Stop Pastor Brad Johnson

his writing and my responses to same.

 

I apologize. I had set 4 writings to auto-post while I was attending a conference last week - - they did NOT post.

 

I will be moderating comments received while I was out of town over the next 24 hours - - i have 34 of them to go through. Thank you all for reading and writing.

 

 

HERE WE GO

FINALLY - - a response from former pastor Brad Johnson of Calvary Community Church.

 

A couple of readers contacted me and informed me that Brad had responded to claims made at this site. They believe I should respond to his comments posted on July 27, 2008 - - titled “Stop Me.” I was out of town all last week and apologize to Brad and my readers for not responding sooner. I do not access the internet when I travel.

 

I am printing Brad’s writing in its entirety and will address section by section as “Brad” then “My Response.”

 

BRAD: A friend told me about the latest website that is out there: stoppastorbradjohnson.com
Interesting, huh? In addition to saying things like, “He should be executed for what he did to the church,” It lists the reasons I should never be a minister again (which I thought all Christians were supposed to be…).

 

MY RESPONSE: We are all supposed to be ministers of God and His Word. There is a difference between a “minister of God’s word” and leading a church or movement. My issue is with you as a leader - - not as a minister.

 

 

BRAD: It’s hurtful, of course. I do know that hurting people tend to hurt people. So, the grace side of me just knows there is trauma from this person’s past that goes far beyond the pain I caused (though, if you read my blog, “I get it” on the pain I caused).

 

MY RESPONSE: I don’t have any traumas short of those that I myself have created. I do not carry forward issues that have taken place in my past nor do I overlay those events upon people in my present. You also have not caused me any pain. I left the building 6 months before you. I was moved to start this site when I learned you were planning on leading again. I have read your blog and it appears “your getting it” regarding the pain you have caused has been severely minimized - - both in the flip manner you address the fixing of the pain in addition to the moving on with life. View the postings by Rick or Jason at my site. These are the words of repentant people. There is nothing in your site that in any way, shape or form mimics such “words from the heart.”

 

 

BRAD: I suspect I know who this person is, and if so, there is so much that can be written about and the full agenda will be fairly clear, once the person is revealed…but the person has chosen to be anonymous. What do you think about that?

 

MY RESPONSE: a) You don’t know who I am. I can tell by our interactions when we are together. Therefore, there is no “so much that can be written about.” b) There is no “full agenda” that you describe. I am not a leader. I am not competing with you. I can’t fathom what any “full agenda” could possibly mean since my only intent in creating this site was to prevent you from leading good people down a bad path. c) In reference to why I remain anonymous, I had no problem putting my name to this blog. People who knew me believed that it could potentially disrupt the integrity of the blog - - thwarting free flow of information and also diverting attention from the stated intention of this site.

 

 

BRAD: So….how to respond to such mean-spirited people (though they say they love me…I guess they would ‘lovingly execute me?’):

 

MY RESPONSE: I am not mean-spirited. If you read my site, you would see over and over again, that I believe you are a truly gifted person, who, once his life is back on track, could make INCREDIBLE in-roads into God’s work. But not at this time.

Regarding the execution statement: I believe child molesters and murderers should be executed, not because I hate them, not because I was molested, not because of retribution but because they can’t be here and because of the seriousness of their crimes. I consider your crimes to be equally serious. It is not hatred that drives this comment; it is a belief that your “crimes against the church” warranted this level of punishment. I am not your judge, jury or deliverer of punishment. I was merely stating an opinion as to what I believed to be appropriate for the damage you brought to so many lives.

 

 

BRAD: 1. First, about this ministry. I’m not a pastor, nor a church leader. LifeChangeCommunity is not a church. We exist to just sit with people who doubt their faith, or whose lives have crashed (by their own doing or not) and they simply can’t believe God loves them or that they can have a fresh start with God. My ministry…to sit with them until they believe. Simple. And it comes from the experience in my life where some people believed ‘for’ me until I could believe again for myself.

