how people are taken up with current trends and persuasions, and often beyond the reach of the standards they claim to subscribe to. This cannot help but be reflected in my posts on this Board. There comes a time when some things cross lines that are not of personal views, but of cast-in-stone principles. How to deal with these in a loving, admonishing, and self-examining way is often hard to do because of the more free nature of the Board compared to a church setting. Some refer to this as getting a thicker skin. I tend to think that it requires a more careful and thorough approach.

All in all, we have to learn to deal with matters of our own maturity, as well as matters of the Board's maturity. We've hit a plateau, just like any discipline does after the initial steep curve. So let's be patient, and not expect the newness of the Board to continue forever.

 

[Pilgrim's Progeny]

*Bump*

I have been asked by non-members why I would want to be a part of this board, if your out there, please read.

It's interesting that I bump it on the eve of the anniversary of the last bump. Happy Reformation Day!

 

[etexas]

*Bump*

I have been asked by non-members why I would want to be a part of this board, if your out there, please read.

It's interesting that I bump it on the eve of the anniversary of the last bump. Happy Reformation Day!

Glad you bumped this thread. It started before I became a member so I enjoyed reading it.

 

[servantofmosthigh]

Well, things must have changed since 2004. Being one of the newer members here, the reason why I joined is because of the non-hostile, amiable atmosphere as long as everyone's Reformed/Calvinistic/Augustinian/5-Pointer/whatever-else-we-may-be-called-insert-here.

 

[snap_dragon]

This Board is

Definitely a Godsend and like Wheaties for my intellectual and spiritual development.

 

[PresbyDane]

I would just like to thank everybody for the goodwill that I have experienced and I hope I have offended nobody if so please write me, sometimes I have a weird sence of humor and that can offend sometimes I have been told (still working with it)
I am glad to know all of You, even the people who promote "tough love"

 

[ManleyBeasley]

I also love it here. The PB has been a huge blessing to me.

 

[Dewi Sant]

I enjoy the board as a forum to get questions answered - though I do see much sin displayed in how people post.

I agree with many people here on the PB, but if some of you talked to me like you post to others, I'd have to restrain myself from knocking your lights out.


With that said, I have been sharpened and have met many friends here.

Nice, Pergamum! I have had the same temptation on other threads, though not this one yet. It's almost as if we were in the US Senate or something - way too partisan and partiularly un-christlike. Hope you're doing OK and your family as well.
BTW, Darryl, Bo, and others went to the John McArthur's Shepherd's Conference in Califa this week and were blessed.
I continue to pray for you and your family in the Mission Fields.
Kris

---------- Post added at 06:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:55 PM ----------

I would just like to thank everybody for the goodwill that I have experienced and I hope I have offended nobody if so please write me, sometimes I have a weird sence of humor and that can offend sometimes I have been told (still working with it)
I am glad to know all of You, even the people who promote "tough love"

Weird? What are ya - from Mors?

 

[nwink]

I've definitely benefited from the PB. I think profile pictures are one way people can realize they're debating with a real-life believer...since the Internet keeps us from debating face-to-face.