Apology; let's try again

I have continued to struggle over how both sides in the gender debates have felt negatively impacted by posts or comments on this blog. As many of you know, I have pleaded with us all to try to speak to each other in ways that do not hurt people. I believe that everyone has tried hard to do so. Yet we are losing people here who once posted and no longer feel welcome.

This weekend I considered closing down this blog. Yet I still believe in my heart that there is a need for a place where both sides in the gender debates can express their ideas safely. As far as I know, this is a unique thing on the Internet. There are egalitarian blogs where complementarians are put down and do not feel safe. There are complementarian blogs where egalitarians do not feel safe. There are gender blogs where comments are not permitted.

We're trying to do something different here. I personally believe that it is something our Lord Jesus wants. He is not asking us to give up our deeply held beliefs. But he is asking us to be "like-minded" (Phil. 2). We can disagree and still be like-minded. We can present our interpretations of gender-related Bible passages and still allow room for discussion from other points of view.

I apologize for not being able to find a better way to keep people from giving up on this blog and leaving. I especially feel bad that complementarian bloggers and commenters have felt put down and are not participating as equally as I had hoped.

I have agonized over what to do about all this and I have prayed about it.

I believe that our original dream for this blog can be realized, but it is going to take more work on the part of all of us. This morning the Lord reminded me that we still have the option to use moderated comments. So that is what we now have. All comments are now moderated. I hope to approve (or disapprove) comments as quickly as possible. When I am home I can do so because my fulltime job keeps me at my computer all day long, where my email is regularly checked by my email program throughout the day.

Please note that I have added to the masthead at the top of the blog.

I also an re-inviting complementarian bloggers and commenters to try again. I will do my best to make this blog safe for you, as well as egalitarians. I am an "F" (Feeler) on the Myers-Briggs test, so I really do feel the pain of each of you.

My fulltime job does not leave much time for blogging, so I expect only to approve or disapprove comments. If I disapprove comments I do not expect to have time to explain why. All I can do is continue to point each of us to our comment guidelines.

Let's re-group. Let's learn from each other. Let's do it safely. Let's do it wisely. Let's do it lovingly. Let's not put anyone or any idea down. Let's try to demonstrate that it is possible to discuss one of the most contentious issues in the church today without driving off either side.