 

MY RESPONSE: Great ministry. The problem is you are the leader of this ministry - - not a volunteer with it. With your own life in such disarray you are in no position to lead any person any where. You want to make a difference, go into some big church or some organization where such ministries already exist and help the people they are trying to help - - they are in desperate need of men of your skills and abilities.

 

This “ministry” is about you and the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to. This is not about helping others. At your Christmas in the Park II (my reference to your 2^nd park-held event) you stated that your ministry needed 14,000$ per month. FOR WHAT? For you to return to a new home and new car and be paid to write? There are plenty of similar ministries reaching hundreds, if not thousands of people, on budgets far less than a couple hundred thousand dollars year. Go volunteer somewhere. You say “no one would have you.” You are misstating truth. There are plenty of organizations that would love to have someone who has been there and who also has your ability to speak so eloquently. But no, volunteering is beneath you. You need 168,000$ a year to help people.

 

 

BRAD: 2. If this ministry is of God, who would want to fight against it? If it’s not from God it will fail and I totally would want it to fail, if He is not in it.

 

MY RESPONSE: I am not here to say what God does or does not want, or to question what He may lay on the hearts of men.

 

I have ZERO INTEREST in waiting for another of your projects to fail. Failing is fine for a business - - a few people lose their jobs and have to go out and find another source of income. You busted an entire building. You busted one of the premiere churches in California - - albeit with a little help from people even less able to run that building than you, but YOU DID IT. I don’t want to see hundreds or thousands more of God’s people hurt by your flip comment of “if it’s not His way it will fail…” These are God’s people; not a bunch of jerks you’ve picked up on the side of the road. You still don’t get the damage you caused and the damage you can still cause. I still talk to people who cry over the damage you’ve caused God’s church and to their married relationships. I suspect your ex-wife still cries when she thinks about 20 wasted years. I believe your daughters still cry for the pain and embarrassment you brought into their lives.

 

 

BRAD: 3. I want to be known by what I am for (grace, redemption, being a dad), than to be known by what or WHO I am against. But…different strokes for….

 

MY RESPONSE: I am known for making a difference in people’s lives. This blog is the first time I have ever taken on preventing someone from moving forward. And even this is a misnomer, since this site is about you “getting it” so that you CAN move forward.

 

 

BRAD: 4. I don’t hate this person for doing this and I cite their web page here so they get more readers. I’ve written on every thing that is there, I have no secrets and live in truth…so, I am free from fear. As a human with feelings, sure it bugs me that someone would go to so much trouble and time and investment to do harm. I wish they’d have taken on world hunger, or the Darfur refugee situation, or the fact that 700,000 children in California have no health/medical coverage. But no. Their mission in life is to stop brad johnson. That’s a simple, low level mission. Read it and decide for yourself.

 

MY RESPONSE: I’m glad you do not hate me. I would take you to lunch tomorrow to discuss these same issues. Again, I am not here to do you harm. I have information that could do that and have NO INTEREST in spreading it or causing further hurt in your life.

 

These “other projects” you describe, I contribute to in time and money - - not the exact ones - - but clean drinking wells in Africa, Katrina damage, Habitat for Humanity, etc. This “mission” of Stopping Brad Johnson, is a simple mission that takes little time. But it is absolutely not “low level.” This is about you being prevented from hurting more of God’s people or from leading more of God’s people down the wrong path. It may be a simple mission from a time or money standpoint, but it is anything but simple when you take into account the people it is impacting.

 

 

BRAD: 5. I do wonder, when I am ‘yesterday’s news’ who will this person write AGAINST next? Seems this person has found their calling in being the church police. This person doesn’t respect or trust Elders, and certainly not me. This person insinuates that if allowed to be the singular voice/leader of the church, this person would have saved the day, averted harm and been a perfectly insightful leader. But ALL the leaders failed this person. Kinda impressive, to be so wise, huh?

