I’ve been getting very good feedback from users of the new blog site, and am naturally very pleased.  There are also a lot of new users now, reading, listening, and making comments.  Fantastic!  If you have any problems with the blog, please be sure to contact us.  Click the HELP button and you will see a list of FAQs and responses, and information about how to get Support.

Since we have so many new folk participating, I want to say a separate word about Blog etiquette.  It’s a bit different from typical Internet etiquette, for which most of us, well I, at least, am thankful.

When I started the blog, from the outset I decided that I wanted it to be completely welcoming to all people, no matter what their religious convictions (or non-religious convictions), national background, race, gender, sexual identity, background knowledge, native intelligence, good looks, or … anything at all.  And to be welcoming requires all of us to be polite, courteous, and respectful.

It’s hard to do.  At least sometimes it is for me.  But even when any of us disagrees with others, at least on the blog, the policy is that we do it without showing disrespect, whether it involves religious views, personal backgrounds, identities or anything else.

I typically receive anywhere from 20-40 comments a day on my posts, and I try to answer all the questions I receive and post all the observations and perspectives that do not involve questions.  I’m sorry that I have to be brief in my responses.  If I weren’t I would not be able to get through them all.  But I do try to be direct and answer as best I can.

There are only two kinds of comments that I do not post.  The first are ones that are not directly related in one way or another to the blog, that is, not connected with the New Testament and early Christianity, and related topics such as Hebrew Bible, ancient Judaism, Greek and Roman religion, and occasionally issues of faith (and doubt) in the modern world, especially in connection with Christianity.   If comments are about other things I will not post them.  The most common “other thing” is, as you might imagine, politics.  Sometimes political comments are directly related to what the blog is about.  But unrelated matters – for example, trashing one politician or public figure or another – need to be dealt with in other contexts, outside the blog.

Secondly I do not post comments that are not courteous and respectful to others.  You can swear at the misanthropes you despise all you want in other contexts.  I certainly do.  But I don’t want it on the blog.  Anything that I judge to cross the line of politeness and respect I simply won’t post.   But again, hey, this is the Internet.  There are roughly three trillion other sites that love that kind of thing — so you will not be wanting for venues!  (Of course in roughly three trillion of them you’ll be preaching to the choir.)

Frankly, I VERY RARELY get anything that crosses the line.  I’m thinkin’ once a month!  But with more members, anything can and does happen, and I do think it is good periodically to state the blog policies so everyone can know.  So there they are!

And now back to the blog.  I hope you’re enjoying it.  And if you have complaints, observations, or suggestions – do either send me an email or contact Support.  Just go to the HELP button on the Landing Page and click support.