Quote:
Originally Posted by Pastor Poster
Three questions.
1. Is it good for pastors and saints to have the level of discussion and familiarity that is present on AFF?
2. Does it lead to an overall lack of respect for ministry in general?
3. Should the ministers who post on AFF move to ministers only forums?
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1. It could be problematic if some of a pastor's flock were interacting with him here. They would have "extra" access to their pastor that their peers don't.
2. I've got to be careful here!
This forum, if anything, offers a chance to
reverse the trend of people not respecting ministry. The problem is twofold: A culture that no longer teaches young people how to be respectful, reverent, and discerning. And a media that widely-publishes anything prominent ministers do to lower their "respectability." Some are going to be swept away by this tide regardless, but others will be impressed by the "realness" of pastors who post here. Like most things on the internet, it is largely a diversion, and can transform into a massive waste of time without some self-control.
3. Only if they don't want to learn as much.
At least
part of the underlying issue is the coolness of the medium. I have dealt with this for 14 years in corporate America. A forum post is just like an email. A person can write something fairly innocuous, but the lens of the reader affects their interpretation and emotional reaction to the writing. Sarcasm and jokes translate poorly. Subjective, descriptive, and personal details can lead to misunderstandings that take more time to clear away than the trip to make conversation in person would have taken in the first place! It is very difficult to imply tone. Some phrases can be said in more than one inflection, and to create more than one meaning. Without the inflection, your reader will assign the meaning that most closely fits their mood at the moment they read it. You'll notice our heavy reliance on smilies in fora like this of every type.
This one, for instance. Ain't I cool?
Be careful out there.