 

MY RESPONSE: You are not “yesterday’s news.” You have seen to this personally. The actions you undertook prior to your departure from Calvary Community Church are “yesterday’s news.” The actions you are engaging in at this time are “current events.” You are trying to lead. That is my problem.

 

I am not the church police - - what an awful job that would be. But do I want people like you leading?? NOT A CHANCE! Will I do what needs to be done to stop people like you from hurting more good people? Yes I will. There is no “next victim” for me. There is no desire to air church laundry in public. I was only attempting to reach people who knew about you or were looking for you. The title of this site was not stopbadpreachers.com, nor was it Godschurchhasbadpeople.com. It was titled StopPastorBradJohnson.com to prevent you from getting money or gaining benefit prior to being right with God and doing God’s work - - much the same way members of society do not want criminals profiting from books or interviews after they’ve been convicted of heinous crimes.

 

On the issue of the Elders, I respect the Elders’ hearts. I trust their intentions. And my reference was not to all Elders, just the Elders of Calvary. And not just the Elders of Calvary, but specific Elders who do not seem to understand that spending 350,000$ to convert a storage area into an 800 foot room for kids was ridiculous when the job could have been done for 50 or 75 thousand $.

I disrespect how they handled your situation, from the time they first met you to the time you departed. I do not trust their ability to make tough decisions, regarding how to get Calvary back on track. I do not trust their ability to run a 7 million dollar “business.” But they are good people with good hearts, so I pray for them as I do for you.

 

Would I have “saved the day?” From you? Yes. Would the world look a little different? You bet. I wasn’t in the running to be a leader. Your comments lead me to believe that I was somehow competing for your old job. I was never in the running. It was not my “calling,” nor was I ever even on the radar for any type of leadership position at Calvary Community Church - - or any other church for that matter.

 

“All the leaders failed” - - no. but Calvary’s leaders did and you did and we did as members of that church. But your tone here is no different than your tone when people criticized you at Calvary or when negative remarks were sent to your blog. (None of which came from me by the way.) “Find another church.” I have spoken with 7 different people who received this communication from you while you were at Calvary and you once made this comment straight from the pulpit.

You don’t post negative comments to your blog. In reading mine you will notice that I am just as quick to write opposing points of view as I am to post those supporting my position. Your blog only contains “fan mail.” Fan mail is nice. It feels good. It looks good and everybody’s happy as they skip merrily down the beach of Brad’s life - - but it is not real. I don’t love every comment that lands at this site, but I absolutely support the free flow of ideas - - from both sides of the argument. Truth will show up for those who seek it.

 

 

BRAD: 6. I will move forward with a ministry of encouragement, helping people believe in fresh starts with God, I will move forward trying to cover the bodies of those who are being stoned by religious police. And I will give my life pursuing my daughters with love and relationship. And I will give my life everyday continuing to be truthful and authentic. And I will resist the urge to ‘please, placate, care for, rescue’ those who disapprove of me.

 

MY RESPONSE: I don’t want you to stop ministering. I want you to stop leading - - at least for now. I want you to consider recovery (your own personal recovery) and ministry inside another building’s already existing infrastructure.

I am not the religious police. You should see some of the letters I have been unable to post. I am your police. People fail. We are human. It is part of our nature. You still think this is all about you. It isn’t. It’s about Truth. It’s about repentance. It’s about complete recovery. Sit in the audience for a while. Volunteer to help those in need. Get a regular job and do your blog and ministry stuff on the side. I do not want you to please, placate or rescue those who disapprove of you. I do NOT disapprove of you. I disapprove of your current path.

 

 

BRAD: 7. Life is short. If you learn anything in the exchange between that person’s web page and mine….GO BE ‘FOR‘ SOMETHING. Have a voice. Believe in it enough to not be anonymous. Have conviction that you are following the voice of God. Then….live your life fully and with peace.

