Dear Members of the Blog,

We have had a long-standing policy on the blog – going back to its inception – of avoiding any kind of proselytizing activity that promotes or urges (on others) particular religious views of any kind.  Some comments I receive are borderline, and it is hard to know where the *hard* line actually ought to be.  But I’m afraid I have grown lax in the enforcement of the rule.  It is perfectly fine on occasion for you (or anyone) to say what you/they really think about religion – since, after all, the blog does focus on (early) Christianity.  So an occasional non-proselytizing comment is AOK.  But I have decided, in light of the objectives of our mutual endeavor, to return to the original intention and not post comments that are inappropriately designed to urge particularly religious views.

I hope you understand!   We all know that there are gazillions of other avenues on the Internet for anyone to push their personal religious choices and try to convert others.  If you are inclined to do so, I’d suggest not that you choose *between* avenues (some that allow such things and this one that does not), but take them all.

On this blog we will primarily focus on the literature and history of early Christianity – the historical Jesus, the writings of Paul, the other books of the New Testament, the apostolic fathers, the early Christian apocrypha, the manuscript tradition of the New Testament, themes in Christianity of the first four centuries, etc. etc. etc.   In other places each of us can do our level best to convince everyone else that our own personal religious views are right.  I know mine are. 🙂