Slice of Laodicea Shuts Down
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, September 12, 2007
- Viewed 116
- (17) comments so far
Well, Ingrid made the official announcement yesterday. SliceofLaodicea.com is no more. I do agree with Ingrid when she says, "Whatever you think of Slice, it is very difficult to lose the work that you spent so much time doing." I'm with you sister... been there done that. And it's not fun. You can read Ingrid's farewell (at least for this time) message here...
Comments
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nathan on Wed, September 12, 2007
Who in the world doesn’t have an occasional off-site backup? That is just crazy to trust someone else to do your backups for you.
If any bloggers out there read this, TAKE NOTE, and please do an off-site (to your local computer) backup of your database at least once a month.
Josh R on Wed, September 12, 2007
http://web.archive.org/web/*/www.sliceoflaodicea.com/
The slice has always had a knack for ‘losing’ posts.
For me, that website has always served as a reminder of Titus 3:9-11
Peter Hamm on Wed, September 12, 2007
I’m sorry to see Slice go. No… really… We need people, even on the extremes, to keep us honest in the church. I’ve interacted with them and with Ingrid lately, and I’ve tried very hard (succeeded imho) to be respectful). But one thing that she said in her letter struck me. Ingrid writes [The old paths spiritually are right because they were rooted in Holy Scripture. I long and yearn for more churches like this, where men of God stop pandering to the fleshly desires of carnal men and begin once again to preach with utter confidence in the Holy Spirit and His work through the Word.]
So if a group of people takes greater comfort in the old traditions (hymns, KJV bible, etc…) are we not pandering to desires, some (in the case of music) arguably as fleshly as the “desires” to hear worship music in one’s own preferred and contemporary style? I’ve always wondered this. Using Scripture to back up relatively recent traditions (as in the most recent 25% of the history of the church) is problematic to me at best.
Ingrid, the best to you! And I mean this when I say… Carry on!
Rob Grayson on Wed, September 12, 2007
I felt rather sad reading Ingrid’s statement. She is absolutely right that it is awful when so-called Christian brothers and sisters show so little regard (let alone love) for one another. However, I can’t help feeling that Ingrid would have received less flak if the overall tone of the site - full of invective, name-calling and sarcastic undertone - had been different. As the saying goes, if you can’t take it, don’t give it out…
Wendi on Wed, September 12, 2007
Really Peter, we need people who talk and write about brothers and sisters like Ingrid and SOL? The apostle Paul and so many of the NT writers (including Jesus), admonish the tone, the divisive behavior, the outright untruth that characterized SOL over the years.
I’m all for iron sharpening iron, and indeed it is dangerous to surround ourselves with only people who affirm our own thoughts and ideas. However, (IMO) the obsessively judgmental behavior of people like Ingrid and SOL does not align with Jesus’ kingdom work through us, but actually undermines it (as if Jesus could be undermined by us). It keeps us inward focused, and makes our mission field (and our brother) into our enemy.
My hope is that God will help adjust Ingrid’s focus to the kind of things that really matter to God.
Wendi
JHPW on Wed, September 12, 2007
I agree with Wendi and Rob. I won’t miss these folks. Ingrid cites a comment by a blogger ‘that finding a good article on Slice is like finding a nickel in a spitoon’ as an example of the cruelty of her detractors, yet this comment was mild compared to the acerbic and caustic tone of many of the articles on Slice. Unfortunately, even if Slice is gone for good this time, there’s no shortage of other sites to fill the gap. Sad.
Leonard on Wed, September 12, 2007
Coming from the type of faith Ingrid and slice promote I have a few thoughts.
First, in no way do I ever want anyone to hurt. I know inside she must be hurting and for that pain I feel sorrow.
Second, I am glad it is gone. Peter I agree we need people who call us to higher standards but that IMO is not what slice (or those like slice) did or do. They call us out for their version of a higher standard. The do so by sloppy journalism, double speak (some was caught even in the letter) and building an army of spiritual landmine setters. People who look for the slightest hint of doctrinal error and BOOM, you are one of those New Kind of Pastors. She helped gather the army of people who listen for error because we know it is going to come. These people miss so stinking much of what is said because they strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. Slice gave permission to do so.
At slice this was done primarily in a vacuum of harshness without rebuttal. I got way more posts deleted than published over there and the tone was IMO always respectful. There were simply some questions you could not ask, some inconsistencies you could not point out. Slice created a breeding ground for venting and meanness all in the name of discernment and Holiness. More regular posters over there were so vitriolic at times that slice became the incubator of this self righteous, mental self-gratification, listen for the buzz words and then jump all over the pastor or leader kind of “ministry”.