 

MY RESPONSE: PLEASE Brad, take the time to read through this site again. Read people’s comments - - I know some of it is painful for you. SEE that my site IS “for something.” IT IS FOR YOU. It is for all the great things I know you can do for God and His people. It is not for your present course.

 

 

BRAD: I’m trying. This bit of news was discouraging to me, as a toddler trying to walk again. But, I’m reaching for the edge of the table to pull up once more and I hear my heavenly Father cheering for me to get up and walk….so, that is the voice I’m choosing to listen to today.

Hope you can too. loveyameanitbye.

 

MY RESPONSE: God’s voice is the only voice I ask that you listen to. I’m afraid you are confusing it with Brad’s voice. Drop to your knees and ask God if you’re kool. Ask Him if He wants you to collect 14,000$ a month or if He wants you to help anywhere and everywhere you can. Ask him if you should get a job or if you should be leading this movement. At some point, you will “get it.” I really hope you do. You can do great things in this world. But right now, I don’t think you’re listening to God - - I think you’re listening to Brad and Brad’s ego. Maybe you are listening to God. And if God truly is part of your work, I apologize to both Him and you.

 

I was going to announce this in tomorrow’s blog, but decided to do it today instead. Tomorrow will be my last blog as it pertains to you. Over the next 24 hours I will be posting comments that came in while I was out of town. I will be posting about your Christmas in the Park II that took place on July 26^th. And I will be finished.

 

I believe my work here is done. 

 

 

I did not start this site to hound you nor to hurt you.

 

 

I got your attention.

I got the attention of your readers and of Calvary’s leadership.

I have stated my purpose in the most clean, concise and truthful manner I know.

I have raised the issues that needed to be raised and addressed issues of people such as Soren and numerous other readers who have sent comments to this site.

Heidi has terminated her site. (This was actually unintentional, but seems to have forwarded good.)

 

Re this post: Once tomorrow’s writings and people’s comments have been added, this blog will most likely become an inspirational site, or some type of site that may help people through issues they are dealing with, or maybe just give people some messages about God and His desires for our lives.

 

Thank you - - all of you who have been reading and responding. And thank you Brad for writing.

 

Out.

 

May God continue to bless all your lives.

 

Richard

4 Comments, leave yours!

 

Below please find a writing from Soren. Followed by a gentleman named Rick and a woman named Nancy. I post Rick’s and Nancy’s comments after MY RESPONSE to Soren’s comments. I believe both Rick’s and Nancy’s responses to be highly representative of comments I receive on a daily basis - - many of which bear requests that I NOT post for various reasons.

 

Soren is VERY critical of my position and of this site. Soren works for a well respected university within 1 hour of Westlake Village. The piece contained no swear words and brought up important issues that others may be too afraid to bring up (worrying about me spamming or something). Thus my desire to address these issues in the most open forum possible – the blog itself. Soren’s piece is posted here EXACTLY as sent to me - - minus the email address. The “Jason” refered to in the address is the Jason who wrote the letter that I posted directly to this blog on July 17 entitled True Repentance - - which I felt was an extremely well worded writing.

 

I thank Soren for making several very clearly stated points. I am also thankful for sharing that appears to be ”from the heart” - - which pours out in the writing and for having the courage to post something that, many would agree, confronts my stated position.

 

Comments from people bearing Soren’s point of view are not necessarily right or wrong, but they give us (me) an opportunity to look into our own (my own) heart(s) to ensure that our actions are correlate with our words and that those actions come from a position of love of others as opposed to a position of ill-will or attempts for retribution. Rick’s and Nancy’s writings probably do a better job than mine in confirming the loving position of many readers of this blog.

 

Thank you all for reading, commenting, and your continued support.

