[Vision2020] When is it and when is it not my business? (update)

[keely emerinemix]

Doug Farris sent me an off-list reply taking me to task for, well, pretty 
much everything I've written on Vision lately.  I'll respect his desire to 
keep his response off-list, while explaining to him why, in general, I 
believe he's acting contrary to the Gospel and contrary to the basic social 
mores that most of us learned when we were seven.

Biblically, you don't "do unto others as they do to you."  You "do unto 
others as you would have them do unto you," knowing that some people will 
treat you badly.  The believer, then, and most people who subscribe to a 
moral or religious code, would endeavor to not repeat the offensive directed 
at them by responding in kind, but would try to treat the offender with even 
greater grace.The Christian can't take shelter under "well, he started it!"  
We're supposed to end it, and end it by grace and submisison.  I know I've 
fallen down on that one at times, and some may think that I've done so 
interacting as I have with Farris.  I trust God will show me if I have.

Nonetheless, the Scriptures to which he and I both profess allegiance 
require that we recognize the need to address rotten behavior IN the 
Christian community and not rotten behavior OUTSIDE OF the Body of Christ (1 
Cor. 5:12).  God does that, and always with a greater measure of justice and 
grace than Doug, Keely, Dale Courtney or anyone else could evince.  The 
unfruitful conduct of fellow believers, though, is to be judged and rebuked 
by other believers, who presumably have the brother or sister's maturity and 
restoration at heart.  I dearly wish that Doug Farris' words proved him to 
be a mature brother in Christ.  I eagerly await his repentance and 
restoration, and I would do anything I could to encourage him in his walk 
with Christ.  His repentance, of course, is between him and God, and would 
come because he's sinned against God in his attitude -- at least, that's how 
I see it.  If I'm wrong -- if Christ is truly glorified by his comments to 
Nick and his smackdowns to Tom and Wayne -- then I trust the Spirit to lead 
me into repentance for harping on him.

Until then, my conscience is clear in regard to how I've responded to Doug 
Farris and his buddies on Vision 2020.  I will, though, confess in all 
seriousness that my heart toward them at times doesn't please God.  In fact, 
sometimes I'd like to just smack 'em all.  When I feel that way, I don't 
write, not on Vision nor anywhere else.  I pray.  And when I'm sure my anger 
is Spirit-driven and not Keely-driven, righteous and not sinful, I write.

It seems odd to me that those who crow about the godly availability and 
utility of the Serrated Edge, and who wield it with such vitriol against 
unbelievers, cry "foul" when another believer responds sharply.  Tough.  My 
responses to them aren't guided by my inalienable right to draw a serrated 
edge, but by the example set forth in Scripture.  The public voices I hear 
from the Kirk have not done much at all to present the Gospel in a blessed 
light.  Since there's nothing more important to me than Christ Jesus, I'm 
willing to have the guys band together and heckle me as I try to defend it. 
Their condemnation to me means nothing, but their repentance and restoration 
would delight my soul.

God is good.  Me?  I'm not so good, but I'm sure trying to speak truth.

keely


From: <debismith at moscow.com>
To: <kjajmix1 at msn.com>, heirdoug at netscape.net, vision2020 at moscow.com,        
nickgier at adelphia.net
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] When is it and when is it not my business? 
(update)
Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 17:30:09 GMT

Keely, Doug Ferris can't help it that he is an ass.

His job is to repeat assinine things, treat people with utter disrespect,
and shout that he's being "persecuted" by those who disagree with him.
Screeching "I'm a Christian", while acting in a completely un-Christian
way, is bound to gain converts to his religious belief system! Stomping
his bitsy feet and waving his little arms and whining "holier than
thou"...

And if he can slime someone, anyone, so much the better. Slime is what,
after all, worms like Ferris do best. And, that particular behavior is
the last resort of someone with no real ground upon which to stand. When
he can't make a reasoned comment (lacking all reason) he can make up
something, spread a rumor, twist a fact, or just hurl an insult.

He can't help it. He's just drawn that way, like all cartoon characters.
Don't expect him to recognize when he's over-the-top, outside the bounds,
or just plain un-Christian. He not only won't, he simply can't make that
kind of complex connection.