Finally, since my history was filled with “slice” thinking and I grew up in the church that would have said that everything slice says is true, I carry around huge amounts of first hand knowledge of the damage caused by this mentality.
It is seen in the FACT that I cannot find anyone younger than me whose faith remained in tact. The people I grew up with all walked away because of the overwhelming amount of inside/outside thinking. Most of them were friends I led to Christ in High School and they were made to feel by this kind of religion, your not really one of us because your parents drink, smoke, play cards, go to movies… Don’t go to church. Instead of seizing an opportunity to build a relationship with non-believers they were worried these people might make us compromise or water down the “Truth” as was understood by our little and shrinking Baptist church.
I cannot break free in the minds of the people I knew back then either. When I see them they see me as a part of that. I see far more damage done by the Slice crowd than I see good. Pure and small was our mantra. Church planting for fundamentalists is church splits over some huge irrelevant issue. “If we let that in we will be opening the door to un-churched people coming in too.” I’d rather be pure and small than large and sold out to the world. When those are your only options everyone loses.
Good bye slice for now, I have a hunch you will resurface.
Leonard on Wed, September 12, 2007
as a case in point. This site was blasted by a snowmobile club because of a satirical piece. While they could have done a better job at reading the piece and seeing the headers under which it was posted. They were deeply offended because of a slice like article. I cannot help but think the article did more damage than good in the minds and hearts of the club. I was on their site and the hostility was centered in “I can’t believe this…No wonder I want nothing to do with them”
Eric Joppa on Wed, September 12, 2007
I agree. I have not had as broad a history as you may have Leonard, but I have had my share of bruises from these type of people. They have no desire to see people be checked or help keep us on our toes. They refuse to see that they are in the same boat with us. For them, it’s if everyone would see it our way, we’d be fine!
Just look at the worship argument I am sure you are all so familiar with. If you don’t teach fron the KJV, or maybe for the less conservative NKJV, or play hynms (without precussion) or even decorate your entire church with crosses and pictures of the last supper and of Jesus then you are not biblical.
The 1st century church didn’t decorate with crosses, they didn’t care that the manuscripts they read from were translated from hebrew to greek (septuigant), and in the psalms, precussion and new song writing was rampant. I think these “slice” type people are their own problem. I think that they represent the biblical Laodecia far more accurately than they would ever admit.
My point is this, I chuckled at the comedic yet somewhat inappropriate responses to the Snowmobile article. I was devastated when one respondant said…
“what a joke. no wonder i dont go to church.”
How can anything that chases people away from Jesus, be beneficial to the gospel?
I am glad Slice is gone. I’m just sorry that it didn’t happen sooner
-E
Peter Hamm on Wed, September 12, 2007
although I agree that the tone is bad and have indeed challenged Ingrid and her readers/fans on that myself, I still appreciate hearing the point of view… even if I disagree with it.
Kev-N on Wed, September 12, 2007
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE IPOWER/SLICE STORY
I contacted “iPower Web” regarding your site and they said to me (both via phone and online chat) to just check the information you wrote about them on the front page of http://sliceoflaodicea.com, and here is what they are saying (Agent’s name: Andrea Nelson) in their own defence:
(1) They do daily backups, and they told me they did a complete restore of your database.
(2) I was able to get straight answers both on the phone and chat (the key is “a gentle word turns away wrath”) sessions.
I am not a sales person, I actually host our church website with POWWEB (sounds the same, but different) and I just wanted to let the company get their “side of the story” (as there are no comments on the front page of SLICE right now).
Seeing Truth Daily,
Kev-N
Alberta, Canada
Don Chapman on Fri, September 14, 2007
God probably got sick of the venom and sent an angel down to pull a plug somewhere.
Tim Yates on Mon, September 17, 2007
Amen Brother! I agree with Don.
Tony Myles on Mon, September 17, 2007
Yeah! (shaking my first in the air) I love it when I’m right and someone who critiqued me is proved wrong by an obvious act of God. Because there is no way this is just a mistake of man.
Yeah! (still shaking my fist in the air) It’s so good to be vindicated for being a humble, non-glory seeking, open minded servant of the Lord.
Yeah! (shaking my first in the air, and waving it like I just don’t care) There’s nothing like knowing I’m God’s chosen one and have the right mind about theology and these obvious folks - nah, let’s just call them Pharisees because it sounds better - these Pharisees get slapped on the hands.
Yeah! (doing a little dance now) Thankfully, nothing ever goes wrong in my ministry, which obviously proves I’m always right, right? Please say yes… oh, please, please, please.
Yeah!
Ken Buck on Mon, September 17, 2007
hmmm…. I can only trust God and his providence at such a time as this. He always seems to know best.
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