It doesn't come through, it seems, to some that some of us appreciate what this blog is all about. I like what you say and I like how you say it dissidens, very much.

Agreed.

Diss,
Your posts are helpful, needed, and much appreciated. Keep it up!

I agree that Diss's posts are thought-provoking and usually helpful - and I hope (very much) that they will continue.

But... what amuses me (and to no end) is how Diss' supporters are so fawning of his perceived arrogance as to think he is the fourth member of the trinity whose Word is holy writ and infallible.

Wake up people! Yes, Dissidens has good things to say. But so do some of the regular posters who occasionally take issue with him - and/or who repeatedly prod him to answer questions that point out instances where Diss' thoughts, as good as they may be, don't appear to be 100% developed. There are a few cheerleaders here (probably including the 3 who signed the guestbook ahead of me) who have the attitude "Diss is always right and anyone who doesn't agree with him 100% of the time", and my guess (only a guess) is that Diss may have as much contempt for those who never think hard enough to challenge his thinking as he does for those who sometimes disagree with him.

I, for smoe raosen keep cnomig bcak to tihs bolg. I am not yet srue wtehehr it's baucese I'm lkie an ant atetrcatd to sguar or a mtoh to a famle, but, wahevter the eplanxtiaon, keep up the good wrok.

I think it is our spelling that attracts a lot of people. : )

I like that this site is serious [and by that I mean what dissidens means by serious... whatever that is :)].

Thank you.

You mean Dissidens is not the fourth member of the Trinity?

It doesn't come through it seems to some that some of us appreciate what this blog is supposed to be all about, while appreciating that others of us appreciate what this blog is all about, without appreciating this blog as they do.

But I thank thee, Lord, that I am not as some of us are. Or even as this apostate, who does not believe that Dissidens is the fourth member of the Trinity....

But Seriously,

You have not typed legibly.

It comes of being so serious.

What keeps bringing me back are the comments like these:

"Your deep-seated piety and love for truth is an inspiration to our souls."
"I've never encountered a writer whose prose resonates the way yours does."
"I know of no one who has sight of the "big picture" better than dissidens."
"Perhaps you can help me by both asking the question and giving an answer."
"I plead for more charity as we try to make up for an education that taught us neither how to think nor where to go to find out how."
"[I]t isn't helpful to offend Dissidens when trying to get answers from him. Don't argue when asking questions. Even if it means writing in a sort of detached agreement."
"[T]here are many of us who appreciate the distinction you are making here, diss. Please don't stop."

I'm serious. I find the phenomenon fascinating.

What keeps me coming back is DGus who is willing to take Dissidens on in his arrogance and eltism.

I know Dissidens well and believe the charge of "arrogance and elitism" is unfair.

DGus, you will find that our friend Dissidens is not what he purports. Dissidens hides a dark secret. He is a fundamentalist. I don't mean an even-handed paleoevangelical, a baroque-bred Bob Jones alum, an easy-going, common-folk Northland grad, nor even an impenetrable Free Presbyterian. I'm afraid Dissidens is the worst kind of parochial, anachronistic, uncharitable old-school fundamentalist.

He has all the characteristics of 20th century fundamentalism at its worst:
- His favorite genre is disdain
- He is unwilling to dialogue with those who disagree with him
- He elevates lesser truths to fundamentals
- He labels those who disagree with him apostates
- He issues the most outrageous ad homina when cornered
- He takes his criticisms public before taking them to the offender
- He opposes the picture show
- Etc.

Dissidens is born of the stock of John R. Rice, J. Frank Norris, and Jack Hyles. And like every aspiring fundamentalist personality, Dissidens must have followers. Groupies. Fawning masses. Preacher boys.

Since they can't get Dissidens to sign their Bibles, they type here.

I don't understand why the ankle-biters keep beating around the bush. Just admit he is the anti-Christ and be done with it. I personally think he needs to work on his hypocricy...it seems to be a glaring lack...and, of course, we know his antithesis warned of this above all.

Perhaps a little more fishing and a few more shotgun blasts, and maybe, if lucky, something can be found that will stick, that is not a common weakness everybody could confess to.

C'mon dissidens, show a little pure evil, and quit leaving us in suspense. Perhaps you could spin your head around a few times or levitate someone's monitor? Just a little something, so we can know you aren't really just a decent fellow in muppet's clothing?

Amiga
How old are you? You write such posts and wonder why no one responds. *sigh*

Would someone answer a few general questions? I've been reading here for a few months now.

1) Do you folks believe that the purpose of gathering in church is to worship?

2)Do you identify (in the strict sense) church worship and church music?

3)Do you accept the present form of church worship in which a designated group of leaders produce a program, and then present it to the congregation for their participation? Or do you object to present church worship in form as well as in content?

4) Is there some bigger question I should be asking before the answers to these questions will make sense?

Greetings, fellow travelers.

Dissidens, this is some pub you’ve got here. Love the old world décor. Mind pouring me a pint of the best house ale? Thanks. I’m parched. Just finished docking the ship out in the harbor, back from traveling to distant lands, sailing uncharted seas, that sort of thing.

