Blog Shut Down by 'Christian' Apologist's Threat (RICK WARREN, RICHARD ABANES, KEN SILVA)

Christian NewsWire ^ | 7-28-08 | pastor dustin segers

[Terriergal]

Blog Shut Down by 'Christian' Apologist's Threat Contact: Pastor Dustin Segers, Coalition of Concerned Bloggers, ChristianResearchNetwork.com, 336-848-7197

MEDIA ADVISORY, July 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pastor Dustin Segers submits the following and is available for comment:

How safe are our blogs? That question was raised again when on the evening of July 26, 2008, a popular religious blog was shut down by an Internet service provider. A complaint filed by Christian author and apologist, Richard Abanes, claiming that one article on the religious opinion site, Apprising.org, had slandered him, caused the web host, IPower, to send its publisher, Ken Silva, a 48-hour warning to remove the offending piece or be taken down. In that the piece was not believed to be slander at all, but rather religious and theological opinion, he refused to be forced into censoring his site by Richard Abanes. The site went down.

There are serious implications here for all bloggers, regardless of what sort of blog they publish. Anyone who has a complaint about your views can claim that you have engaged in slander and the ISP Terms of Service usually allow for the companies to remove your website if you don't take the material in question down. The First Amendment means nothing in these cases. ISP's cannot and will not explore the claims of slander and simply notify bloggers to remove whatever is causing the problem. This opens the door for anyone to censor what a blogger writes online.

Everyone who values the right to read and publish blogs on the Internet has a vested interested in the issue. There is growing concern in the blog world over this, and a number of servers are popping up that offer "First Amendment" hosting. These are web hosts which require a court order before they will remove someone's website. Their day has clearly come.

[Terriergal]

I loved your post - thanks!

[Terriergal]

he’s a former broadway dancer. Danced in A Chorus Line, DreamGirls, and some other piece I forget off the top of my head.

Not sure why he considers his broadway dancing career relevant but he mentions it on his site.

[mdmathis6]

I think the last great Christian apologist/writers of the last 100 years or so were CS Lewis and Francis Schaeffer...the rest pale in comparison!

[SunkenCiv]

There are serious implications here for all bloggers, regardless of what sort of blog they publish. Anyone who has a complaint about your views can claim that you have engaged in slander and the ISP Terms of Service usually allow for the companies to remove your website if you don't take the material in question down.

[XR7]

McCain, Obama to Attend Forum at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church

 

by Whitney Farr, CitizenLink staff

‘This is a critical time for our nation, and the American people deserve to hear both candidates speak from the heart.’

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will make their first joint appearance at a public forum with the Rev. Rick Warren on Aug. 16 at California’s Saddleback Church.

“The primaries proved that Americans care deeply about the faith, values, character and leadership convictions of candidates as much as they do about the issues,” Warren said in a news release. “This is a critical time for our nation, and the American people deserve to hear both candidates speak from the heart – without interruption – in a civil and thoughtful format absent the partisan ‘gotcha’ questions that typically produce heat instead of light.”

Republican McCain and Democrat Obama will appear separately to discuss what Warren describes as the “main area of focus” – AIDS, poverty, human rights and environment.

Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family Action, said that while those topics are important, he hopes the candidates will also address the issues that are on the minds of the majority of Christians – the sanctity of human life and marriage.

“It will be interesting to see the direction that Rick Warren takes these interviews,” Minnery said. “I am not certain that he will get into deeply religious issues with either of these candidates and that would be disappointing. While the issues of HIV/AIDS and climate are interesting, any secular reporter could ask about those.  He ought to ask questions that go deep to the heart of Christianity.”

Minnery said it’s not enough for the candidates to address their remarks in Christian rhetoric; they must explain their voting records.

“One of (Obama’s) strongest positions was against the right for a child, which has survived an abortion to be guaranteed life,” Minnery said. “And (McCain) does say that he supports God’s institution of marriage, but he will not say anything very strongly about marriage.”

Regardless of the forum’s outcome, Minnery is pleased the candidates have chosen to make their first joint appearance in a church.

“That says to me they understand how important men and women of faith are to their chances of winning the White House,” he said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit Saddleback’s Web site to learn more about the event. Watch the event live online at 5 p.m. PST on Aug. 16, 2008.

LINK to Article: http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000007900.cfm#

[Theo]

I tend to agree with this ruling. Apprising.org is all about condemning Christians who don’t agree 100 percent with the guy who publishes that site. Tiring. Seems he’s gone overboard in his slander against other Christians.

[444Flyer]

Thank you for your post #12. It was a joy to read and quite wise and truthful.:)

[raynearhood]

Post #2

Purpose Driven Censorship.

A nearly perfect play on words. When I saw it, I made a gutteral "YAWP!" kind of laughing noise and almost sprayed the screen with my after dinner coffee.

[raynearhood]

Danced in A Chorus Line, DreamGirls, and some other piece... Not sure why he considers his Broadway dancing career relevant but he mentions it on his site.

Well, one thing that we've established about "Purpose Driven Churches" is that they attempt to appeal to sinners' emotions and desires, instead of evangelizing the Truth and allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work of convicting the sinners' conscience. A Chorus Line/Broadway career appeals to "a certain" group of sinner. I'm not trying to be funny, I seriously think that this may be a ploy to get effeminate gay guys to pay attention.

[xzins]

I want to see the article.

Perhaps it is defamatory and libelous. It’s hard to assess that without reading it.

There are libel laws.

[LouD]

Through the magic of Google caching, here's the article, now removed from the website.

[Cacique]

btt

[padre35]

So this person threatened to sue a fellow Christian in a Court of Law?

Hmm...my Bible suggests that such disputes are to handled in House and be adjudicated by Christians, not some man in a woman's robe...

Further evidence that the Warrenites are not particularly bound or even bother to pay any attention to the clear instructions of Scripture.

And yet, there is a horde of so called Christians who claim Warren is some sort of Guru...can they not see the danger in that view?

[steve8714]

Purpose driven Douchebaggery. Rick Warren is the Sandler of Christianity.

[TommyDale]

Their tactics are no different that the $cientologists.

[TommyDale]

Buddygirl, I agree with you completely! It is already happening in some areas, where every church in the area has succumbed to false doctrine. I would rather stay home and study rather than “assemble” with heathen.

[montag813]

I can’t remember the last time I heard Rick Warren utter the word “Christ”. Who is his God? Rick Warren?

[TommyDale]

"Not sure why he considers his broadway dancing career relevant but he mentions it on his site."

To "reach out" to the gay activist and entertainment community for their dollars?

[TommyDale]

Warren has done two shows on Fox News that I know of, and not once did he mention Jesus or Salvation. What exactly is Warren’s ‘purpose’?

[restornu]

Thanks for answering I know many here swear by his research!