OKAY – I will try.  Matthew 18 tells us that if we have a problem with someone else we are to go to that person and confront.  The purpose is restoration and forgiveness.  It then tells us if we are unable to resolve the issue take some witnesses for the purpose of restoration and forgiveness.  If that doesn’t work go to the church for the purpose of restorations and forgiveness.  Finally if that does not work make the move to cut off the person from fellowship. 

Matthew 18 tells us when we do it this way we experiences some very important things form God.  First we experience his authority in the matter.  What we pronounce on earth is pronounced in heaven, both forgiveness and separation.  Second, we experience his presence.  Where ever 2 or 3 are gathers I am there too.  The context is the witnesses who confront. 

The problem with the blogging is that is does not flow through the church, is not monitored by the church nor does it have the authority God gives the church.  What it does on the other hand is invites people not connected to a situation to chime in and ultimately gossip about another person.  Inviting people into conversations about another person on a blog is inviting people to gossip.  Gossip is a sin.  Tell me that on the blogs listed in the post or even the CCABQ blog spaces that none of the following ever happened.  Was every person blogging or reading in a “first person” connection to the to the issues?  Tell me that no person related another situation in the blogs similar to that?  Tell me that the open air blogging did not contain any gossip, did not invite anyone into sin, did not fuel the anger and disgust for a situation, did not add mistrust to other pastors, and brought healing and restoration to a situating. 

The blogging of issues like that actually promote mistrust and negative interpretation.  They do not follow the biblical pattern established by the words of Jesus and do not promote healing.  Blogs like this do allow for one side to be represented, usually by someone with an agenda.  They do allow for people to pile on to issues that do not concern them.  They do allow for facts to be represented without verification.  They do allow for Christ followers to air “dirty laundry” to the world, helping them justify their disgust of Christianity, they do allow people to vent, emote, accuse with no accountability to what they write, they do give anonymity to gossip and slander, they rarely bring healing.  I know of none that have brought restoration of wounded parties and resolution to conflict.

Judy,
Again you’re showing your tendency to read into what people say and put words in their mouth.  I did not remotely suggest that you needed therapy just a wise friend to talk to!

Leonard… excellent summation of the subject.  Totally agree with you.  As an example of that we had a situation in our church a few months back where a certain attendee was spreading gossip physically to others in our church.  Complete fabrication and conjecture about our Pastor and other staff members.  He actually believed what he was saying to be true and felt justified in “sharing”.  Fortunately it was kept quite contained and after he was confronted with the real facts he did apologize to everyone he had talked to and retracted what he’s said.  Imagine if he’d decided to blog his opinions!!!  The damage to our pastor’s reputation and others would have been irrevocable. 
Using the web to voice ‘concerns’ can only lead to sin and and other damage.  If we just stick to biblical standards of handling conflict God will see that all things will work together for good.  Why can’t we just live biblically anymore?  Having internet does not now exempt us from that.

Nora, I’ve been out for a while but i wanted to address
“not because I’m a “Yes Woman” but because I am a team player, and I feel that team players should support the decisions of the team.”
If you as a leader or staff person are in a “team” situation I agree. But when “the head coach” is calling the plays, it is difficult to feel that your input is valued - even though you too have a seminary degree and have been in ministry for 15+ years and have been at the church longer than the new “head coach”. There are times when I say “good call” but when I say “I think we need another play” it is “who’s the head coach around here”. I’m sorry, I’m venting again. I guess sometimes “its good to be king” and not some serf.

Judy,

The best thing you can do is back off, you’ve stated your case and it needs to stand on its own merits.

Phoenix Preacher’s reputation has taken a hit, some of it perhaps deserved. But Michael Newnham - the man who owns and operates the blog - is trying to foster a positive relationship with Calvary Chapels, while addressing issues within that movement that, quite frankly, few others were doing. Please give the people who operate the blog the grace they need as they try to shed what Phoenix Preacher talebearer has accused PP of, and continue to steer it in a direction which reflects and glorifies Jesus Christ.

Talebearer, if you have real, tangible ways for us to be more like Jesus and less like gossips, please share those with us...but don’t come across as an arrogant jerk. Your concerns won’t be heard....unless you want PP to crash and burn....

