In Reply: Fairness and respect for ideas other than your own

In reply to: Elizabeth Edwards Dies | Politics | Christianity Today.
---

I believe I've made it pretty clear what I think about the timing, tone, and purpose of the Donald Douglas post that was cited in this Christianity Today article. But the folks here--original author and commenters alike--have been pretty fair, both to those with whom they agreed, and those with whom they have not. Had the author not included that controversial cite from Mr Douglas, it would've been a different piece, with a different set of reactions. (In saying that, I'm in no way suggesting that the author shouldn't've included Douglas cite; Once Donald Douglas put his comments out there for people to read and consider, they became a topic worthy of discussion, no matter what one thought of what he said, or when, or why.)

While I was concerned with the fairness of the CT blog during the period when comments expressing a particular set of viewpoints disappeared from the thread--I am no fan of moderation for ideological content (Those who've visited my blog quickly get a sense of how opposed to that kinda moderation I actually am.)--those concerns proved unfounded when the comments were reinstated and allowed to take their place in this marketplace of ideas about the Christian faith today.

I hope the conversation continues, both about the specifics of Elizabeth Edwards' final public statement and the controversy of the Douglas reaction, and about the nature of faith in times of sickness and grief, in general.
---
Posted at Christianity Today on 12/11/10, approx 12:30 PM (There's no permalinks or timestamp on CT commentary.)