A Caution to “Watchbloggers”…
In the back end of this site there is a demonic wasteland full of porn spam and accusations against a prominent pastor.
They share a common quality of being utterly indecent.
I’ve managed to block most of both, despite threats of my own “exposure” for doing so.
The accusations have been investigated here and elsewhere and found to be baseless, but the campaign to see them ruin another man carries on.
When I started this blog, people were shocked at what we did.
We named names and documented all manner of wrong in the church.
Major Christian publications wouldn’t touch us…until our track record demanded they do so.
Today, major journalistic endeavors are doing this sort of story first.
There are many bloggers who do what we did and do it better than we did.
As a result, victims are being heard and those who do wrong are confronted with their sin.
This is good… and in some ways a personal victory…my road has not been an easy one.
I would caution my comrades that while the #metoo and #churchtoo campaigns have borne much in the way of justice and truth, there is a dark trap that could be sprung as well.
There are those who will try to use this openness to hearing accusations to further their own aspirations to destroy people and take what they have by force of public opinion.
All it will take to ruin this movement is to have one prominent person proven to be falsely accused.
We can’t let that happen…our “callings” are on the line.
Be careful out there…
Things are seemingly slow on the blog today but this is a good word. For way too long, victims have been shamed into silence and did not have good avenues to have their voices heard. Now that the tables are finally turning, there could be abuses the other way. While I’m inclined to believe that the large majority of the voices speaking up now have been truly abused, I would not be surprised if there are some mixed in who have not been abused but are taking advantage of the situation to take down someone they are envious to do so.
And, yes, it may only take one prominent accusation to be proven false for the movement to take a significant hit and once again those crying abuse to be viewed with much more skepticism, if not disdain. And that would be a shame for how long it has taken the abused to gain a platform for their voices to be heard and taken seriously.
Thank you, Kevin…well said.
Scholarly research is virtually meaningless today. I found PxP about a decade ago. It struck at that time, that Michael was doing due dillegence in a sea of ODMs making up things out of whole cloth. I’ve been caught up in a few of the old “Night Shift” battles, but I did not let a fight ensue that I could not verify by multiple sources. My feuds were usually less of a journalist nature, than on the grounds history, and logic.
Right now, on FB, my wife has asked me several times to enjoin political issues with an older cousin who has been a pastor for several decades. He is a self proclaimed “Reformed Baptist” who holds an ersatz doctorate from an unaccredited “Bible University.” He is also a lifelong member of “The Sons of Confederate Veterans,” which is a Southern Poverty Law Center identified hate group. The man deals in shoddy Libertarian memes, and ad hominem. He tends toward quiet after being confronted with sound research and logical responses.
Sorry for the rant. I do love this blog, and my brother, Michael, and this cast of characters.
Hmmmm….
“Hiss the snake and Uncle Fester are on the prowl.
And righteousness has been put to bed for the night to accomplish the goals of the enemy.
You see, In N Out Burger isn’t the only group serving up flesh.”
Prose with Sheckstein
Second verse:
“And they aim to shoot BB’s,
But try as they may, they can’t
As their gun is empty.”
David H,
I’d rant too…
Jeff,
You nailed it…
Third verse:
” it’s a shame in some quarters as it is said,
‘They are ancient, obsolete.’
Just plain passed up by Father Time himself.
In modern times, no one needs the services of a smithy.”
To be sung to “The Times They Re A Changing.
Sheck…lol… 🙂
Scholarship is out of style… It’s yesterdays’s fashion.
Except here, with Michael. Something to be thankful for…
Duane:
Might I take small exception to your descriptive, as follows:
Michael is indeed a scholar, except with an obtuse bent, and reading his missives, almost daily, is like turning a new leaf each day as well.
Okay, gentlemen, since it is “Michael under a microscope time..”. ?
a scholar with obtuse bent and a hatred for liars … Seems he has something in common with God
Trey could do worse than to follow his example as to what it means to be a man…
Ok contestants, name that tune and composer who wrote this lyric that obviously had Michael in mind:
Well, if I had my choice of matter I would rather be with cats
All engrossed in mental chatter showin’ where our minds are at,
And relating to each other just how strong our will can be
In resisting all involvments with each groovy chick we see
Well, I’m a man, yes I am, and I can’t help but love you so
Well, I’m a man, yes I am, and I can’t help but love you so
“Im A Man” … Steve Winwood (i cheated)
All right mr. cheater, then name three super groups he was in (and no using a reference website (his, Google, or the like)
Was he part of Chicago?
I only know what i retain of my offspring’s music interests… sorry. ?
Spenser Davis Group
Blind Faith
Traffic
…and for extra credit, he was in a group before Blind Faith named the New Yardbirds that was a precursor to Led Zeppelin, but with Keith Moon on drums before John Bonham.
…and the sound that you’re hearing is only the sound of the low spark of high heeled boys.
I associate Winwood mostly with Traffic.
the shape of that particular LP cover was something. Made theme from “Glad” (fr John Barleycorn Must Die) into a ringtone.
/offtopic
Michael
Late to the party
I don’t think these “movements” will die even with proof of shoddy claims. The impetus behind them is striking at any sort of established patriarchy, especially of the conservative Christian stripe.
The antichrist spirit endeavors to prosper deceit. It is a war of attrition. What is genius about it is that it is peripherally severing ties between the church and what is left of any relationships between Christendom, Hollywood, and corporate America
(even the Catholic Church is having a tough time maintaining their foothold in Hollywood and we see the reigning Pope straying far from Catholic doctrine).
I think what we are witnessing is some less obvious lies lain alongside the breadth of truth these claims encompass in both Hollywood and the Christendom. As lies are repeated ad nauseam they will become the majority of the narrative and accepted simply by the nature of the claim – oh, it’s about one of the Christians again – and obvious true believers will find themselves with few friends and only their testimony and circumspect walk as defense.
Heck, the temptation to accept the validity of the claim based on it’s accusation is already happening within Christendom –
“Oh, it’s about the Catholic clergy again. Go figure!”
Somehow “obvious” got in front of “true believers”. Didn’t mean for that to happen