So, tell me, what’s it like running the best tavern in the land of Sin Management? You must see the best and the worst of those who live here, I’m sure. Some of them are even fun to talk to, I bet, but only after they’ve had a taste of this excellent beer, eh – ahhh, that’s good grog. What do you call it? You brew it yourself?

You know, I was born in this land, in the region called Fundamentalism. Haven’t seen the sun set here for many moons. Let’s see, how long has it been? Ten, fifteen years. Funny, I’ve only been on land for a few hours, and already I’ve read more news than I care to read. So I thought I'd sit down here and listen to the conversation for a while. Who knows, maybe I'll run into some people whom I remember.

Why did I come back? Don’t know really. I know the wind blew me in, but that only answers the How question. "Why" is something entirely different. But not knowing why is exactly what makes it fun to follow Christ, isn’t it?

By the way, can I pay you with gold dubloons? Or would you settle for a good story or two as payment for this excellent draught?

--Geshichten

Welcome, and make yourself comfortable.

Yah, we get people from every port. A while back a guy came in here and said I had a smile on my face for the whole human race. It’s been a while since we’ve seen him, but some say that when the wind blows through the trees you can still hear him moaning.

I came across the décor in my own travels. It pinched my heart, and when something pinches my heart I like to have it close by.

Drinks are on the house.

My friend, it's a rare man who simply gives what is most pleasurable. For that kindness, I'll pay you double -- a gold dubloon AND a story. And I'll take another pint, thank you.

It's interesting you say that about being 'pinched'. I'll tell you why. One day, before I had ever left this land, I was listening to the sound of the wind during a terrible storm, and I felt a tiny 'pinch' inside. I went outside to hear it better, and got completely drenched. When I went back inside, I breathlessly asked if anybody else had ever felt such a thing, and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. I asked my family, I asked the holy man, I asked the sages. No one could tell me what the pinch was about. The best advice I got was, "Well, from the looks of you, you should stay out of the rain!"

There were a couple fellows who had heard others tell of feeling it before, but they were huddling indoors like the rest of them and had no interest in stepping outside to feel it for themselves.

That day was when I realized I needed to find out what it was--the pinch, that is.

Wasn't long after that day when I gathered up a rag tag crew and set sail.

--G'n

Lots of people don't like having their heart pinched.

Some people don't know they have a heart.

--G'n

I saw the "Wizard Of Oz" is on tonight. Too bad the "Harry Potter" haters weren't around then, or there would have been an outcry whose reverberations would still have the stars trembling.

The TinMan didn't know he had a heart, till someone explained it to him.

Dissidens, I've heard some good things about your site from around the far north. I appreciated your tribute to that man of God, A.W. Tozer. I am thankful for a dear pastor friend (at Bible Camp ) that directed my attention there. Since I don't know you well, would you mind if I linked to this site from my blog? It's in my profile. I'll await your reply. Thanks, and especially for the sober-minded considerations here.

Thanks; I think Tozer was a turning point in American religion.

We don't mind at all if you want to link to Remonstrans. Welcome to the blogosphere: I like the blog, by the way.

(Get the kids blogging!)

Thanks for the note back. I will be adding remonstrans to my blog links very soon. I'm glad you like the blog, and thanks for the excellent suggestion. One of our young s (13) is also one of our bee keepers, so she will guest blog this week.

Greetings from the roof of my ruined Church. I have slept on the heights of evangelicalism's once great cathedral and have recently awoke to find it in ruins, being picked apart by peasants to use as sties for their pigs. The Night is here, and I have found my wings. Shall I fly?

Well, you speak in metaphors. If I misunderstand them, my answer might not be very helpful.

As to when (or whether) to fly it is hard to say, partly because we never really fly away without dragging a bit of it with us. This church of yours shaped how you think. From that you cannot escape. That is why culture is so important. A bad culture is not something people can entirely flee; a bad culture changed the bird that flies away.

What we can fly from are certain institutions that perpetuate the culture. How and when to do that is a very different matter. That tends to be a little less metaphorical and a lot more painful. It involves a certain relationship it is impossible for me to know; and not knowing, I can’t decide.

Just wanted you to know that your blog has made me think. Could you share a list of books you are currently reading. Sorry if I missed that somewhere on the site.

No, you didn’t miss anything. I don’t list the books I’m reading. [It could be regarded as an irritation to those who prefer I read only one book.] If a book is relevant to the discussion I may mention it, but most of the books I refer to were read years ago.

Some time ago I tried to discuss a book in a cognate venue; I did such a lousy job of keeping in step that I swore off the idea for the blog. My schedule doesn't allow it.

Right now I’m reading Budapest 1900 by John Lukacs

In that part of the recent past I can still remember, I read:

Mind Set! By John Naisbitt
The Meaning of Conservatism by Roger Scruton
Indivisible by Four by Arnold Steinhardt
Violin Maker by John Marchese
Casals and the Art of Interpretation by David Blum
From Dawn to Decadence by Jacques Barzun