Fairness...But With Honesty

As a matter of honesty; spiritual honesty, intellectual honesty, and academic honesty, we do not erase an comments as unfortunately, and erroneously, suggested by "Anonymous." In fact, when someone writes to support wrong doing, we will feature that writer's comment gladly.

After all, why not? This blog is about publishing facts.

The same "Anonymous," for whatever reason posted the same message twice, once under two different blog posts, both on October 5, 2009. Odd, but there you are...

Because of the length of Anonymous's comment, and the issues raised, I will (1) reprint the comments in it's entirety, and (2) respond to the comments in 6 separate posts, addressing each of Anonymous's paragraphs separately.

So, here goes...

Annonymous writes, "I have not taken offense to any one thing, only pointed out that in creating a blog, where you feel it is important to expose every letter written and meeting held between Takoma Park and the Conference to anyone who stops by to read about it, is in many ways less Christ-like than the things you are accusing the Potomac Conference, and leadership of Takoma Park Church of doing. I suggest if you were serious about your desire to approach in a Matthew 18 way, you would immediately shut down the blog, drop on your knees and ask God for a humble heart and the best, most effective way to handle what you perceive is a problem. That would be Christ's way of doing it. You may have have good intentions, but even Satan thought he was doing what was right when he deceived one third of the angels in heaven.

I am fully aware of the entire situation at Takoma Park, and other churches in the Potomac Conference. Stephen Covey suggests that we seek first to understand before we try to be understood. Have you tried this approach? Have you looked for the best in the situation instead of the worst? Have you tried to see what the desired outcome of the changes is for TP? Perhaps you could agree with the outcome and then work TOGETHER on the process that achieves the desired outcome.I think what has happened here, and is clearly evident in your writing, is that you have ceased to find the common ground and are now wanting the higher ground at whatever expense of others is needed. I think this is evident in that you feel it is important to share letters and other insights to others so you can beat up the person who wrote the letters. Is this Christ's way to get a win-win for everyone? I suspect if you stood back and thought and prayed on it you would find out it isn't.

Let me be clear. I harbor no ill-will or grudges against you for your blog. I only wish for all our churches in the world to be focused on God, focused on humanity, and seeking to reconcile the two together quickly so we can spend eternity with all. Trying to work together is better than battling apart. I feel this blog is a very abrupt way of sharing YOUR view, not the whole view. For it has been said, and proven often, there is your version of the truth, their version of the truth, and the cold hard truth in the middle. I suspect it holds true in this case as well, and I hope you will rethink where the truth is in this case.

One danger in all of this, and in fact I suspect it gets worse with each post of the "epic", is that you begin to believe what you are claiming is the best, most accurate version of the truth. Satan did the same thing, in that at first he knew better with his charge against God, but the more he expounded his belief to the other angels, the more he became to believe his version was THE truth. He was willing to go to war for his version of the truth about God and he lost his place in heaven because of it.

The answer to knowing whether or not you have begun to harden your heart to reconciling truth and relationships with those you are writing against is your willingness to love them in spite of where you believe they are wrong. Would you wash their feet? Would you pray with and for them? Would you be willing to admit where you are wrong if they came to you to admit they were wrong? Would you humbly sit down and seek to reach the common ground that "wins a brother" (Matthew 18) or do you desire a win that satisfies your view, even at the expense of someone else experiencing a loss...

I have been an Adventist for 38 years and I love my church and the people in it. Do we have challenges? Yes. Do we need to adjust? Yes. Can we do it together? We have to. May it be the case in your church that it is done in love, and a non-confrontational manner, so that others, who are observing this "fight" and sharpening their swords, will humble themselves as well as you have done, sheathed their swords and dropped to their knees as we all seek common ground to serve and honor our God."

Please follow the responses to these comments in the following 6 posts.