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The strategy of God
Doing good: The shape of the Christian life (Part 1): Why we don’t
The broken marriage of preaching and pastoring
Recent comments
Scott Tubman on "We are poorly dressed" - Part 2 (20/08/2008).
Ian Carmichael on Sola Gratia - Tahlia's story (20/08/2008).
Cathy McKay on "We are poorly dressed" - Part 2 (20/08/2008).
Gordon Cheng on An interview with Mark Thompson (20/08/2008).
Martin Kemp on The indivisibility of truth (20/08/2008).
Andrew Barry on "We are poorly dressed" - Part 2 (20/08/2008).
Scott Tubman on "We are poorly dressed" - Part 2 (19/08/2008).
Scott Tubman on "We are poorly dressed" - Part 2 (19/08/2008).
Alex Phillips on A freebie for you: Jonah in the ESV (19/08/2008).
Nicole Starling on "We are poorly dressed" - Part 2 (19/08/2008).
Recent posts
An interview with Mark Thompson by Sandy Grant (1 comment). Today we interview Mark Thompson... Mark, how did you come to Christ? I first heard the gospel … more
Sola Gratia - Tahlia’s story by Lionel Windsor (4 comments). Tahlia was born addicted to heroin, thanks to her mum Shae’s addiction. Tahlia (not her real name) lives with … more
“We are poorly dressed” - Part 2 by Nicole Starling (9 comments). Thanks to everyone who contributed comments in answer to the question that I raised in my previous … more
The indivisibility of truth by Tony Payne (4 comments). This Saturday’s classic Briefing extract is about the indivisibility of truth. It’s from Briefing #8, August 1, 1988: If … more
Dread, joy and Morning Prayer by Tony Payne (5 comments). Standing on the 5th tee at St Michael’s, in Sydney’s East, the golfer experiences a mixture of nervousness and dread. Here … more
A freebie for you: Jonah in the ESV by Gordon Cheng (10 comments). Here at Matthias Media, we read and recommend the English Standard Version Bible, the ESV, as a superior … more
‘We are poorly dressed…’ - Part 1 by Nicole Starling (15 comments). “We are poorly dressed… Be imitators of me.” (1 Cor 4:11, 16) “All her household are clothed in … more
Where’s your ministry ‘AT’? by Ben Pfahlert (11 comments). Christians and soldiers have a lot in common, or at least they should (2 Tim 2:3-4). Firstly they both know that … more
Countering Nowism by Lionel Windsor (2 comments). It’s been interesting to follow the comments on Tony’s post about the … more
The evangelical inferiority complex by Tony Payne (3 comments). It’s Saturday. Must be time for another classic snippet from the early days of The Briefing, this time about evangelicalism’s … more
Tony Payne
Tony is the Publishing Director at Matthias Media; editor of The Briefing; author of Islam in our Backyard, Fatherhood and numerous other Matthias Media resources; husband to Ali; father of five teenagers; and an avid consumer of books and almost any televised sport.
Sola Panellists
- Tony Payne (convenor)
- Peter Bolt
- Gordon Cheng
- Sandy Grant
- Gavin Perkins
- Ben Pfahlert
- Archie Poulos
- Nicole Starling
- Mark Thompson
- Jean Williams
- Lionel Windsor
It seems to me that your “Be godly” guideline is notoriously vague and is open to a considerable degree of abuse. Could you please explain specifically what is meant by that guideline?
Brian, I’m not sure what you mean by ‘notoriously’ vague, which seems a somewhat vague use of the word ‘notorious’, if I can be cheeky enough to make such an observation.
However, I would suggest that it’s no vaguer than the command ‘Love your neighbour’. I notice that Jesus himself was what some might call evasive when pressed for detail on what he meant by this.
I suppose the best way to find out, however, is to stay with us for a while and see if you agree with our (invariably fallible) judgement.
PS. Having just deleted a comment advertising Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, and another one advertising Life Insurance, it’s possible that I’m feeling a bit more pleased with myself than a strict reading of ‘Be godly’ would allow.
Gordon, personally I think moderating the comments is the only way to go. It is all too easy to find blogs where the discussion is less than valuable. As long as the moderation is not removing disagreement just because it is an alternative view then it is worthwhile to keep moderating the comments.
Greg,
Well put. We certainly won’t be winnowing out posts that are critical or taking a different view. Iron sharpens iron, and all that.
The over-riding principles are the ones expressed in Paul’s moderation policy for the Ephesians in their conversation with each other:
So Tony, have you decided to keep pre-approving comments permanently?
[moderator hat on]
David, I’m not Tony, but we will most likely stay with comment moderation for at least several more weeks as we review how things are going.
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