PP Poster,

I assure you I am not going anyway. On the PP Blog, I post as Looking For Truth. I also assure you Michael is not going to crash and burn.  You are correct when you state “the genie has been let out of the bottle”, just as people on this blog are beginning to realize.  Through modern technology the world has become a much smaller place. Pastors of all types of churches are going to have to be accountable.  People no longer have to talk in dark rooms and grumble to themselves. They are now free to speak out and expose what is happening behind closed doors.

I do hope that people stop grumbling in dark rooms, grumbling is a sin.

Here is the problem with all the Judys and the Phoenix Preachers...No one really knows whether these people are genuine Christians...They are incognito and disguised, just as I am here. How do I know that they are not Muslims attempting to destroy God’s work? In a local church setting people know each other and see each other. In my opinion Judy is a destroyer of God’s work, not a reformer. She is a wolf and so is the PP and they exist to taint the work of Christ through human individuals… I have never met one person that they have lead to Christ, I have witnessed no fruit from their lives. Yet the ones that they attack and grumble about have lead thousands to Christ and you can drive to their churches to see the fruit. They have real names and are out in the open...They do not belong to terror cells hanging out in chat rooms.
What they offer is not accounatability but second and third hand knowledge from sources who remain anonymous. Can Biblical accountability come from people who are anonymous and have fake names? Get real!
If Moses was here they would blog about his temper and call him to resign. If Paul was here they would blog about his split with John Mark and call him to be more accountable. If Jesus was here they would blog about him being a winebibber and glutton and disqualify him from ministry. If Peter was here they would blog about how he cut Malchus ear off…

I personally think that PP Tale Bearer has some valid points...Judy said that she posts under another name. Regardless of the things you said Judy, why dont you deal with PPTB’s points about unverified gossip and the name calling?

Michael posts nothing until it is verified. Name calling is allowed only if it is the truth. We call a spade a spade. I post under looking for truth but since I post my email everyone knows who I am since my email address is the same as my name.

Now, who are you and who is tale bearer since you both want to throw stones my way. I’m not hiding anything.

HA HA HA!  Blogs are undermining the control structures!  May the real church emerge!

TailBarer: Your weapons are useless here!  Get back to work!

Sadly enough, most of you do not address the gossip, biblical confrontation and restoration or the damage to those outside of the issue who are sucked into gossip.  Gossip is not necessarily a lie.  You can gossip and still tell the truth.  Tell me that thousands of people who do not know anyone involved nor were they hurt by the situation do not know or have not participated in this blog.  I wish we would not justify our behavior as though the ends justify breaking biblical commands.  I don’t know skip or any other person involved but because of the web I can find out any of this I wanted.  I simply choose not to traffic in gossip.  When the fight for justice or the fight for truth tramples people and biblical mandates and is justified by people whose disposition comes across as hurt and angry, I wonder who is happiest about this.  Jesus or the Devil?  When the body of Christ takes it’s laundry and airs it like this it shows that God’s word and God’s design are inadequate to deal with the problems we face. 

I find myself saddened by the words I read.  It is sad that the issues that caused this to happen are existent but just as sad are the justifications we promote as why we need to expose instead of restore.  As a Christian leader I am embarrassed that we have such a low view of God’s word that we would stoop to blogging someones sin and blogging our opinions of that sin.  It is almost as if we believe the first amendment gives me the right to gossip.  Someone said “I am entitled to my opinions” and there lies the trap.  The only thing my opinions are entitled to is to be changed and transformed by the power of God’s word and the Holy Spirit of God.  I am not entitled to my opinions, I am obligated to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  I’ll quit now.

Judy, you still don’t deal with scripture, gossip or the thousands of people who chime into or read the gossip.  Don’t know why you wont, but till now you haven’t.  How is the expose not gossip?  How can it be justified BIBLICALLY?  Do you have an answer for that?

you still don’t deal with it.  not someone elses message but how do you personally see the bible justifying blossip (Blog-gossip) Don’t send me to someone else, what do you know the bible says?

A pastor is not ‘just a man.’ He is appointed by God to stand in Christ’s stead to His people. - 2 Corinthians 5:20