Re: [asa] Flood of emails

At 01:20 PM 12/11/2007, David Opderbeck wrote:

>Um.... Ok..... I'm not sure where this is coming from. Where did
>I suggest anything like an online "church?" Is it a bad thing to
>want to discuss challenging and sensitive faith questions with
>fellow believers in a more private context? Personally, my interest
>in a private board isn't driven by a desire to exclude anyone in
>particular, but rather to have a safe space for discussion and edification.

@ No - it's not a bad thing. I apologize for assuming you suggested
creating an "on-line church".

I went back and got your original post to see why I got that
impression when I first read it. (I've copied and pasted it below my
signature here). When I read what you said about considering your
proposal to be "an experiment in a virtual small group", etc. , so I
think that's what made me think you were talking about a sort of
"on-line church" group. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Now carry on!

In a separate email on this same thread, you also wrote: "Janice
said: ~ Janice .... noting that PBS's Bill Moyers knows where a
"safe space" is: http://tinyurl.com/72xr4 " Folks, if you bother
to follow the link Janice gave, you'll see it refers to something
involving H illary C linton, Bill Moyers, and a
"test icle lockbox." I'm so glad part of my ASA dues go towards
server space and bandwidth so that this kind of sparkling wit can be
archived in cyberspace for future generations." ~ David O. on Tue, 11
Dec 2007 13:27:55

@ It is archived at PBS also - a purely leftist organization which
I am FORCED to support through my tax dollars, and not given "the
choice" to opt out.

~ Janice .... offering a GREAT gift idea for those on people's
Christmas lists who feel uneasy having to make choices for themselves:
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1906974/posts?page=38#38

PS: Here's your original email regarding the "virtual small group":
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:36:29 -0400
From: "David Opderbeck" <dopderbeck@gmail.com>
Subject: [asa] New Private Bulletin Board for Faith-Science Issues

I've learned and continue to learn much from this list, but like many
others, I've been wishing for a more limited, private forum in which
both theoretical and practical issues about faith and science can be
discussed. So, I went ahead and created one on my own web host.

I'd like to consider this an experiment in a "virtual small group."
It will be password protected and not generally available to the
public. The rules of small groups will apply -- what's said in small
group stays in small group, absent express permission to the contrary.

If you:

-- are a Christian;
-- have some sort of broadly evangelical sensibility;
-- generally accept the scientific concensus concerning the age of
the universe and earth;
-- are at least open to the possibility that common descent is a
means by which God has operated in nature;
-- are perplexed / concerned / troubled / intrigued by how your
understanding of natural history relates to the content and doctrine
of scripture and the Christian tradition;
-- desire to see the Church address faith-science questions with integrity;
-- feel a bit lonely, excluded, or misunderstood in your local church
context because of the above; and
-- want to do something more productive about the above than fight
flame wars and culture wars --

then, I would hope the idea I have for this private board will meet
some of your needs and will allow us to help bless the Church and the
world. If nothing else, I hope this could be a safe forum where at
least a few people can "meet" together to pray for each other and for
their churches and communities concerning these questions, without
all the pitfalls and distractions of a public mail list.

If you have an interest in the above, please let me know privately,
and I'll email you a password to access the forum.

Cheers,

David Opderbeck (ASA Member)

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Wed Dec 12 11:13:51 2007