But that seems to just be human nature, as pretty much everybody here thinks they know better than me.

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Thanks for that. I really appreciate the answer.

As one who also likes to argue, I can understand your bent towards doing so. Though I don’t often agree with your conclusions, I do agree sometimes. I’m just concerned that the body of Christ arguing with each other publicly is not a good thing.

God bless you, Steve. And if He is willing, I look forward to more spirited debates with you.

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That’s a very interesting question. You may not have seen it, but on one of the Whirled Views threads just a few days ago I pledged to stay out of what I consider “stupid partisan” arguments. I defined that as those where people divide up into sides (Republican/Democrat, or Christian/non-Christian, or conservative/liberal, or ‘Bama/Auburn or whatever) and argue from the premise that their side never does anything wrong, and that everything the other side does is wrong.

I am tempted to get drawn into those because I am just naturally argumentative. But I recognize that when arguments are so polarized and so detached from reality, there’s never a chance of doing anything constructive. No one is interested in truly considering the other point of view, just in voicing their defense of their side.

So I am renewing an effort to avoid those.

However …

I do not feel like I should stand by silently when outright misinformation is being bandied around. In this thread, one person is denying that any conservative leader ever questioned the patriotism of any Democrat; well, I have always been pretty politically plugged in, and I remember the past few years quite well, and I know that that statement is flatly untrue. Questioning the patriotism of Democrats was a standard arrow in the quiver of the conservatives during that time. Ann Coulter wrote an entire book specifically on that topic. Members of Congress said it on the floor; some of their comments have been quoted here.

So should I stand by silently and let the denial stand, or let others take up the fight? Or should I speak up and risk being perceived as being “in opposition to the family of God?”

Maybe you can get some sense of my dilemma.

The larger answer to your question, however, is that for all of my life I have felt obligated to challenge people who feel certain that they are right and everyone else wrong. You see it manifested here as me arguing with fellow Christians over points on which they seem to be certain they’re correct. I consider it a challenge, an “iron sharpening iron” dynamic that asks people to think about what they believe and why, and to defend it. It truly is not meant to be hostile, although it may come across that way. In some cases I do disagree; in other cases I may not have a solid position of my own and want to hear the case. And sometimes I challenge even views I agree with, because I think there’s a value in thinking through our reasons.

But what’s important for you to understand in that is that I challenge many of the conservative Christians here because they’re the majority view in this online community. If you saw me on a board populated mostly by another group — atheists, for example — I would adopt a contrary position to them too, and challenge them just as hard.

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Obama has declared that he wants to create heaven on earth. This is a form of dominionism, which uses political power to achieve a utopia through the strong arm of government.

Social progressives have no problem co-opting religious language to promote their cause, even claiming that Jesus is on their side. Yet they also feel completely justified in using totalitarian means of stifling the free speech of those who would use religious language to actually mean religious things.

As a Christian, I find the hypocrisy of the left quite interesting and amusing. I think I’ll have some of Coyote’s popcorn.

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I’m curious. From past posts, I understand that you are a Christian. Though your hermeneutic is not what I would call orthodox, I do not question your Christianity. But what I find curious, brother, is why are so many of your posts in opposition to the family of God? Brother, this ought not be. Please, if you are inclined to retort back, pray about it. I’m not trying to start a “fight”. I’m trying to correct this public enmity between you and the rest of the family of God in this blog site. After prayer, if you’re so inclined, I will consider where you think I am wrong.

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Right.

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But, Obama is not the first person to be likened to the anti-Christ. Only God knows the time and the season, but we know when the time is near. I think we are living in a very exciting and frightening time.

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Why aren’t leftists up in arms against Evan Thomas for publicly disparaging the patriotism of Ronald Reagan?
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