The Complegalitarian blog has moved to this new location. I hope that the nice furnishings here at our new place will serve as an incentive to keep our comments as clean and uplifting as possible. We’re starting with a clean slate and clean hearts at this new blog.
I have rewritten our comment guidelines, trying to make them clearer. Please read the comment guidelines (notice that there are 7, the perfect biblical number!) and attempt to follow them closely, for the sake of all of us. Anyone who persists in breaking the guidelines will be required to memorize, word-for-word, the entire contents of the complementarian collection, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and the egalitarian anthology, Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy. After that they must write a guest blog post in which they repeat 1,313 times (without copying and pasting): “I will never again break the comment guidelines.” 
I appreciate all the input I received from a number of you, with ideas for improving the Complegalitarian blog. Of course, not every comment was in agreement, so I have prayed, thought as carefully as possible, and made some adjustments which I hope will make this blog a better place for us to discuss complementarianism and egalitarianism.
One of the themes that came through to me in comments on the poll at our previous location as well as private comments I received is that we should not try to convince others of the correctness of our own positions. By all means, let’s not tell people that they are wrong to believe as they do. Instead, let’s share what we believe and why. Let’s share our own experiences with complementarianism or egalitarianism. I have noticed that personal stories of wrestling with these issues have been one of the most popular and profitable kinds of posts and comments.
It’s perfectly fine to share Bible passages which have helped lead us to our current beliefs about gender issues, but let’s not lecture each other with Bible passages. The Bible is not meant to be used as a battering ram. Whether we like it or not, we are divided on gender issues because we differ on how to interpret some parts of the Bible as well as other evidence that we may consider determinative, such as church creeds, the witness of the ancient church fathers, varying interpretations of pertinent Bible passages throughout church history, the witness of the Holy Spirit within our hearts, etc.
We have new blog software (WordPress) at this new location, with some new tools. I plan to use as many tools as possible to try to keep this blog safe. But there are no guarantees. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each one of us to adhere to our blog guidelines. Please try to make my job easier by not asking me to do what I’m not capable of doing, and that is blocking out every comment that might offend you. Try to practice healthy disagreement. If you disagree with someone, tell them so, but do not accuse them of being closed-minded or not caring.
There is some further remodeling that needs to be done here at our new house. But it feels nice and comfy even with some boxes still unpacked and no glow in the fireplace yet. Not all of our bloggers are back from the Thanksgiving holiday and signed in at our new blog. So don’t think that Molly (“molleth”) and I are the only ones who will be blogging. Others will rejoin us when they can. After they do, I can get the right names as authors of blog posts. For sure, I did not author all the posts that are now under my name!
Again, welcome!
UPDATE (Dec. 1): We are experimenting with different templates for our blog. Some of the WordPress templates have Comments fonts that are too small for aging eyes. Please be patient as we try out different looks for our new house as we try to find a look which will be pleasing and yet easily readable by all, both our younger members as well as us oldtimers.
I love it, love it, love it!
Well done, Wayne. And, er, after reading the new blog disciplinary system, I promise I’ll be obedient to the comment guidelines. *sweats nervously*
[...] (without copying and pasting): “I will never again break the comment guidelines.” [here for full [...]
Hi Wayne et al,
I followed the link over here from EC Forum.
How exciting that you are on WordPress
Maybe you can put up some of the really great posts or some new articles as “pages”?
I’m also happy you didn’t shut down after all (though I didn’t vote in the poll, Being biased, I figured I better leave that between you and God)
Now I better go read the rules (lest I break them unintentionally!)
aka “Gem”
Glad to see this continuing.
O My! 1313 times. I’m shivering in my boots. Puleeeeze don’t anyone let me make that mistake. We have to warn each other. Do you think if we apologize quick enough for perceived overstepping we can redeem ourselves quickly enough to avoid such a horrendous fate.
Love your new ID Molleth.
This is my word press id. It’s my name in KJV. Though some people have mistaken it for mollusk, so I’m not sure it’s all that effective at communicating my great and amazing spiritual status. Hmph.
I am glad that you are still around. I know that it is hard to keep people civil when the issues are so heated and you have been trying your very best. I haven’t had much problems at all on my blog, but then the complementarians mostly stay away. Not sure why because they are welcome. Keep up the good job and may the fear of the LORD be before our eyes constantly so that we will choose to police our own words and attitudes.
Cheryl,
I’m looking forward to it!
Oh, that reminds me, I have been swamped with some school work, but when I am done, am planning on posting a *thoughtful* review of your Trinity dvd series, on my blog as well as on this one.
I’m so glad this is back. I missed it while it was in transition.
“It’s perfectly fine to share Bible passages which have helped lead us to our current beliefs about gender issues, but let’s not lecture each other with Bible passages. The Bible is not meant to be used as a battering ram.”
Very excellent truth. Too many have used the Bible as a battering ram in the history of the church. I was on another blog where a patriarchist (not a comp.) got frustrated with a bunch of egals and could no longer argue intellegently and just lambasted the site with scripture after old testement scripture containing the word patriacrh(s) as though a barage of such scriptures proved patriarchy was for today.
It accomplished nothing… For either side.
I’d rather hear thoughtful, humble appeals and honest, personal stories of working out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Again, so glad it’s back.
May it live long and prosper as well as all of you.
Molly,
I look forward to that! No rush, though.
(I am tempted to just do it right now, but that would require the *thoughtful* part to be left out–lol–so I’m waiting until I have the time to Do It Right).
Btw, thanks, Mara (if I can speak for all of us, that is)! Great feedback and kind words!
[...] Many thanks for your patience with me! (Uh oh…Wayne, this doesn’t mean I have to memorize the CBMW book, does [...]
Thanks so much for the correction on the “equity in decision-making” post, Molly! It’s much appreciated and reflects your gracious spirit.
Thanks for your willingness to tweek the new guidelines, Wayne. I appreciate your listening to my concerns about the need for guidelines that allow commenters to address source credibility concerns in a matter-of-fact manner.
For the next few weeks, I’ll be mostly listening. It’s a busy season at home and at work.
I like quoting Bible, so am I an unwelcome “Bible Thumper”?
I also like reading others who quote Bible. Personally, I tend to trust someone more who supports their “experience” with Scripture (deeply studied, not just superficial) than if they are just going on their “experience” and seem to be trying to discount scripture because it doesn’t mesh with what the want it to say.
Charis asked:
I like quoting Bible, so am I an unwelcome “Bible Thumper”?
I also like reading others who quote Bible. Personally, I tend to trust someone more who supports their “experience” with Scripture (deeply studied, not just superficial) than if they are just going on their “experience” and seem to be trying to discount scripture because it doesn’t mesh with what the want it to say.
Charis, thanks for asking this question. The guidelines are *not* pitting Scripture against experience. And it’s perfectly fine to quote Scripture, as the note you quoted said. What we don’t want people doing on this blog is using the Bible as a battering ram, acting like there is only one possible interpretation of a passage and hitting people over the head with it.
Loving, gracious, thoughtful sharing of Scriptures that have led us to our current understanding of gender issues is entirely appropriate on this blog.
So, continue quoting Scripture, as you love to do. And, welcome.