C. Matthew McMahon
Christian Preacher
I placed this under Ecclesiology on purpose. I think it would be important to reiterate at this time why the Puritanboard exists. I think many have a fundamentally wrong idea as to why it exists and why Scott and I started it in the beginning. I've received a number of "Why can't I join the board?" questions to those who want to join the board. I've also received a few "Why did you remove my privileges?" questions to those who did not meet the requirements of the board.
In the beginning, when Scott asked me to start a board like this attached to "A Puritan's Mind", I basically said - "Why? Who would want to come on a board like that??? Seems silly to me if they have a local church to attend." After opening it up, it became somewhat apparent. But then even after people were online and wanted to post theological ideas and questions, it was good to narrow the focus of the board to holding to a Confession listed on the Registration page, and to be a member of a Reformed or reforming church.
From the Registration page:
"The board administrator has requested that all new registered users must agree to the following terms before sending in an email to register and begin using the services on the "Puritan Board""
Note the word "services". The Board is a service. It serves, in a very minimal capacity, the ability to share information. That information, though is to be done by those likeminded. Thus, we have the Confessional Restriction, and church member restriction:
the Puritanboard is governed by the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Westminster Standards and will acquiesce to its standards in ultimate matters of any controversies on the Puritanboard. Some of our moderators are Baptist and hold to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Others hold to the Three Forms of Unity. Those who desire to join the Puritanboard must embrace an historic confession. All members of this board hold to the basic creeds of the church: The Apostles' Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Athanasian Creed, The Chalcedonian Creed, etc. However, one must hold to an orthodox confession of the church."
The point of this restriction is that there remain "some level" of like-mindedness in the sharing of information, or asking of questions.
Also, we will not allow anyone on the board unless they are a member of the church.
With those things in mind, one should remember that the board "serves" NOT as a church, but as a Reformed Discussion Group. That means if someone is replacing fellowship at church with fellowship on the board, they are making a GRAVE mistake. The board, as with the internet in general, is an impersonal medium of communication. That is why it is imperative that we have "moderators" (not "pastors") to moderate conversations so they do not get out of hand. (It is fine if a pastor is a moderator, but it is not that "œmoderator = pastor".) Debate on the internet is something that has never existed in the history of the church. No doubt Luther, Zwingli, Oecolampadius and Melancthon would have been blessed by the ability to communicate online and instantaneously if they had the chance, but also they would NEVER give up the importance of face to face communication, fellowship and debate. Jesus would have never healed someone "over the internet in a chat room."
The board "serves" as a medium to interact through immediate "ideas" that are accessible to everyone. You have an idea, you post it, everyone sees it. That is why, on the one hand, this can be a very excellent place to use as a sounding board, albeit an impersonal one at that. At the same time it can be a very dangerous thing (like blogging (which I personally detest and wish never became a reality though I knew it was coming)). It is very easy to post your passions for all to see without 1) thinking them through, or 2) praying about them first. On the registration board and rules we say:
"Pause Before You Post: This is something that everyone can benefit from. Before you send the latest jab, punch, tweak, etc into cyberspace, take a minute (or two, or five) to make sure that you are doing so in a spirit of Christian maturity Study first, pray, post after."
Personally, for me, I enjoy the interaction with various views for the sake of clarifying a theological position. I enjoy this even more because I know I am doing this amidst a "virtual Marburg" (i.e. Luther, Zwingli, Oecolampadius and Melancthon met to debate theology at the "Marburg Colloquy."). It would be relatively impossible for all of us to meet together and have a conference of sorts. The Puritanboard gives use the interconnected virtual environment to express ideas and views, and especially ask for prayer. It is a consolation that so many are praying for one another.
But we should be NOT be treating this forum like a church. It should have respectability, and we should conduct ourselves as Christians in whatever medium we are in or use. There is never any excuse for a Christian to act unbecomingly. Yet, some people believe that it should be run, to a certain degree, like a church. This, however would overthrow the very nature of the church as an organic local body (the visible church is what I am referring to).
Nor should it resemble some "strange" ecumenical movement where we all just "get along" at the expense of our views. It is one thing to express our views biblically as becoming Christians, it´s another to overlook "discussing ideas" simply because others do not want to discuss them. Yet, conveniently, the board is much like the TV - if one channel is not working for you, then you can easily turn it to another.
Maybe, like those that have emailed me over the last week, you are mistaking the Puritanboard for the church. As one of the owners of the board, anything I do is directly supervised by the Presbytery I answer to, and the Session I sit on. Overall, the Westminster Presbytery oversees Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, and that in turn oversees the board. Thought he church may have its hand on the board, the board is not even considered, to a great extent, to be an "œextension of the church." The passing of information, in any medium is overseen by the church, but we must remember that Christ gave us two mediums or conduits for reaching heaven while we are on earth "“ the Word of God and the Sacraments. Those are officially dispensed by the church.
I say all this to help those who are trying to register understand that this is really a sort of "œpublic club" in which, as Christians, we desire to share information in a simple but moderated medium, and for those who are already on this board, not to mistake it as the church. Though it may be under the authority of the church, it is not the church, or a church.
I hope that board continues, as it has, to be edifying to those who desire to expand their theological horizons, and to share with others as the internet medium gives us leave to do so. Maybe one day we will have virtual conversations by being able to all be visibly seen at the same time. We are not technologically there just yet. But in the meantime, I think we can continue to make godly, theological advances in our theology as we continue to narrow our thinking in submission to the truth of the Bible and glorify God in that truth.