 

Paul or Jason,

 

Do you see what you are doing? You are giving these people a chance to keep all of these things alive. What Brad did was wrong? What the church did was even more wrong? No one has the right the to call others out on their sins, lest they be without it. And clearly none of these people are without it. Imagine being Brad reading this, how would you feel if someone started a blog to discuss all of the horrible things you have done? You are polluting peoples minds with hatred for your own praise. “I went to the elders and told them Brad would bring about its downfall,” well congratulations man, you are no martyr, you deserve no medals, you recognized that a man was a man and he sins. Crimes against the Church? That Church ruined more lives then it helped, believe me I can vouch for that. There were more people sitting in that audience that fateful day who were guilty of the same sins that Brad committed than not. Those people go to church every Sunday in their BMW’s and Mercedes Benz, and hear stories of the blind man at the city gate, and the Pharisees and they don’t realize God is screaming at them, “Listen you fools, this is you, you are these people, change!” Hypocrites is what they are, I have seen it, I lived in Westlake, I know the people, they all have sinned against God. They have all committed adultery in some way. Yet the refuse to accept the fact that someone else had. We live in an age of justification my friends, and you are in the world and of it. To justify doing something as sick as this in order to “help others” you must be joking? Enjoy your rewards, for you have made yourselves the great Pharisees of this town, the men people look to for answers, to ask “who are we better than?” So rest easy that you have made yourselves gods for people who do nothing but worship false idols, enjoy it.

 

 

MY RESPONSE: this first 2 blue paragraph response is from a friend named Dixon. He still attends Calvary and is a better man than I - - as you will clearly see by his brief yet to-the-point response.

 

I agree with her [Soren’s] sentiment on many levels.  Yes, we are all hypocrites, yes we all fall short, yes we are mortal, imperfect beings.  And yes, even the ones that preach from a position of power fail from time to time.  However, the bible is clear that people that are the teachers of the word are held to a higher standard.  Yes, they do deserve forgiveness and we should not judge their intent for forgiveness, but we can only use the tools that we have as human beings to determine someone’s genuine intent for redemption. 

 

If I were in Brad’s shoes, of course I would not like the accusations and the words that are spoken about me, however I would say to myself that I deserve this punishment and I did this, not God.  Everything that I do that is good comes from God, everything that I do that falls short of God’s intention, is my doing and I need to take responsibility for my actions.  I feel for Brad as a fallen brother and I love him as a brother, but I do think that he could potentially do harm if he teaches the word, but doesn’t clearly understand the word.

 

MY RESPONSE to Soren

 

This blog is not about me pointing out a sinner. Brad Johnson and everyone else is aware of his sins.

 

I have claimed to be no better than him. I’m just guilty of performing sins other than adultery.

 

I am posting your letter because this is an open forum and I want people to see how former pastor Brad Johnson’s actions are NOT unique and DO bring to our attention that we are all equally guilty of various versions of falling short of God’s expectations.

 

I totally accept Brad Johnson’s human nature as I am constantly apologizing for my own. And acceptance of Brad’s humanness was the primary reason that my answer to the question “What do you think about Brad?” has always begun - - “Brad’s a man. Men sin. Brad sinned.”

 

The problem comes in 2 forms and you mention 1 - - “There were more people sitting in that audience that fateful day who were guilty of the same sins that Brad committed than not.” Based upon statistics, there is a very real possibility that this is a true statement. We do sin - - all of us. And while any sin hurts ourselves – even if no one else, the person sinning in this particular situation was a man in a position of trust - - not some clown shmoeing down the street.

 

God may very-well have used a man of Brad Johnson’s popularity to offer sinners (myself included) the chance to say - - “Hold-it. I MYSELF am sinning. This is not okay. Forgive me.”

 

There are some who will fail to acknowledge their own sins – even in the face of Brad’s indiscretions, yet who can be very quick to jump others for theirs. But if you read the majority of writings posted on this site, one can clearly see that many writers are acknowledging their sins and have taken full responsibility for them. This is still missing with Brad. He speaks the words of regret and remorse yet 2 sentences later offers that he is being vilified. People who accept responsibility do not make statements such as “I was at fault, BUT…” Their statements end with “fault” followed by a period.

