Purpose of this Board

The purpose of the Christian Board is -- first and foremost -- to discuss the issues related to writing for the Christian Market.

Now, the Christian Market is not just one thing. There IS a very large market for Evangelical Christians. This is often referred to as the Christian Market. It's the kind of writing that is bought by Christian publishers (like Zondervan and Eerdmans) and the kind of writing bought by Christian bookstores and on-line Christian sites like CBD (ChristianBooks.com).

However, Catholics have their own publishers and bookstores that are distinct from this market. There are also a myriad of periodicals from ultra-conservative to ultra-liberal. Almost every denomination has its own monthly periodical and then there are daily devotionals... The market is huge.

So this board CAN'T be about just one segment of Christian writing. This means that posters here will have to respect other's beliefs. This is a place to encourage others, not a theology debate forum. If you want to do that, Take It Outside.

Does this mean that all discussion of beliefs is forbidden and you can ONLY talk about writing? No, not at all. However, if your beliefs are disrespectful of someone else's beliefs, I'm going to ask you to keep that to yourself.

This is a place for Christians and non-Christians alike to come together for mutual understanding. Think of it as an ecumenical service where we celebrate our commonalities rather than dispute our differences. There are also a fair number of atheists, agnostics, pagans, and what have you, wandering about. Let's put on our best company face.

The Bible calls us to build each other up, not tear each other down. As Romans 14:13 says: "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."

I'd like that to be the motto of this board. Think to yourself: "Is my being right so much more important than my fellow poster's feelings?"

Lastly, it's also a place to share your hopes and feelings, disappointments and triumphs in a Christian atmosphere. Be careful! This is still a public forum, but I also want this to be a place where you can come for Christian caring and encouragement.

I guess that's about it.

Addendum 1:
5/14/2007

Roger J Carlson said:

Moderator's Note:

I am not entirely pleased with the direction this thread is taking. The purpose of this board is three-fold.

1. Talk about writing for the Christian Market.
2. Be a community for Christian writers to gather.
3. Be a forum to promote understanding between Christians and non-Christians.

One thing this forum is NOT is a general, religious discussions forum. There are plenty of places on the net to debate religion. This is not one of those places.

I've talked to the other Mods about creating such a board here in the same vein as the Politics & Current Events board, but the consensus is religion is too contentious an issue and can lead to more problems than it is worth. I have to agree.

This thread started out acceptably. It is certainly reasonable for Christians to be tired of phrases that mis-represent Christianity. It is also acceptable for non-Christians to explain what those phrases mean to them. As long as this is done in a spirit of inquiry and understanding.

But somewhere along the line, this thread has diverged to compare the relative merits of Science vs. Religion, question the validity of Christianity as a moral structure, question whether Scripture is God talking or people making it up, question the reality of the supernatural, some rather bizarre speculations about "meat-think", and finally devolved in to accusations and personalities.

I'm going to close this thread now. I think whatever merit it had originally is now long past. If you want to continue this discussion, please start a thread in Take It Outside.

Click to expand...

Addendum 2:
5/21/2007

Roger J Carlson said:

Moderator's Note:

I have addressed the purpose of this board a couple of times. The first time was in the Purpose of This Forum thread, and most recently in the Terms I'm tired of hearing thread.

However, I feel like there is still a certain amount of uncertainty over what is and is not acceptable here, so I'm going to try again.

As I said before, there are 3 purposes:

1. Talk about writing for the Christian Market.
2. Be a community for Christian writers to gather.
3. Be a forum to promote understanding between Christians and non-Christians.

However, in truth there is a fourth purpose, and this one is my personal
vision and purpose for the board. That is to show the love of Christ.

You cannot show Christ's love in an adversarial relationship, no matter how cordial. This is why I will not allow religious debates.

A debate by its very definition is an adversarial relationship. A discussion, on the other hand, need not be adversarial and can promote understanding. In a discussion, you explain what you believe and why. In a debate, you explain why the other guy is wrong.

That's the difference and it is a very fine line. A discussion can very easily turn into a debate, and it is sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly when this happens. Nevertheless, when I see a discussion turn into a debate, I will step in.

And quite frankly, I'm going to hold Christians to a higher standard than non-Christians. WE'RE the ones who are supposed to turn the other cheek. WE'RE the ones who are supposed to forgive 70 X 7 times. WE'RE the ones who are COMMANDED to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Luke 12:48 says:"...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." We have been give the greatest gift of all, and that gift requires of us the greatest sacrifice.

If that strikes you as unfair, get used to it. Jesus Himself said that the World will hate us for His sake, yet He REQUIRES us to love them in return, just as HE did.

Lastly, this policy is itself not subject to debate either. If you disagree with it, please feel free to PM me with your concerns.

Click to expand...

Addendum 3:
7/6/2007

Roger J Carlson said:

I have addressed the concept of discussions vs. debates before, but I'd like to elaborate.

Discussion vs. Debate:

• In a discussion, the parties are trying to understand each other's positions. In a debate, the point is to simply prove the other party wrong at all cost.
• In a discussion, you listen to the other person's whole argument. In a debate, you only listen for those things you can refute.
  
• In a discussion, when the parties reach an impass, they walk away amicably. In a debate, the parties pound each other until only one is left standing.

We want to encourage discussion while limiting debate. The tricky thing here is that threads often start out as discussions but devolve into debates.

This is, of course, a subjective decision, and as mods, Pat and I will do our best to rule fairly and impartially.

Click to expand...

Addendum #4:
July 31, 2007
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1512463#post1512463

There is no Catholic-specific area, but I would think you could address any writing questions here.

No, they don't post work here. That's what SYW is for and I would probably move anything posted here to that forum.

I don't do critiques as I don't think I'm in a postition to tell others where their writing faulty. Speck and planks, you know. The best bet is to announce here that you've got something in SYW to critique and post a link.