DISCUSSION FORUMS

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While the primary source of our Biblical understanding should always be found in personal study (II Timothy 2:15), much of what helps a believer to retain his or her understanding is found through discussion with others of like-mind. With the grace movement so fractured across the globe, such a "like-mind" is near impossible unless the parameters for discussion are tempered with moderation. For this reason, The Advancement of Grace continues to provide a forum that welcomes all those who believe in the practice of dispensational right division without excluding those who happen to be of a "different-mind." Our goal is to maintain productive discussions in the interest of helping every student of God's Word to use and retain what they study in private. Along the way, our fellowship is designed to bring people together through the common bond of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Though we are often found to discuss matters other than Scripture, the study and discussion of God's Word rightly divided is our primary focus.

ALL THINGS IN MODERATION During the past three and a half years, our forum has acquired its share of supporters as well as opponents. Recently, it occured to me that we have a very diverse readership among those who are firm believers in the grace message. And for many of those who read, both old and new, questions arise quite frequently about the purpose behind our actions, our conversations, and our tolerance. The following are a list of common questions that face our ministry:

  • Is this a King James Only group?
  • Is this a non-King James Only group?
  • Is this a MidActs group?
  • Is this an Acts 28 group?
  • Is this group associated with the BBF?
  • Is this group associated with the GGF?
All in all, what I've encountered are many who find themselves frustrated by the inability to answer any of the above questions. As a result, we are frequently "cast off" by several grace believers who conclude that because we cannot be categorized, we're not a safe bunch with which to associate.
  • King James Only people have blasted us for allowing non-King James people.
  • Non-King James Only people have blasted us for allowing King James Only people.
  • MidActs people have wondered why Acts 28 people are permitted to speak.
  • Acts 28 people have wondered why MidActs people are given prominence.
  • BBF people have wondered why we promote GGF churches.
  • GGF people have wondered why we promote BBF churches.
In this thread, I'd like to "set the record straight" about the purpose and reason why this forum runs the way that it does. As well, I'd like to address my approach to "moderation" and how our team "moderates" the forum from day to day.

"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand." Philippians 4:5

The word moderation here means "gentleness" and "patience" (as translated in I Timothy 3:3, Titus 3:2, James 3:17, and I Peter 2:18) The most explicit definition for moderation within the average dictionary or word study guide will include the likeness of self-control, self-restraint, and discipline. What I find very fascinating is that we throw around the term "moderators" in our online forum world when we're speaking of those who "control" a discussion board. We might ask questions like, "Who is the moderator?" and mean to ask, "Who is in charge?"

Some years ago, during my early stages of learning to "rightly divide the Word of Truth" (II Timothy 2:15), I attended a Bible conference that played host to five or six "grace teachers." After traveling from grace church to grace church throughout the country between 1999 and 2001, I had discovered that it was very difficult to ask the tough questions of Scripture. Why? Because in the moments that I would ask my innocent questions, the teachers listening were very good at making me feel small and quite insignificant. At times, the most basic questions about "sign gifts" or "completion of God's Word" were turned into situations that made me feel foolish and childish for not already knowing the answer. This particular Bible conference was my self-proclaimed "last hope" of finding someone who had enough patience to "put up with" my tough questions.

During the weekend, it would have seemed a perfect opportunity to sit down with this teacher or that teacher to gain from their years of study, but the experience was a far cry. Instead, when "break time" took place, teachers would congregate on one side of the room in an evident clique while the students would wander around together doing whatever prescribed activities were assigned. Being rather forward as I am, my regular attempts to crack into the clique and ask questions was generally thwarted by statements like, "That's a great question, Jeremy, but I tell you what. Why don't you ask it during our teaching time." And when such time would arrive, only a few minutes were allotted and other questions were put in front of mine.

It truly broke my heart. Here I was looking for my "one last hope" that a grace teacher might be willing to sit down with me for patient fellowship and speak to me as an adult... rather than treating me as a child in ignorance. There was one such gentlemen at this conference, but even he was constrained by the heirarchy of a setting that didn't really permit the fraternizing of "grace teachers" with "grace students."