 

This post is NOT about crucifying Brad Johnson; it is about preventing a man from re-entering God’s world on a public platform before he has accepted his own sins and the damage they have caused.

 

Be clear, I do NOT want former pastor Brad Johnson teaching or leading anyone anywhere until he “gets it.” I am not justifying my behavior. I’m saying it ain’t okay for a cop to be on the police force if he is dealing drugs. And it ain’t okay for Brad Johnson to be leading others when he is unable to guide himself.

 

I don’t want any medals or accolades. I want the people who are in charge - - whether at Calvary Community Church, or anywhere else of authority, to understand that they HAVE TO hold themselves to a higher standard. If they don’t want to or can’t do this, then just join the rest of us in the audience.

 

On the issue of martyrdom: When I warned of potential damage to Calvary, I did not want to be right. I was bringing attention to various danger signs to people who could have altered future. I would have been more than happy to have been completely wrong. I point out that I was right in the hopes that the Elders of Calvary (and maybe even others running other buildings) understand that they had, and have, culpability - - as did I, for the ensuing mess.

 

Westlake, San Francisco, New Jersey. These sins happen every day and everywhere. And as Christians we are trying to get it right. This is very different from being the guy in charge trying to get it right - - he should already be better - - not necessarily perfect, but definitely better than me - - that’s why I sit in the audience instead of stand on stage.

 

Last but not least, the leaders of the church are ordered by the Bible to call this matter out. They did the job they were supposed to do. It was not easy for them. They did not have fun doing it. And it was a VERY difficult decision for them to actually accept the job of doing it. I know these people and while I may be critical of some of their operating methods in other arenas of church business, I know for a fact that this part of the process was handled according to God’s laws and against the innate desires of these people to “just get on with life.” There was NOTHING easy about the decision to “out” Brad’s issues nor the process of “outing” them.

 

That man, Brad Johnson, canNOT stand in front of a room and preach “no adultery” while committing adultery any more than a thief can stand and preach honesty.

 

I sit in the audience because I’m trying to get it right. I sin. I apologize before God and those impacted and I try to get it right – again.

 

This site is not about hurting this man or keeping wounds open; it is about ensuring that Brad Johnson has accepted responsibility for his actions, is truly apologetic before those he hurt and before God, PRIOR TO accepting any new leadership roles. Brad Johnson is not yet ready to lead any person any where. I wish I were wrong. I would give anything to be wrong - - because this man can make an incredible impact on God’s people. But I am not wrong and, at this time, Brad is only in a position to cause additional damage.

 

 

LETTER FROM RICK

 

My brother,
A fellow who shares teaching responsibilities with me in Christian Recovery asked me to go to Yahoo and put in Pastor Brad Johnson. To my surprise your site was at the top of the list. Well placed positioning on your part.
What I found interesting are not the war stories that are typically shared in a tragedy such as Brad’s. What struck me are the supporting articles that spell out the thinking that goes in to the hiring of senior pastors. There are articles spelling out Brad’s management style. Very interesting approach to reducing staff and raising up volunteers. A great concept when the congregation is on fire and there is a desire to step out in service.
I came to Calvary after 15 years at another local church. Our pastor was asked to leave and it ripped the church in half. Some sided with the outgoing pastor who had been there for years and others welcomed a change.
Families took sides and relationships that I held close were lost. People scattered and those who were disgusted with the break up process found other places to worship or left organized religion.
I am a firm believer in strict accountability. People will fail and people will fall. When they go, the residual damage is widespread.
I know of a half dozen churches in the valley where the senior pastor made a similar choice. I know of another half dozen churches who, after better than a year of searching, have not found the right choice. Is the candidate pool that small?
What does that say?
The men who take the step of leadership are at risk. Satan throws a party when a leader trips and falls.
We need to get close to the people we ask to serve. If you sense there is something not right, pray on it and then approach him. I do not know Brad but the signs were evident to most that this brother was in trouble.
If he chooses to avoid accountability then address it, bring others to the process and get to the bottom of it.
If I have learned anything with the departure of my former pastor and the fall out from Brad is that these were the result of leaders not taking instruction or being accountable.
I have read a number of comments where people at Calvary state “I tried to get close to Brad.” That is a major RED flag.
I checked in with Brad’s site today and I am embarrassed for him. It looks like the gateway to a Hallmark Card convention and if someone close was to say to him, brother you need to get away from the sunsets and start the real process of recovery that would be a genuine act of accountability.
Don’t get me wrong I long for sunsets but the time has come to step back from the computer and join the others in the recovery process.
The next time you see someone at church and you ask how they are doing and they give you that Sunday morning response, grab them by the hand, look them in the eyes and tell them I am asking because I care and want to know how you are.
We do more of that we will do less of this.
Blessings,
Rick

