Cur hic bloggus (Why this blog)

(Apologies to Anselm [Cur Deus Homo?], and thanks to RT for Latin-help)

From time to time, when I tip one of their most-sacred cows, I've had drive-by's snipe that this or that post has nothing to do with "Biblical Christianity." Without exception, I point them to the purpose-statement which has been there from the start; without exception, they do not admit their error.

Which — just pause and relish that for a second with me, Dear Reader. My blog, conceived by me, defined by me, executed by me. Yet (A) drive-bys feel qualified to tell me "You're doing it wrong!"; and (B) when I point out the mission-statement that I myself wrote, they never, ever simply say, "My bad, sorry." Does this give you a clue as to why I don't pour my days and nights into making trolls happy with me (Proverbs 9:7-8a)? But, I digress.

So I thought it might be useful to supplement the sidebar with a Whole Danged Post.

Simple, blunt statement:
the purpose of this blog is
to tell people what I, a Biblical Christian, think about things.

Hence the name.

Now a breakdown, in affirmations and denials:

1. This blog, by stated design, is eclectic. I think I use that word about forty-seven times in the purpose-statement. Maybe the snipers won't look it up? Well, here y'go: eclectic means "selecting or choosing from various sources," "made up of what is selected from different sources." It works like this: the subject-matter of my life is eclectic, but it has a unifying theme. As a Christian, I am ever in the process of taking my major premise ("Jesus is Lord) and working out the implications. Those implications involve everything. (Tip: that's why they call it a worldview.) So I may talk about Bible, church, prayer, politics, culture, movies, food, fishing, music, cats. Everywhere I go, I'm a Christian. I see the world from that perspective. These are my thoughts, as a Biblical Christian, about things. And miracle of miracles, some people (God love 'em!) want to read some of those thoughts.(BTW, specifically, the blog-name also echoes the name of my low-tech web page.)
   
2. Nobody has to read this blog. Well, except my poor, dear wife. (And even she doesn't really have to.) So if you read it, that's pretty much your choice, and you get it for free — at least in the sense of no cost to you.
   This, by the way, always what amazes me about bitter nature of some complaints I/we get here and at Pyro. Folks often voice their disapproval in such demanding, outraged tones. I invariably want to encourage people to request a refund of their admission-price at the door.
   So, the way I see it: no one has to come here, no one pays for it... so no one gets to keep coming back again and again screaming and whinging because my daring to exist in public makes them feel bad. Then don't come.
   
   
3. This blog is primarily about what I think and/or observe. It isn't primarily about what you think. That is what your blog is about... unless your blog is meant to be Open Mike Friday FOREVER. In that case, I'd say, give it that name: Open-Mike Friday FOREVER. Or call it "Bobby," or "Pumpernickel." That's your affair. Like this is mine.
   
4. The metas enable a goal-oriented, moderated discussion where readers can have a constructive conversation. At first, I had no meta. Then I hesitantly opened up for comments. Here's the framework: the Biblical Christianity meta is like a meeting I hold at my house, featuring a brief talk and then a discussion among welcome guests, who come because they want to. I called the meeting for a purpose, and the conversation is meant to further that purpose. So I lead the conversation. It's fairly open, but it's not a group-grope. I'm deathly opposed to disruptors. Permit, if you will, an...
   
5. Illustration. Imagine that there's been an hourlong presentation of the deity of Christ. A case is carefully built from Old and New Testament. All the folks who listened are discussing it, working out the implications, asking questions and discussing challenges.
   Then someone who came in five minutes before the end of the talk pipes up loudly, "Yeah, but Jesus can't be God, because that'd make two gods, he just said he was a teacher, and the Illuminati actually controlled Chalcedon. I wrote a book on that. Here, it costs $15. Who wants my book?"
   So, everyone except Bud Arian came to hear the talk, listened to the talk, and are now discussing the talk. Should they all have to forget moving ahead, building, growing, discussing, so that they can accommodate some arrogant ignoramus who isn't really willing to learn anything, anyway? For some blogs, the answer evidently is "Yes." That's their right. You like that? Go there. For this blog, the answer would be "No." Further...
   
   
6. This is not an argument-clinic. A bit of history may shed light, here. I started using in "The Internets" as a tool to witness and edify and communicate back around 1990, not long after Algore invented it, and when some of you were in diapers. Countless times I've seen Bible-believers' constructive, would-be purposeful conversations derailed by arrogant trolls, heretics, apostates, and/or berserkers. I actually had to shut down one message board because a very troubled, obsessive troll posted one-and-two-letter posts until he had erased everyone else's posts. Well, nothing like that is going to happen here. Specifically...
7. This blog does not exist to provide therapy for folks who don't want help. They keep trying, though, with all the energy of the pathologically obsessed. We've had (and still have) poor souls who can't rest until they silence or wear out everyone who makes them feel bad about their maladjustment. They can't find rest, knowing that dissent still thrives, somewhere, on the internet. In every comment, they display contempt for the blog's mission, and anyone who shares or promotes it.
   So why do they come, and return again and again? A good topic for a doctoral dissertation in abnormal psychology, perhaps; but not our purpose. And so...
   
8. This blog is not about re-inventing the wheel for trolls. I probably was actually too patient about that during October, as one or two kept coming in and doing that thing they do with their keyboards — having clearly only skimmed the post on which they ostensibly were commenting, if they even did that much. So, for instance, in the meta of a post containing a number of links detailing what a remarkable, breath-of-fresh-air Godsend Sarah Palin was, they'd recite the MSM/DNC's meme about what an unqualified, idiotic inept she was. I guess they saw the words "Sarah Palin," thought, "Oh, I know about her. She's an idiot. Let's see, where do I say that...?"— and made that comment. Because, you know, there aren't nearly enough outlets offering that viewpoint. Well, besides CBSABCMSNBCCNNPBS and most of The Timeses and Postses. And so once again...
   
9. There are limitless blogs allowing endless arguments; this is not one of them. I'll be specific. If you want to argue forever, try Triablogue. I don't know what those good brothers do for a living, but evidently they have endless time for endless arguments. God bless 'em, I say! And that isn't me. I have a totally-unrelated fulltime job, and squeeze my blogging in when I can. Thank God, my job lets me do that, at present.
   But I don't have time to do lazy people's research for them, to supplement the lacunae of their Government Reeducation Camp years; nor do I have time to do The Endless Waltz with trolls simply to feed their personal issues.
   Or, do you want to mock and shout down your betters, in Biblical understanding? Try Between Two Worlds. Justin Taylor — I say with heartfelt sincerity — provides some of the most jaw-droppingly excellent material on the internet... but he has a very laissez-faire approach to his meta. Why? No clue. That's Justin's business! The result of such an approach can be that many grown-ups stop bothering to comment or engage. That won't happen here, however.
   

Now, you know all that.

And now, I can just link here every time someone objects because my purpose doesn't dovetail with his purpose.

Not that a troll will listen.