At the end of the weekend, I knew there had to be a better setting that wasn't built on the heirarchy of power trips. In late 2004, after spending two years learning to "moderate" a variety of Christian forums, it occured to me that "patient moderation" would go a long way in providing grace believers that "safe" place for asking questions. My time in forum moderation had taught me to balance gentleness with tough teaching among many teens and young adults who were asking questions about suicide (Will I go to heaven if I kill myself?), abortion (Can God forgive me?), music (Is Christian music really Christian?), sex (What if I give in to the temptation?), and everything else under the sun of adolescent life. This ministry was born out of a realization that if it was possible to be gentle in guiding young adults who don't know the Word, how much more incredible would it be to create a similar venue among adults who DO know the Word? In essence, this forum was created and established to teach patience and gentleness in the midst of disagreement or lack of understanding.

In the early days of our forum ministry, I approached the webmaster of a well-known website asking if they would be willing to share our link in their directory. They responded by asking me if we adhered to the "King James Only" doctrine and I replied by asking if they'd be willing to discuss it with me. They never responded and to this day, we are not listed. You see, the question of discussion was what broke the camel's back. By contrast, I was quickly learning that the "grace movement" seemed more about the "are you" or "are you not" on our side question. And in the world of students I've learned to appreciate, Bereans aren't designed to lock-in-their-vote before they've actually studied something out with great thoroughness. Growth comes through the Scripture and a healthy dose of good counsel through gracious teachers. How then, can a man find good counsel in his study of the Word if he is railroaded as an ignorant fool by those who are suppose to teach him?

It is for this reason that we are unaffiliated and will remain that way.

As an individual, I can openly admit being a MidActs Dispensationalist who uses the King James Bible as my primary source of Biblical text, but each and every part of that individuality has come through many years of prodding and pressing the Scriptures in study. I did not become MidActs overnight. Neither did I become a dispensationalist after a week of Bible Study. Nor did I come to understand "right division" after one lesson or one teacher.

We come only to know as much as we think we know over the course of time. We study the Scriptures. We write notes to ourselves. We write our own personal studies. We share our insights with others. We get feedback. We ask questions. We study the Scriptures some more. We write more notes to ourselves. And the cycle goes around as we process what we're learning.

Most readers up to this point can see what I'm talking about, but many still find themselves frustrated with the situation that The Advancement creates. For instance, what happens if a new believer asks a question about "which Bible" they should use and two different members answer... one with a dogmatic assertion that there is no other Bible than the King James and the other with an encouragement that they use the NASB or even NIV? What happens if a new believer asks a question about "when this dispensation began" and three different members answer... one from the Acts 28 perspective, one from the MidActs position, and one from the Acts 2 camp?

How, in the end, can it be healthy for new believers and students in the Word to be thrown conflicting views of Scripture? I suggest to those of you who ask this question that new believers are going to find conflicting views everywhere! If someone has just recently learned about right division, dispensationalism, or even the simple gospel of God's grace through the cross of calvary, they may come knocking on our door to ask questions. But if our door is hidden by the isolation of already expected viewpoints, they'll never know where to knock. This is yet another reason why we are unaffiliated.

The final dillema that we often face is the overemphasis of a particular topic in various forms. This means that within the Bible Forum, the same subject continues to get discussed in more than two threads at one time. It leads many new readers to assume things about the "kind of place we are" when all they see is one subject. More than a year ago, one of our members revealed his tendency toward universalism and began proclaiming his views through three, four, and even five different topics at one time. Because I was excessively lenient (much to my regret), many of our participating members ended up leaving the forum having come to believe that The Advancement of Grace was now in support of universalist theology. Nothing could have been further from the truth. For this reason, I often take great caution (sometimes to the frustration of various members) in the observance of topics so as to assure our readers and our members that we are never so hyper-focused on a single issue that nothing else can be discussed.

The popular phrase, "All things in moderation," is very fitting to The Advancement of Grace. Our purpose is to provide a safe, balanced, and non-threatening environment for asking questions about the Word of God rightly divided.

