What I'm Saying, and What I'm Not (aka My Standard Disclaimer)

It has become glaringly obvious that some of the people who read and comment on my blog don’t share my worldview. This is fine; I welcome their comments and curiosity, but it does contribute to some misunderstandings. I’d like to help rectify that by stating some facts that are, in my mind, unspoken assumptions underlying all my posts.

Because we believe that God has asked certain things of us, I will continue to tell you about them--even if those things are counter-cultural and make you upset with me--for God has said, "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs."  Matthew 10:27

Depending on who you are and where you are coming from philosophically, these points may either seem painfully obvious or shockingly [insert insult here: closed minded, old-fashioned, arrogant...].

Dennis and I believe that:
God is sovereign over all of creation. (Psalm 33, Psalm 97)
Our chief end is to glorify God in everything we do. Though we too often fall short, it remains our goal. 1 Corinthians 10:31)
Scripture is infallible and fully sufficient to teach us to serve God. Whatever we need to know about Him and His nature and requirements of us is contained either explicitly or implicitly in the Scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
There is no neutrality. All people, institutions, and ideas are either for Christ or against Christ. Education is not neutral. Law and government are not neutral. Families cannot be neutral. A blog is not neutral. (Matthew 12:30)
Right and wrong are absolutes, and they do not change because someone feels ok about something. Sometimes there is more than one good (God honoring) option; sometimes there is not. You (or I) may feel convicted to do things a particular way – but we may still be wrong. Thus, we go back to the Scriptures. (2 Peter 1:20-21)

When I state what we believe or how we do things in our house or family---

We ARE NOT saying that anyone who does differently is in sin and/or going to hell. You might be in sin, and I might be so bold as to state my opinion to that effect. But don’t worry--nobody ever went to hell for disagreeing with me. You must answer to God and His Word. 

We ARE NOT saying that anyone who reads the Scriptures and comes to a different conclusion or conviction based on the Scriptures is wrong and we're right. Again, you might be wrong and I might be right. I’ll probably think so. But your job is to make sure you are acting in accordance with Scripture, not with me. 

We ARE NOT saying that my generalizations cover every case imaginable. Yes, you can always think of exceptions, but it is poor logic to argue the rule from the exception.

We ARE NOT saying that we are perfect and have all the answers. God has called us to judge righteous judgements, so it is our duty to try to come to the right answers. I know that some of my answers will be wrong, but my own fallibility should not stop me from seeking to know and serve God better. 

To sum it up: Some of what I write will deal with principles, while other material will deal with methods. 

Principles are issues where there is a Biblical teaching at work: you (and I) are either right or wrong on this one. Obviously, I’ll try to stay on the right side. You might come to a different conclusion, but one of us is right and one of us is wrong. 

We draw our applications from convictions: convictions derived from Scripture. Part of what this blog is about is the idea that someone somewhere might be interested in or appreciate what we are doing or be helped by understanding why we do it.

This is why I try to be sure I am reasoning from Scripture – but I don’t feel as though I have the last word on Scripture. God grants us broad liberty in Christ, and Jesus’s blood covers lots of mistakes.

I have also changed my comment process, since there were some who couldn't play nice.  I will no longer allow anonymous comments.  As I tell my kids, if you feel that strongly about something, you'd better at least be willing to sign your name to it.

Thanks!