Debi R-S


 > Have a great day, Doug.  And thanks for pointing out so eloquently that
the
 > true Gospel of Jesus Christ involves snotty comments directed to
 > non-believers in the hope that they'll want to follow the God you do.
 >
 > Go throw a spitball or something.
 >
 > keely
 >
 >
 > From: heirdoug at netscape.net
 > To: kjajmix1 at msn.com, heirdoug at netscape.net,
vision2020 at moscow.com,
 > nickgier at adelphia.net
 > Subject: [Vision2020] When is it and when is it not my business?
(update)
 > Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:45:16 -0500
 >
 >
 > Keely Yaps in:
 > “I have several suggestions for what you call it
 > when a supposed Christian acts like a preening
 > sixth-grade bully.  You're being an ass, Farris.”
 >
 >
 > We have now heard from the resident theologian here on Blind 2020.
Keely,
 > check out paragraph 3.
 >
 > I might add that if Pastor Wilson stopped living in his home, rented
the
 > whole thing out to students and moved in with a lady down the street
you of
 > all people would be the leader in developing a whole campaign of
indignation
 > that would make the Spanish Inquisition look like “Who Wants to be a
 > Millionaire.”
 >
 >
 > Carl wrote:
 > "I'd personally call it no one else's business."
 >
 > And, Sunil wrote:
 > "You've been on this for a couple of weeks now,
 > and it's still not your business, not my business, and
 > not the business of anyone on V2020 except Nick,
 > and perhaps his friend, should she exist and should
 > she be on this listserve."
 >
 >
 > And, Saundra wrote:
 > "As usual, Sunil & Carl are spot on, but for the rest
 > of us, let heirdog's post serve as a reminder that
 > Jealousy, the Green-Eyed Monster, really is incredibly
 > ugly."
 >
 >
 > I am very glad that you all are trying to define morality here on Blind
2020
 > but what standard shall we use to say what is and isn't some one else's
 > business? We all want to participate in the standard defining exercise
and
 > we need to be all inclusive so that no one is left out.
 >
 > For the longest time I have been posting statements that some find
offensive
 > and some find funny. It seems from this vast difference of opinion that
 > there is no moral standard by which we can judge one and other's
comments.
 > Saundra calls me jealous and ugly. How does one make an absolute
statement
 > such as thiat?
 >
 > I have read that some posters have "crossed the line" when it comes to
 > saying things. By what unwritten law or code of conduct do we judge
where
 > the line is? And who is the policeman of "line crossing"? Is it J. Ford
with
 > her online dictionary? Is it Wayne Fox and his multicolored Bible
Google? Or
 > is it Keely Mix with her cutting wit and "I am innocent but you are
guilty"
 > way of putting things.
 >
 > Tom-Tom says, by his posts and his blog, that it is OK to re-publish
the
 > addresses of those he thinks are breaking a zoning code. Isn't what
they do
 > in the privacy of their own home only "their business"? What gives him
the
 > "right" to do this? Has he crossed the mystic "line"?
 >
 > What gives J. " :] " Ford the OK to publish false or misleading
information
 > about a local developer, with the intent to do public harm to someone
from
 > Christ Church? But when someone makes an embarrassing statement about
an ex
 > husband who resides in the state pen, this has crossed the
mystic "line"!
 >
 > Maybe it's time to shut this site down. Maybe it's time to do what
someone,
 > I respect, said, ..."Live and let live". Is this the standard we should
 > follow?
 >
 > When Dale pointed out the incongruity of Keely's request, in light of
all of
 > the accusations by Rose and Co. with respect to having people live in
their
 > house, I thought I would bring up Nick Gier's living situation - again.
Is
 > he paying any of the bills there? Wouldn't that make him a "boarder" by
the
 > code? He is not a family member.
 >
 > It seems, by the comments back to me, that THIS is none of my business!
Why,
 > he is an important public school figure with a lot on his plate (he
told us
 > so)! Why one set of standards for some and not for others? Where is the
out
 > cry "For the Love of the Code?"
 >
 > Is all of this a picture of "white men of privilege" being overcome and
 > subdued by those who feel down trodden? Or is it as Mrs. Lund said, "
a
 > reminder that Jealousy, the Green-Eyed Monster, really is incredibly
 > ugly..."?
 >
 > lemeno, Doug!
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
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