Given the wide variety of contributors on this board as well as the broad range of subjects broached on any given day, I am not sure how you conclude:
“Moscow Vision 2020 seems to be a very partisan group of Moscow residents designed to discourage public information unless it meets that partisan viewpoint, and debate seems to be limited to name-calling, mudslinging, shin-kicking and eyeball-gouging.”
Unlike you, I do not presume to condemn this whole list based upon a limited sample addressing an isolated subject, unless, of course, things are not as you represented. I must confess that your shrill response indicates that I touched a nerve. It’s as though you’re personally invested in things pertaining to Douglas Wilson, despite assuring us otherwise.
Therefore, Mr. Schwaller, I encourage you to slow down, take a deep breath, and reach down to touch that inner you. Be at peace with the real person inside of you. Identify the man within and say, “Be still, Glen, there is no venom here. No one has called me any names; no one has slung any mud at me, kicked me in the shins, or gouged my eyeballs out. I’m going to be A Okay. Everything’s just fine.”
There you go, Glenn, everything will be just fine.
Perhaps it will help if I give you some more perspective. You recall how Douglas Wilson ran from this listserv after he proved to the whole community that he did not live by his own standard, which he had previously maintained was fixed and unmovable. Well, this time last year Mr. Wilson rejoined this list for a short period after a local blogger notified the community about Steven Sitler’s predations. And it’s important to note that the blogger’s information relative to Sitler was much like yours — just the facts.
The strangest thing, though, was that while the blogger focused on points of community awareness, Wilson immediately dragged the victims into the conversation, saying that any talk of Sitler reopened their wounds and forced them to relive their tragedy; and Wilson used this pretense to demand silence from the community regarding the subject of Steven Sitler: “The victims, the victims, the victims; THINK OF THE VICTIMS!”
It was a remarkable display of cowardice for a pastor to use victims of a serial pedophile as human shields to protect himself from answering for his failure to warn the flock of predation. Think about it. He never warned his congregation that a serial pedophile dwelled among them for 18 months. Talk about negligence. As you said, Mr. Schwaller, “Doug Wilson could have handled things in a better way.”
But my point is that you have provided some very helpful information with your posts, and your contributions are consistent with the goals of this list; however, you should be thankful that you’re not dealing with a madman constantly screaming, “THE VICTIMS! THE VICTIMS! THE VICTIMS!” You seem to understand much better than Pastor Wilson that serial pedophiles create horrible prospects for a community. In fact, even though you still have not answered my question (“by what standard do you ask Messieurs Fox and Hansen to apologize?”), I believe that if you had been here last year, you would have demanded an apology from Pastor Wilson to the entire community.
Anyway, I have carried on much too long here. I simply wanted to help you get composure after your last outburst and I hope I offered you some perspective in much the same way you have tried to offer “facts.”
Before I let you go, though, I have one more question. How do you think the victims feel knowing that Steven Sitler is roaming the streets on probation, and that his freedom may be due in large part to Pastor Douglas Wilson’s letter to Judge Stegner?
Herodotus
From: “Glenn Schwaller”
To: Vision2020
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 1:18 PM
Subject: Schwaller the Reductio
“Schwaller catches a whiff again. . .”
Just to set the record straight (not that I particularly care about setting the record straight, I just like to hear the collective hammering of the veins in the foreheads of a few of our 2020 visionaries) I was not attempting to absolve, forgive, condone, nor vilify Doug Wilson, Steven Sitler, Christ Church, nor anyone for that matter. I was simply addressing a VERY specific point in Ms Ford’s post, and how I chose to interpret (some of you might use the words “twist” “manipulate” “exploit”) that particular passage of scripture.
One can use any passage of scripture to strengthen one’s point. One can use any manner of teaching styles or methods to inform or influence. In either case, it seems it is up to every individual to determine if we agree or disagree, follow or flee. All of us are teachers. All of us have taught well. All of us have taught poorly. All of us have wounded a weak conscience and thus “sinned against Christ.”
I’ve been monitoring this site for less than a month, and the venom that oozes from a majority of these posts becomes tedious. Contrary to the disclaimer on the homepage Moscow Vision 2020 seems to be a very partisan group of Moscow residents designed to discourage public information unless it meets that partisan viewpoint, and debate seems to be limited to name-calling, mudslinging, shin-kicking and eyeball-gouging. I must admit though, it DOES make a difference.
Schwaller
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
John 8:7