Blessings.
In the beginning, when Scott asked me to start a board like this attached to "A Puritan's Mind", I basically said - "Why? Who would want to come on a board like that??? Seems silly to me if they have a local church to attend." After opening it up, it became somewhat apparent. But then even after people were online and wanted to post theological ideas and questions, it was good to narrow the focus of the board to holding to a Confession listed on the Registration page, and to be a member of a Reformed or reforming church.
From the Registration page:
"The board administrator has requested that all new registered users must agree to the following terms before sending in an email to register and begin using the services on the "Puritan Board""
Note the word "services". The Board is a service. It serves, in a very minimal capacity, the ability to share information. That information, though is to be done by those likeminded. Thus, we have the Confessional Restriction, and church member restriction:
the Puritanboard is governed by the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Westminster Standards and will acquiesce to its standards in ultimate matters of any controversies on the Puritanboard. Some of our moderators are Baptist and hold to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Others hold to the Three Forms of Unity. Those who desire to join the Puritanboard must embrace an historic confession. All members of this board hold to the basic creeds of the church: The Apostles' Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Athanasian Creed, The Chalcedonian Creed, etc. However, one must hold to an orthodox confession of the church."
The point of this restriction is that there remain "some level" of like-mindedness in the sharing of information, or asking of questions.
Also, we will not allow anyone on the board unless they are a member of the church.
With those things in mind, one should remember that the board "serves" NOT as a church, but as a Reformed Discussion Group. That means if someone is replacing fellowship at church with fellowship on the board, they are making a GRAVE mistake. The board, as with the internet in general, is an impersonal medium of communication. That is why it is imperative that we have "moderators" (not "pastors") to moderate conversations so they do not get out of hand. (It is fine if a pastor is a moderator, but it is not that "œmoderator = pastor".) Debate on the internet is something that has never existed in the history of the church. No doubt Luther, Zwingli, Oecolampadius and Melancthon would have been blessed by the ability to communicate online and instantaneously if they had the chance, but also they would NEVER give up the importance of face to face communication, fellowship and debate. Jesus would have never healed someone "over the internet in a chat room."
The board "serves" as a medium to interact through immediate "ideas" that are accessible to everyone. You have an idea, you post it, everyone sees it. That is why, on the one hand, this can be a very excellent place to use as a sounding board, albeit an impersonal one at that. At the same time it can be a very dangerous thing (like blogging (which I personally detest and wish never became a reality though I knew it was coming)). It is very easy to post your passions for all to see without 1) thinking them through, or 2) praying about them first. On the registration board and rules we say:
"Pause Before You Post: This is something that everyone can benefit from. Before you send the latest jab, punch, tweak, etc into cyberspace, take a minute (or two, or five) to make sure that you are doing so in a spirit of Christian maturity Study first, pray, post after."
Personally, for me, I enjoy the interaction with various views for the sake of clarifying a theological position. I enjoy this even more because I know I am doing this amidst a "virtual Marburg" (i.e. Luther, Zwingli, Oecolampadius and Melancthon met to debate theology at the "Marburg Colloquy."). It would be relatively impossible for all of us to meet together and have a conference of sorts. The Puritanboard gives use the interconnected virtual environment to express ideas and views, and especially ask for prayer. It is a consolation that so many are praying for one another.
But we should be NOT be treating this forum like a church. It should have respectability, and we should conduct ourselves as Christians in whatever medium we are in or use. There is never any excuse for a Christian to act unbecomingly. Yet, some people believe that it should be run, to a certain degree, like a church. This, however would overthrow the very nature of the church as an organic local body (the visible church is what I am referring to).
Nor should it resemble some "strange" ecumenical movement where we all just "get along" at the expense of our views. It is one thing to express our views biblically as becoming Christians, it´s another to overlook "discussing ideas" simply because others do not want to discuss them. Yet, conveniently, the board is much like the TV - if one channel is not working for you, then you can easily turn it to another.
Maybe, like those that have emailed me over the last week, you are mistaking the Puritanboard for the church. As one of the owners of the board, anything I do is directly supervised by the Presbytery I answer to, and the Session I sit on. Overall, the Westminster Presbytery oversees Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, and that in turn oversees the board. Thought he church may have its hand on the board, the board is not even considered, to a great extent, to be an "œextension of the church." The passing of information, in any medium is overseen by the church, but we must remember that Christ gave us two mediums or conduits for reaching heaven while we are on earth "“ the Word of God and the Sacraments. Those are officially dispensed by the church.
I say all this to help those who are trying to register understand that this is really a sort of "œpublic club" in which, as Christians, we desire to share information in a simple but moderated medium, and for those who are already on this board, not to mistake it as the church. Though it may be under the authority of the church, it is not the church, or a church.
I hope that board continues, as it has, to be edifying to those who desire to expand their theological horizons, and to share with others as the internet medium gives us leave to do so. Maybe one day we will have virtual conversations by being able to all be visibly seen at the same time. We are not technologically there just yet. But in the meantime, I think we can continue to make godly, theological advances in our theology as we continue to narrow our thinking in submission to the truth of the Bible and glorify God in that truth.
Blessings.
