Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wade Burleson, Peter Lumpkins, Dave Miller and the worst of blogging

No need for links or further explanations.

Dave Miller, Peter Lumpkins’ provocative article on SEBTS and alcohol isn’t the worst of blogging. If you want to use a superlative like “worst” then you set the bar very high. Your discussion on Lumpkins didn’t make the bar, bro, but everyone can have a bad blogging week.

No, Wade Burleson, Peter’s use of a certain biblical word for you wasn’t the worst of blogging nor does such destroy the SBC, though I think my fellow Georgian was intemperate to make the statement and wish he hadn’t. I don’t think Peter would even make your next edition of ‘Hardball’ if that is the best he can do.

Seems to me that this business of the worst of blogging comes when bloggers make each other the subject of their stuff and unleash a stream of sordid blog comments. It's not so much the conflict between two bloggers that is the worst but the people who know no better than to feel uninhibited in defense of one or the other.

If I had to pick this week's worst blogging, it wouldn't be Peter or Wade or Dave but would be the comments that have followed.

Peter is said on Burleson's blog to be insecure, weak emotionally, hypocritial, hateful, sick, twisted, envious, miserable, sad, and a farce. The poor fellow is said to exhibit classic narissism, to have little self worth, and to be a miserable soul. Paul of Tarsus, who has a couple of pretty good sin lists in the New Testament, was a piker in compiling such things compared to this one. Lest any of Peter's brothers in Christ be left with the slightest pang of Christian charity towards him, mention is made of Peter and others on the blogging enemy list as having being fired from churches, teeny tiny churches.

In the light of the above how about someone explaining exactly how one can conclude that it is Peter Lumpkins who is an example of how the SBC is being destroyed as well as being an example of the worst blogging?

The worst of blogging looks to me a lot like the worst of congregational life. When two of the brethren or sistren are in a conflict, others feel compelled to take sides and to make it worse. So, we have commenters weighing in with psychobabble, slander, and old fashioned unkindness. Good grief.

Is it any wonder that people like Kevin Ezell envision bloggers and commenters as being do-nothing saps in their basements in housecoats? I think not.

Sad thing is, I’m afraid we haven’t see the worst of blogging just yet. Too bad.

PS: For my vast readership, reported to be in double digits now, I actually like each of these three guys even though I have solid evidence that each falls short of the glory of God. I’ve swapped cordial emails and comments with the three but have actually met and conversed only with Peter. From that, I can confirm that Peter Lumpkins is the only other guy in the entire Southern Baptist Convention whose hair is as nice as Wade Burleson’s. That has to count for something. Check their photos and tell me I’m wrong…they are both a work of art. Dave Miller's hair isn't so hot, best I can tell.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wm,

Very good post...quick to the heart of it all. And, while I suppose I could "defend" my use of Num. 28 from 'intemperance' no need. You struck iron, William, you struck it hard. Enough said. Thanks, brother.

With that, I am...
Peter

P.S. know when we have coffee again, I shall give you my coveted hair secrets, in return, it is expected, for your purchase of the brew...

Anonymous said...

Great post. Its time for the bloggers to clean up their acts. Just because you cloak a blog post with some hyper-spiritual rhetoric doesn't make it right. Truth and integrity need to be manifested if we are ever going to be what the Lord wants us to be. There are a few more bloggers out there that I hope read your article after reading their morning posts today.

hariette petersen a.k.a. SelahV said...

An analysis most appreciated. People do the oddest things when they live under grace and exhibit their own ideas of liberty. May your words cut deep into the heart of the matter in question and sear the souls of men. preach on, brother. preach on. selahV

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William Thornton said...

I have edited somewhat the business about firing. Peter was lumped with others in the comment that generated that sentence above.

I don't care whose side you are on here but most pastors get pretty sensitive when their church background and experiences are dragged into a public forum gratuitously.

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foxofbama said...
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Anonymous said...

William,

I haven't the faintest idea what happened. I broke the comment up because it said "too many characters" But it looks as if it posted them anyway. Please take the garbled mess down and I'll try again.

Sorry.

With that, I am...
Peter

William Thornton said...

I don't understand about the repeated comments but I cleaned them up.

Stephen, you can comment on the matter at hand. If you try and link or refer to irrelevant discussions elsewhere, I delete them. Learn a lesson bro.

William Thornton said...

I don't want to alarm any potential commenters. All the deletions were either requested by the commenter or mistakenly duplicated comments (save for my friend Stephen Fox's, and he should know better).

foxofbama said...

What did I say that was so provocative? I honestly can't remember.
Given warning, maybe I can do a quick notice in anticipation of your Friday roundup and point you to my remarks at FromLaw2Grace on the Juan Williams matter. I mentioned you by name in a comment there, BEFORE, I saw your deletion here this morning, so no vendetta on my part.
Hope soon here or at bl.com or Howell Scott's place to take up with yall aspects of Furman's Civil Discourse Panel soon. You woulda found the last 15 minutes engrossing indeed.
I didn't get a chance to say anything about Marshall Frady, but I was thinking about him good part of the day and what he woulda said.

Anonymous said...

Stephen, don't try and hijack stuff here for elsehere or from elsewhere to here. Don't come here with links of extraneous discussions elsewhere. It may take some discipline for you but comment on what's here.

Quit your usual act of dropping names and discussions elsewhere. It adds nothing here.

Try and do it, Stephen.

William