The following article was written by Dr Kenneth Talbot of Whitefield Theological Seminary for use on a social networking site, where members are allowed to maintain blogs. While RCM is not a host for multiple blogs, we do find the principles expressed here worthy of consideration for the “Comments” section of this site, which will be included following most video, podcast, and article posts. Comments will be expected to meet these guidelines. The only alterations I have made is turn “blogging” references to “commenting”. These changes are indicated by italics. Some additional guidelines have been added, starting with No. 11 and beyond.

WALKING WORTHY

Biblical Guidelines for Posting Comments

There is a divergence of views on these theological topics of eschatology. Pending on the individuals theological standards, some of the views might be classified as errant, heretical, damnable, or apostate. Each individual must determine which category such views fall within. It is the duty of each professed believer to “search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (Jesus Christ)” (John 5:39). Opinions will differ from person to person. We should always take seriously every view presented, take it to Scripture, and then determine the truth or falsity of the matter. This is in keeping with the understanding that the Word of God is inspired and it is profitable for, “… doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Discussing and debating an issue is acceptable practice within the Christian community. The Bible teaches us that we should “come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). However, such exchanges must conform to the teachings of Scripture. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1-6: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Further, we who profess faith in Christ are commanded by St. Paul in Hebrews 12:14 to: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Note this does not say with some people, but with all people, whether they are Christian or not. Paul further states in Galatians 6:7-10: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Again, carefully consider that what we sow, we reap. That we are not to grow weary in doing what is good and acceptable, and honorable before our Sovereign God. That is directive is commanding such actions by Christians to “all” (meaning all people), but especially those who profess faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is not just in personal contact, but in every area of life. Our Lord warned us in Matthew 25:40 that, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” We must realize that as Christians we are going to give an account for every word that we speak. Every word spoken by Christians against another individual will require accountability to a Sovereign God. St. Peter himself states that our Heaven Father, “… who without partiality judges according to each one’s work” demands that we “conduct [our]selves throughout the time of your stay here (on earth) in fear” (1 Peter 1:17). The Apostle pleads with Christians that, “… by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2).

In order to better conform this site to the teaching of Scripture and to limit the opportunity for sin, the following rules are going into affect immediately. This site will not become an avenue for sinful behavior or create the potentiality for such behavior. I cannot speak for others, but as for me, “… I will walk in my integrity…” (Psalms 26:11).

1. No ‘demeaning’ words are permitted against another individual. For example: “dumb” “crazy” “ignorant” “stupid” “whore” etc. (See #14 below for further clarification)

2. No one is permitted to bring any statements from another site to the site that uses terms that violates or demeans any individual.

3. If you want to address issues, that is acceptable. No smart remarks are acceptable when addressing any issue, such as: “he isn’t as much of a Scholar” or “what do you expect from an uneducated individual.”

4. No personal remarks dealing with ethics, practices, or behavior will be tolerated. Address the issues, not the person. No ad hominem arguments are acceptable.

5. Because of past experiences, we will not address certain parties with whom there has been an ongoing clash of personalities. If you feel the need to act in kind, find a different avenue to pursue your actions.

6. Commenting at this site means that you will automatically agree to mediation when an issue gets out of control.

7. A WARNING shall be given once about unacceptable behavior. The second violation will result in the banning of the individual. IP address will be noted and no further commenting will be allowed.

8. Any individual banned will not be permitted to return to commenting for three months.

9. Prior to restoration to post comments, the individual who has been banned will be required to give repentance in public as to the nature of their transgression and ask for forgiveness.

10. Once an individual has been restored to commenting, a third violation will result in immediate banning for one year.

—Additions by Jason—

11. RCM is not a billboard. It is a very common practice for individuals to join a site that they are not really interested in, only to take advantage of a site’s popularity by leaving comments that frequently “advertise” their blog/site. Comments with 2 or more links will be automatically held for moderation. If we sense that a person is not genuinely interested in dialogue, and is just posting to advertise, we will hold their comments and seek the individual privately for clarification.

12. Commenting here is a privilege, not a right. We reserve the right to shut down that privilege altogether or limit the privilege to certain posts. No one is on anyone else’s schedule. If you leave a question and it doesn’t get answered, leave it alone. Do not badger one another.

13. Comments here are the property of RCM. By posting here, you understand that your comment may or may not exist here a year, or five years from now. We are not obligated to save the content for you. If you invest a great deal of time into a comment, you are advised to save it somewhere. Also, do not assume that the disappearance of content is the result of moderation. The engines that run websites are not perfect (WordPress in this case), which is why they release bug fixes continually. Bugs have been known to cause site issues, like, the disappearance of content. Sometimes the upgrading of software can lead to data corruption. Sometimes the installation of a plugin can conflict with other plugins. Bottom line – by posting here you understand that we don’t owe you anything in terms of saving data.

14. While i am not 1oo% certain as to the extent of Dr. Talbot’s #1, i would like to explain what we mean by it here. While a person’s ideology may be referred to as “dumb”, this is to be distinguished from calling the person “dumb”. Smart people can occasionally say dumb things. We do not rule against calling certain thoughts “dumb”. Even Scripture acknowledges “foolish” thinking and we do not pretend to create a standard that would appear more “mature” than Scripture. However, this name-calling should be exercised with caution and not done in haste. You will also be expected to defend your comments in detail.

15. These rules are subject to change at any time.

Jason Bradfield

Jason embraced Christ his senior year of high school in 1993; served two years as a youth minister in Anniston, AL and Houma, LA with the Southern Baptist denomination; and briefly attended New Orleans Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a M.Div with Whitefield Theological Seminary and is the 'web servant' for Whitefield Media. During a stretch of around three years, he took the good news of the Kingship of Christ to some of the most poverty stricken areas of Anniston and Birmingham, AL, as well as New Orleans, LA, in the form of Hip Hop. He embraced ‘full preterism’ in 2oo3 and renounced it in 2o1o. He serves as RCM’s ‘web-servant’ and runs a family blog at MinionDominion. Jason resides in Knoxville, TN with his wife Amanda and children Jordan, Alexis, Kaylee, and Anna. Check out more from Jason.