Anniversary...

[William Thornton]

David is more liberal than when he started here.

I'm not mad at anyone here and I wouldn't argue that this type of place is almost an anachronism. I enjoy the interaction, always have. Politics just doesn't seem to be a subject that leads to anything good.

The church I attend in my retirement says exactly nothing about politics in worship, communications, or anything else. We get into a political discussion occasionally in my 10-15 person small group but never get very deep with it.

[Dave Roberts]

David, I’ve been surprised over recent years how much more conservative you seem to be than when I first started on this forum.

I know your story well of being ousted from your position for not bowing to fundamentalism in the SBC and that always made me consider you a moderate rather than a conservative. Has that changed? Or do you see yourself as a political conservative and a theological moderate? Or something else?

And BTW, there have been a number of more liberal folks who have left this forum including Joshua and Jane among others i could name. If you all want this forum to survive it can’t just be the old guys who started with it. It always needs new blood the way a church does. We aren’t getting that here. I’ve made my pitch a couple of times elsewhere for moving the forum to a less old fashioned location where new people might actually join it. But no one so far seems to like the idea. As a person whose only foot in the Baptist world now is this forum and some Baptist relatives, I don’t have too much of a dog in this fight.

I am sorry you know longer feel this forum is a good place for diverse discussion.

I for one feel that moving to a more modern format or becoming a private Facebook group might well be a step in keeping our discussions alive. I am not as active as I once was, but I value the people here whom I have come to know and several whom I have met in various settings across the years. Happy 20th anniversary to the Forum.

[KeithE]

If this forum dies (and I hope it doesn’t), please keep it alive for a while. I have made many big efforts to dig up facts/DATA that drive my viewpoints. These efforts are recorded herein.

[Stephen Fox]

Just a few days ago where Bonney took me to the woodshed for never ending "rants" on the fundamentalist takeover of theSBC, he also painted this site and all of us I guess about 12 active participants as dinosaurs and said we should take the chatter to a Facebook wall or something. I disagree, these 15 years have been chocked full of japery of various merit, and if for no other reason, dinosaurs though we may be, a great reference for low grade analysis of Baptist matters of all degrees.

So I say let's embark on Each One Win One, maybe even declare amnesty for all but a few family members, and may we go for another 15 until the last Obituary!!!!!

[Tim Bonney]

If this forum dies (and I hope it doesn’t), please keep it alive for a while. I have made many big efforts to dig up facts/DATA that drive my viewpoints. These efforts are recorded herein.

I'm not an Admin and don't have any say what happens to the software. But I'd agree you'd not want to kill this site if something else was started for a good length of time.

[Tim Bonney]

David is more liberal than when he started here.

I obviously have misread him. His work in churches that are affiliated with the ABC/USA would usually mean a more moderate or liberal stance. But his political posts argue the other direction. Now, I know that there are persons who are politically conservative and theologically more progressive and visa versa. There are just times that is hard to do without a lot of cognitive disonnance.

william, you might be a good judge if I have gotten more liberal or not. I've always been pretty progressive. But I certainly would admit to being more liberal than I once was.

[William Thornton]

I think you have, Timothy. Would be difficult to be SBC. I guess everyone here is to my left, Sandy only slightly I think. Seems the gaps are greater politically.

This is all an example of folks with considerable differences being friends which is why I hate to see people get fed up and quit. I suppose I am less emotionally invested in issues here.

Guess you had a Sunday off like everyone around here.

[Tim Bonney]

I think you have, Timothy. Would be difficult to be SBC. I guess everyone here is to my left, Sandy only slightly I think. Seems the gaps are greater politically.

This is all an example of folks with considerable differences being friends which is why I hate to see people get fed up and quit. I suppose I am less emotionally invested in issues here.

Guess you had a Sunday off like everyone around here.

I preached my usual 3 services. But we are canceling church for the next two weeks. So, I’m going to be doing a streaming worship service online or two. And trying to work on some online things like our website.

As much as I appreciate my Baptist roots my theology is too Methodist for me to ever be a Baptist again. I really do believe in sacraments, infant baptism, free grace, etc. If Methodists were to disappear off of the face of the earth I’d probably be an Episcopalian.

