Stupid Scholar

My desire is that this site would be a place where biblical and theological ideas, theories, and truths, will be discussed, debated, and reflected upon, freely and cheerfully. The purpose, of course, is to understand God’s Truth better and to bring Him glory.

Unfortunately, the Internet can often devolve into a place of anger, frustration, and insult. I hope that by following a few simple rules on commenting, this site will foster a spirit of grace, charity, and learning. Therefore, I kindly ask that all commenters adhere to the following:

1. Comment Frequently.

I am clearly not the only one on the Internet with ideas, and I am certainly not the brightest. Therefore, it is not surprising that oftentimes discussions and opinions presented in comboxes are exceedingly helpful. So please, express your ideas, musings, and theories, often. I hope to learn a lot from you.

2. Be respectful.

Everyone who comments on this blog bears the Imago Dei. As a result, they deserve and demand respect because God (and His image) demands respect. Hence, to lack in charity is to sin. Plus, personal attacks and disrespect make one’s own arguments appear juvenile and silly. Therefore, this blog will not tolerate: trolling, personal attacks, inappropriate profanity, ad hominem arguments, or references to one’s statements as, “Laughable,” “Stupid,” or, “Not worth responding to.”

3. Sign Your Name.

Anonymous comments are not allowed, but you may use a pseudonym to protect your identity. Although I will not delete anonymous comments, I will not respond to anonymous comments either. I want people to be able to respond to each other’s comments, and this is impossible if you cannot be addressed by name (see #4).

4. Directly Address the Person to Whom You Are Responding.

Let the person – and future readers – know to whom you are responding. If it is the original post, you can address me personally, or the post impersonally. If you are responding to a specific statement someone else wrote, then please quote that statement. This makes for better readability, and it keeps the future reader from having to scroll up and down to find out what has already been said. A great way to quote someone else is to put their words in quotes or italics on a separate paragraph.

5. Stay on Subject.

It is difficult to carry on 15 different conversations at once, and long comboxes become tedious and confusing. If the original post is on Sola Scriptura, let’s not move into realms of justification or the Trinity, unless those topics directly relate to the conversation. If a new thread needs to be started, then I am more than willing to begin one; I will gladly take suggestions towards that end.

6. Provide Documentation to Support Your Arguments.

If you believe that Calvin or Aquinas said such-and-such, then provide either a link or clear citation. This is even more important for discussing the motives of someone. It is not enough to claim that Augustine made a statement because he wanted to do ‘x’. Proof that such was his motivation is necessary. Again, proper citations or hyperlinks are sufficient. Solid examples of proper ways to cite academic works are given in, The SBL Handbook of Style, chapter 7 (pp. 38-67).

7. Be as Concise as Possible.

Many readers simply gloss over long posts and comments, so brevity is a good rule of thumb. The pithier the better. While this is not a hard a fast rule (how can you possibly write anything about the Trinity in 3-4 sentences?), if you want people to read what you wrote, keep it short and sweet. Post multiple comments if you are addressing multiple issues or multiple people; this is easier on the reader. Also, please keep paragraphs short. Five short paragraphs are easier to read than one long one.