"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand." Philippians 4:5

If our moderation is to be known unto all men and moderation is the equivalent of patience, then let it be known that this ministry has been created and established for the express purpose of patient teaching and moderate discussion. Those of us who "moderate" the forum do so with every effort to be gentle and compassionate admist the very tough and necessary conversations that take place. None of us do what we do with the goal of being dogmatic or overbearing, because each student is responsible to the Scriptures.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15

We study to be approved unto God, not to one another. No one here owes this ministry their declaration of understanding or their statement of knowledge. Our right hand of fellowship is extended to any and all believers who seek to study the Word of God rightly divided while upholding patience and moderation in each conversation.

May you find confidence in knowing that our purpose is evident, our tolerance is measurable, and our moderation is driven by gentleness. Indeed we are committed to the notion that Grace Rightly Applied Changes Everything.

DISCUSSION GUIDELINES
  • Inappropriate Material
    This is a forum for all believers in the grace of Christ who would like to discuss anything and everything. Pornography or crude language will not be accepted on this board. If you proceed to use these things at the forum, our administrative team with delete your crudeness and offer you an immediate warning. If you are warned a second time, it is within the right of our administration to exclude, ban, or suspend your posting privileges. In some cases, offensive material may be cause for immediate dismissal.
  • Vulgar and Repulsive Subjects
    Vulgar or repulsive subjects are completely unnecessary in a forum designed to produce honorable discussion. Please refrain from introducing topics and conversations that are collectively immodest.
  • The Nature and Responsibility of Debate
    Discussions and debates can bring out the best and the worst in people. The tone of a discussion is never created by one person, but by all those who participate in it. If you participate in any discussion or debate, please be considerate of those you are speaking to. This is not to say that you should not be bold on issues that concern you or brutally honest on statements that you disagree with, but it is to say that you should be considerate with regard to the person you disagree with. Everyone is going to be wrong about something and we can either beat each other up or we can hope to teach one another as we learn together. Personal attacks and consistent disrespect of other members will not be tolerated.
  • The Moderating Team
    All Advancement administrators serve as moderators of the forum and should be treated with equal respect. Each of them share the same vision for the higher purpose of grace application throughout every conversation. A word of caution from one or all members of the staff is rarely personal and will, more often than not, reflect a need for moderation during a particular discussion. Failure to acknowledge moderated warnings may lead to a deletion or closing of topics that have become unproductive.
  • The Moderator's Privilege
    The Advancement Administration reserves the right to remove, delete, or edit posts as deemed necessary for the cleanliness and appropriateness of the forum. If you have a concern about something that was removed, edited, or altered, please feel free to contact the administration as needed. But please remember, this reserved right is at the discretion of the moderators and may or may not always be clarified to the member who asks.
  • The Big Picture
    The Advancement forum receives far more viewers than participants. For this reason, you are reminded to be careful in your tone and your approach to others in light of that consideration. Before engaging someone in a hostile manner, ask yourself if the battle is one worth fighting. If it is a debate worth having, then fight with honor. If it is merely an argument that you know will hurt a brother or sister in the Lord, then choose a different battle. In the big picture, we are all representatives of Christ in our studies, our actions, and our discussions. Always remember the need for moderation in your decisions.
OTHER FORUMS

Below is a list of other forums where dispensationally-based discussions on right division are regularly engaged. All content viewed on these forums is exclusive to them alone and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of those who serve at The Advancement Forum. Please keep in mind that where our purpose is distinctly independent, others may be inclined to develop their forums in keeping with one teacher or one point-of-view.

Believer Study Forum
Departure Ready
Grace Bible Study Forums
Grace Teacher Forums
The Advancement Forum
Grace Point Forums
Heaven Dwellers Message Board
Heaven Dwellers Message Board(2)
MidActs Dispensational Forum (Bob Hill)
Mid-Acts Dispensationalists Unite!
Mid-Acts KJO Bible Study Forum
Paul's Grace Message Forum
Rapture Watch Forum
Right Division Discussion Forum
Right Division Forum (Yahoo Group)
The Word Understood Forum

If you have any questions at all about the format, nature, purpose, or intent of our forum ministry, please don't hesitate to contact us at any time.