 

 

LETTER FROM NANCY

 

I want to thank you for posting this site. My husband and I have tried over the years to keep in touch with Brad & Kim. All of a sudden we could not get any info. Finally we found Brad’s Blog and we were so hurt and sad. This was not the same person that we knew that was our friend and pastor in the 1990’s. Don’t get me wrong, we still love and care for him, but we just did not know what to say to him at this time. The way he explains things and the language he uses, are just shocking. I guess this is just a reminder to all of us just how powerful Satan can be when we let our guard down. All I can say is that my husband and I will continue to keep Brad and his family in our prayers and I encourage others to do the same. Perhaps if we all pray that God will send the Holy Spirit in a mighty way to burden his heart, a miracle will happen.
In Christian Concern,

Nancy

 

 

Thank all 3 of you for your comments. Thank you also to everyone else who read and post to this blog. The mere fact that I may not publish (or be able to publish) your writings does not minimize their value to God and His work. Peace.

 

 

 

16 Comments, leave yours!

Good Morning

 

Just a short note regarding comments, names, and emails.

 

When someone sends a comment regarding former pastor Brad Johnson or one of my posts - - whether to the blog or addressing a particular individual’s comments - - it will be posted unless requested otherwise or it contains hate inducing phraseology or swear words.

 

I cannot edit a comment unless I post it to the blog itself. So any comments that have been posted in the “leave a comment” section are “as written.”

 

I will NEVER share email address of commenters.

 

I will NEVER abuse a commenter’s email merely because their opinion may differ from mine.

 

I will NEVER post a name of a commenter - - however, it is important to know that in the establishing of your email, you should try to be careful not to include your last name - - just not a good idea from a general safety standpoint.

 

When I “post” a comment I have 3 buttons, approve (post), unapproved, delete. There is no button marked edit, so once “approve” is clicked the comment posts. So I cannot approve part of a comment or correct misspellings or edit out swear words - - therefore a number of comments have not been posted.

 

Also, I will always email everyone who writes unless they are writing to respond to the comments of another. I will inform them that their comments have been posted.

 

I have noticed some of my outbound emails have “bounced back” as undeliverable. I understand the desire to not be spammed or not receive harassing emails - - but I promise to NEVER engage in these practices nor to make your emails available to the public so they can. But especially for emails marked “private,” I know that you would like to know that your email has been received and read and maybe even receive comments regarding your email and if you are using a phantom email or have blocked my address, then you can’t be part of my information loop. And if your comments contained something that would be patently objectionable or would promote any type of violence toward any person or entity, I can’t write you to inform you as to why your comments were not posted.

 

It only takes a minute to set up a quick yahoo, hotmail or gmail account. Be sure to leave your last name off. Then, with such an account, you can just terminate it if anything objectionable starts to pour in.

 

Thank you for your attention.

 

This week begins the week of critiquing former pastor Brad Johnson’s blog.

 

Thank you for reading, commenting and forwarding.

 

There are 0 comments, leave one!