Originally posted by lucifershammer
C'mon kirksey; who're you kidding?
This is what you said on page 1:
Perhaps I need to clarify this "competition." It is not about "arguing." It is not about ridiculing. It is not about insulting. It is about getting straight feedback about proclamation or preaching skills.
From Scribbles??
From bbarr (who, I admit, is quite f ...[text shortened]... unforgivable. If you've got any integrity whatsoever you'll drop the charade.
OK, let's start at the beginning. I started a thread to promote preaching skills in the same spirit that there was once a debate in this forum ( or was it the debate forum) with judges. As there is a lot of opinions around religion and faith in this forum I thought why not make this a competitive and learning experience. In fact this kind of exercise happens all the time in theolgoical training believe it or not.
I have no idea what the other judges will say. It may depend on the quality of the sermon they read as much as anything. I have posted that I will try to find something positive to say about every entry.
What qualifies one to be a judge? An interest in judging. A sometimes frequent poster in these forums. A desire to help people be more effective at preaching. So I am at a loss as to how you dcan say this is a "pillory" when it hasn't even started. Frankly, I've sat through some sermons that were a pillory. And who is the "token" Christian you are talking about?
The first round's topic was chosen with some intentionality. Not to ridicule the person, but to invite them to share on a personal level the meaning of their faith. How could anyone have a problem with that?
I would simply ask this of you: if you do not want to participate for whatever reason, please do not participate. And by that I would ask that you refrain from not only a sermon entry, but also any comments when the evaluatiing process begins. But I thank you for your concerns and you can follow this as you like and see if your concerns were valid.