I also don’t want to see anyone leave. And I feel bad if anyone has left for something I’ve said. I just miss the days when we had a couple of dozen or more very active users. And I don’t think we will get that again if we stay where we are. If that is what everyone wants, that is fine. I just think this forum could grow in a different venue.

[Stephen Fox]

would be good.

Wouldnt hurt if Bruce Gourley were a lot more active than he has been lately.

And the likes of David Currie and John Pierce and some other of the big boys jump in on occasion. For instance the new rightward turn in the SBC deserves their take here I would think.

And Paul Baxley and somebody from the Alliance should drop by on occasion.

[John Sneed]

I am still here. I watch this website every single day. I don't post much because, as mentioned, I usually end up regretting it. So, I read, but post very little. I will mention, sometimes I think I am in a different universe than the people who post here, but I bear no ill will towards anyone who posts here. Not a soul. And William, I think I am to your right. If not, we are very close.

I don't think everyone here is my friend, but I have made friends of several of the people here. When David lost his position all those years ago, I offered to write a recommendation letter for him. He declined. I believe he thinks I was too "fundamentalist" for him, or that I would attempt to sabotage him. My intent at the time, was to write him a very forward and cordial recommendation. I like David. It is true, by the way, that, before I was an SB pastor, I had been a member of an IFB church. But the IFB group was far too tight a fit for me. Like a necktie tied too tight. I was happier as ab SB.

I still count several people here as friends. Bruce had constructive advice for me as I worked my way through the thesis for my master's degree. I recently retired from the workforce to devote more time to my disabled wife. I am about a year away from finishing my PhD in education. So, I have several irons in the fire. But I keep up with you all every day. To you all, stay safe. Be well.

[Dave Roberts]

I am still here. I watch this website every single day. I don't post much because, as mentioned, I usually end up regretting it. So, I read, but post very little. I will mention, sometimes I think I am in a different universe than the people who post here, but I bear no ill will towards anyone who posts here. Not a soul. And William, I think I am to your right. If not, we are very close.

I don't think everyone here is my friend, but I have made friends of several of the people here. When David lost his position all those years ago, I offered to write a recommendation letter for him. He declined. I believe he thinks I was too "fundamentalist" for him, or that I would attempt to sabotage him. My intent at the time, was to write him a very forward and cordial recommendation. I like David. It is true, by the way, that, before I was an SB pastor, I had been a member of an IFB church. But the IFB group was far too tight a fit for me. Like a necktie tied too tight. I was happier as ab SB.

I still count several people here as friends. Bruce had constructive advice for me as I worked my way through the thesis for my master's degree. I recently retired from the workforce to devote more time to my disabled wife. I am about a year away from finishing my PhD in education. So, I have several irons in the fire. But I keep up with you all every day. To you all, stay safe. Be well.

John, thanks for updating us. While we may disagree on some issues, I have always found you respectful and willing to 'reason together." Not many of us are in the familiar worlds in which we set out. We struggle to move forward much like the Israelites in Babylon who had to ask, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" Blessings on you and your wife.

[KeithE]

I am still here. I watch this website every single day. I don't post much because, as mentioned, I usually end up regretting it. So, I read, but post very little. I will mention, sometimes I think I am in a different universe than the people who post here, but I bear no ill will towards anyone who posts here. Not a soul. And William, I think I am to your right. If not, we are very close.

I don't think everyone here is my friend, but I have made friends of several of the people here. When David lost his position all those years ago, I offered to write a recommendation letter for him. He declined. I believe he thinks I was too "fundamentalist" for him, or that I would attempt to sabotage him. My intent at the time, was to write him a very forward and cordial recommendation. I like David. It is true, by the way, that, before I was an SB pastor, I had been a member of an IFB church. But the IFB group was far too tight a fit for me. Like a necktie tied too tight. I was happier as ab SB.

I still count several people here as friends. Bruce had constructive advice for me as I worked my way through the thesis for my master's degree. I recently retired from the workforce to devote more time to my disabled wife. I am about a year away from finishing my PhD in education. So, I have several irons in the fire. But I keep up with you all every day. To you all, stay safe. Be well.

