Wade Burleson had an excellent critique of some inappropriate remarks made recently by Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Burleson does a good job of pointing out Moore’s inaccuracies, jumps to conclusions without evidence, and inappropriate name-calling. The worst part came when Moore was bashing bloggers (which is ironic since he blogs—though he calls his “commentary” and not “blog”). Moore stated:
You have some bloggers in the SBC who are just immature jerks. But the things they are blogging about are just the same kinds of things they would be saying as immature jerks in a seminary cafeteria just now the have a venue to say these sort of things. And then you have the blogofascists --- a group of people who are using blogs in order to spread gossip and division and in order to use these blogs as means to destroy. Those are very different things.Such a remark is entirely out-of-line! Only neo-Nazis who blog should be called “blogofascists” (I have argued in an earlier post that comparisons like this to the Nazis are inappropriate and un-Christ-like). While Moore is apparently trying to be clever by taking a cue from the term “Islamofascists” (which I argue is inaccurate in a previous post), he has crossed the line. Moore should apologize for comparing his brothers and sisters in Christ to fascists.
Dear Kaylor,
ReplyDeleteI too wrote a little piece about Burleson's critique on my site (www.sbctomorrow.com)though I took a tenny-wenny different direction as did you. Burleson has himself issued a call for civility for debates among Christians on blogs which I find humorous.
I also find with you the humor in Dr. Moore's own blogging :)
At any rate, I do not know if calling for an apology is in order. To whom would he apologize? How do you know he did not in fact have "christian" skinheads in mind?
Have a great evening. With that, I am...
Peter
Moore's outrageous cutesy words and phrases may eventually land him as a frequent guest on national news programs. The media may be looking for a Falwell/Robertson replacement sometime soon...
ReplyDeleteFirst, he wrote about raising violent kids. THEN, he wrote "let's outbreed the Mormons." SBC Seminary students can argue in his defense until the cows come home - no matter what they say, I will not change my mind...Russell Moore (to me and many others) has a low view of women. Women are not child-bearing factories. And women do deserve equality in the workforce and should be encouraged to enter that same workforce with dreams of reaching the top...
Dear Big Daddy Weave,
ReplyDeleteWow, my brother. I simply love the openmindedness brought to the floor. You write: "no matter what they say, I will not change my mind..." From my very elementary knowledge of fundamentalism, you have, without the slightest flaw, Big Daddy Weave, reiterated its basic premise. Good job!
With that, I am...
Peter
Peter Lumpkins: Thanks for the comments. I do think that an apology is still in order. He should apologize to Southern Baptists in general for attacking his brothers and sisters. He should also apologize to all Southern Baptist bloggers since his charges were so broad as to indict anyone. I really doubt he was referring to any real skinheads. He was talking, after all, about Southern Baptist bloggers. If he really was talking about only skinheads he should make that more clear and say who.
ReplyDeleteBig Daddy Weave: Thanks for reminding us all that this comment is part of the rule and not the exception for Moore. I remembered many of those remarks, but it is good to remember that he seems to have quite the loose lips at times. I hope he will not get more media time!