There is no doubt that there is a cult for mac users. Last week at the conference in QLD I got my macbook out of my bag to take some notes and the guy sitting oposite who was also a mac user basically foamed at the mouth. I handed the macbook accross so he could get his addict fix of the new macbook while at the same time feeling a bit weird that I have joined the cult that I have mocked for so long.

I have even started to blog more at my other blog – geekyinfo after a long pause and expect that most of  the posts will center around the mac software that I am discovering.

Long live the mac!

It seems like lately I have been spending a heap of time talking about the arguments that are conducted in the comment threads of this blog. A couple of days ago I sat down and had an interview with Paul for some research he is doing into online interaction in the emerging church area. BTW was he right to be worried that linking to him would lead to mad signposters taking issue with his every opinion?

Most of my conversations about this blog recently are not over anything so mundane as phil’s and my viewpoints, but more about the strange community developing in our comments threads. Viz, the development of the word “signposter” which was coined recently by a commenter. Over the past couple of days I have been reading over a few old controversial threads which are no longer current. Apart from the observation that phil and I are clearly clarions of reason, grace and mercy, I have a few observations and suggestions for future arguments about stuff theological.

• Don’t use the “slippery slope” argument. Seriously. Have you not realised that this is the least creative argument ever? You can use it for absolutely anything. There is no situation in which this cannot be applied. Women in leadership? Women without hats? Meat on Fridays? Non-observation of Lent? I challenge you to name any instance in which this argument cannot be used. I defy you.
• The moment you call your opponents heretical or imply they are not Christians or don’t believe in God you have lost all of my respect. If you have reached whatever age you have and have not comprehended that genuine people of faith have genuinely held positions of faith which are different, then you are either self-deluded or close-minded. Disagree with my opinions if you wish, but do not say that my opinion makes me non-Christian
• It is my observation that people who hail from different positions often have at the core of their differences a different understanding of scripture or the word of God. Be conscious that the difference between you might be more fundamental than whether you agree on the particular issue at hand
• Using big words is not evidence that you are smart. Being smart is evidence that you are smart. This is harder than it sounds. When in doubt, shut up.
• Accept that disagreeing with someone’s theological position might also be disagreeing with someone’s faith. Recognise that people might be personally offended. This is not necessarily a theoretical discussion. If people say you are being aggressive, offensive or rude, you should listen to them. Just a suggestion.
• If you have to take one thing from St Francis (and I would love it if you took more), how about “seek first to understand”. It was good advice then. It is even better advice in the online environment where so many other communication cues (eg body language etc) are not available
• If all else fails, keep a sense of humour. At worst the people you disagree with are godless infidels, surely they deserve a laugh before they go to hell.

Wayne poses an interesting question in one of the threads and I thought it worthy of its own thread:

“I guess the question I’m really asking is about the whole push for mission at all. Whenever I hear people talking about mission, changing the world, that it’s all about “them”, being missional, I get an uneasiness in my gut. Perhaps it is just where I’m at in my journey, but I also suspect there’s something more to it.

Why do we feel the need to push mission? Why do we even create an ambition for it? And before people start throwing verses at me, I am well aware of the great commission, etc… But somehow I think in our culture we are missing the point with mission. Mission isn’t something we need to strive for, it is an expression of who we are….”

Watcha all think?

Urbanmonk has a question for all Christians as a result of his recent job interview with WORD ™ bookstore, after being conflicted over the fact that he has recently grown a beard:

But wouldnt you know, the dude who interviewed me is a member of a clean cut suit wearing pentecostal church. In the middle of the interview, he says to me, “we have a policy that all employees are to be clean shaven. Is that a problem?” I said no. But I think I meant yes. The assertivness classes dont seem to be paying off. Then he asked me if I attended a Church, and I was forced to admit that no, I wasnt currently attending a church.

It struck me as slightly ironic that all over this establishment are pictures of JESUS. ( Like Yo! WORD to the beard growin saviour!) Who, yes, we all know grew his beard like a pet. Now sticklers will note, no doubt, that this point is a matter of context. Jesus was a jew in first century palestine. I am an unemployed man in twenty first century Melbourne, with a work history dominated by retail. But still, you can appreciate the irony cant you?

Whaddaya reckon? Should I shave my beard so I can better sell Jesus?

Thanks for making me laugh late on Thursday night.