John - Have you ever met William (Bill) Bill Cooper? He is just like you -lives in Battleground (next to Springfield), a minister, a strong Calvinist, these days is a history teacher in a Christian school, PHD in history I believe, has 10,000’s of books and wrote an Introduction to the New Testament.

If you cannot look him up in phone book or internet, you can look up his wife Regina who is the Director of Springfield’s library system (which is, btw, a first class system). And his son Ben's phone number is (417) 536-7985 who could tell you his dad’s phone number.

You guys could talk about the radical liberal Keith.

[Haruo]

If this forum dies (and I hope it doesn’t), please keep it alive for a while. I have made many big efforts to dig up facts/DATA that drive my viewpoints. These efforts are recorded herein.

Is the forum archived anywhere? Yes it is, it's in the Wayback Machine back to 2007, here. Nowhere near complete, though. For a lot of threads it just says "this page is available on the web".

[John Sneed]

Keith,

Thank you for your reply to my post. I meant to answer you sooner but I was preparing for the comprehensive exams and everything took a back seat to that. By the way, I passed.

I appreciate the information about the Coopers. When I finished my thesis and the first copy went online I got a call from the son who wanted to get a copy of it. But it was one phone call and I lost his contact information almost immediately. I will certainly, thanks to your help, be getting back in touch with them.

Well, Springfield in going on a 30 lock down starting at midnight tonight (Thursday at 12:01 am central time). This will be fun (not). Stay safe and stay well out there. People have started like crazy people and several shootings have been reported in and around the Springfield area. I hope those are more rumors than fact, but caution is the watchword I think.

I wish you well "Radical Liberal Keith."

John

[Bruce Gourley]

It is indeed hard to believe it has been 20 years. Wow. So many friends we've all made through the forums. Some we've lost. Some are not doing so well as the years have passed.

In recent years I've been pretty much absent the discussions due to so much else going on in my life and, I'll confess, less of an interest in the forum format. I am aware of the problems of having this forum as http rather than a secure https, which would require quite a bit of additional cost to make happen. And I know that keeping hacker and spammers out is a herculean effort (in this case, Hercules is Leland!).

For what it is worth, I would concur with those of you suggesting that the time for forums like this is pretty much past, and that moving to a FB Group would be easier and quicker and even more intuitive these days to access and use, albeit losing the archive ability that we have with the forums. (We could in effect shut down the forums and archive the posts.)

I know I would be more likely to rejoin the conversation to some degree if it were a FB Group.

- Bruce

[Tim Bonney]

I
For what it is worth, I would concur with those of you suggesting that the time for forums like this is pretty much past, and that moving to a FB Group would be easier and quicker and even more intuitive these days to access and use, albeit losing the archive ability that we have with the forums. (We could in effect shut down the forums and archive the posts.)

I know I would be more likely to rejoin the conversation to some degree if it were a FB Group.

- Bruce

I would suggest that one of Admins who is on Facebook consider starting a FB group. This group doesn't have to be taken down to do that, at least until the other group was up and running as well as everyone would like.

I'd do it. But a Methodist shouldn't be the one to be the group owner or moderator. And whoever starts the group owns the group.

[Leland Bryant Ross]

I've started a number of FB groups and am willing to give it a go.

[Leland Bryant Ross]

A few of you have been added; you're all welcome to join. If you're not on Facebook you can still visit; not sure if you can post. Kind of doubt it, but y'never know.

BaptistLife

[Leland Bryant Ross]

Haven't been able to add William or John. If you guys want to join, feel free.

[Leland Bryant Ross]

Or David Flick.

[Haruo]

Happy to see John Sneed signed on to the FB group, as well as Bruce, Neil and Timothy.

[Leland Bryant Ross]

William's there, too, now. Missing the two Davids, Ed, Fox... though Winston did a drive-by.

[David Flick]

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I have a Facebook account. Don't use it very much. Will join if I can figure out how..

[Joseph Patrick]

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I have a Facebook account. Don't use it very much. Will join if I can figure out how..

From Gerry Milligan ... My problem exactly...I will keep trying.

[Haruo]

David and Gerry Joseph, what are your names on FB? I can try to send you an invitation.