Toward a Forum Philosophy for SI, Part 2

Read Part 1.

This article is the second in a series on forum philosophy from a Christian point of view. The series aims to lay some philosophical groundwork as part of the process of finding a new Forums Director for SI. It also aims to build unity around some of the why’s and wherefore’s of forum administration, consider biblical principles that should govern how we speak to one another, and wrestle with issues like respecting others’ expertise, anonymity, and limits on free speech.

Egalitarianism

“Liberté! Égalité! Fraternité!” Such was the cry of the newly empowered common man during the French Revolution. “Liberty! Equality! Brotherhood!” Historians debate how often these words were used in this combination, but the motto certainly captures the spirit of the time—especially the égalité (equality) part. Jean Jacques Rousseau had trumpeted the equality concept years before in his 1762 book Social Contract. Some, though, see égalité in a much older source.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28, NKJV).

Whatever the idea’s origins, égalité caught on. In the eighteenth century, the concept developed into mature egalitarianism. Initially, being an egalitarian meant you believed that all human beings were equally entitled to (and equally subject to) due process of law, regardless of social standing, political power, or anything else. Who today would argue with that? But sadly the idea of equal right to due process eventually became entangled in sentimental idealism and general sloppiness. The result is that today’s popular egalitarianism is a breeding ground for all sorts of confusion. Rousseau never envisioned a school play in which all the actors have the leading role. Twenty-five Snow Whites and no dwarfs (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364265,00.html#).

The Trouble with Popular Egalitarianism

Today’s popular egalitarianism is slogan driven. Truly weighty phrases like “We’re all equal!” and “We’re all one in Christ!” are reduced to mere slogans and used as a plea for justice one moment while being completely ignored the next. And the sloganeers never ask the critical questions: “equal in what way?” or “one (in Christ) in what sense?” The result is arbitrary pursuit of ill-understood equality.

“Equal in what way?” and “one in what sense?” are the critical questions because individuals are never equal in every sense, nor are Christians ever “one in Christ” in every sense. Yes, the Eighteenth-century proponents of égalité were correct (and the modern egalitarians, too) that some differences among people do not affect their actual rights and ought not to alter the honoring of those rights. But slogan-driven egalitarianism routinely overlooks the fact that some differences do alter some rights and require unequal treatment.

Differences That Affect Rights

At least three kinds of differences fit into this rights-altering category—differences in ability, differences in authority, and differences in character.

1. Differences in Ability

Even the most passionate egalitarian would not enter a hospital waiting room mid-heart attack, select someone at random, and say, “Here’s a knife. Operate on me! I don’t need some fancy surgeon with highfalutin book learnin’!” In situations like these, people readily see that individuals are unequal in skills. Some people have a superior ability to perform certain tasks, and possessing those superior skills also gives them special rights.

For example, at an accident scene, an M.D. has the right to tell others to step aside so he can attend to those injured. Similarly, if I were to attend a round table discussion on golf technique with Tiger Woods and several other PGA regulars, my right to speak would not equal that of the others at the table even if the discussion were open to the public and the seat were available. In that situation, my rights are limited not by my official lack of credentials but by my actual lack of competence. Since the purpose of the discussion is to talk about golf technique, I’m wasting everyone’s time if I insist on waxing eloquent just because I’ve seen golf on TV and can pronounce a few golf words (like “club,” “swing,” and “tee”)! If I spoke at all, my best contribution would be to ask a question or two, then listen and learn. After all, the only golfing I’ve ever done is the putt-putt kind—and I stunk at that!

2. Differences in Authority

Inequalities of authority exist in life as well, and differences in legitimate authority always result in different rights. For example, even on the “left coast,” few parents would stand by while a neighbor stepped into their home and instructed their children to brush their teeth and head off to bed. A neighbor simply has no right, even if he’s a parent himself. He lacks the right to behave that way because in someone else’s home, he has no authority. Examples of unequal authority resulting in unequal rights are all around us. A police officer has the right to pull me over if he believes I’ve violated traffic laws. But in most places, I have no right to pull him over for the same reasons. In a ball game, the referee has a right to throw the coach out of the game. But as a player, I have no right to throw anybody out of the game.

3. Differences in Character

People also differ widely in character. Regardless of the question of who is or isn’t qualified to judge character, we all recognize that in many situations character qualifies or disqualifies someone from having a particular role and his rights change accordingly. Once again, examples abound. Motorists repeatedly caught driving under the influence lose the right to drive. Convicted felons permanently lose the right to own firearms. Parents who abuse their children lose the right to keep them.

The Bible and Differences

In the Bible we find that people are different by design and that these differences require unequal treatment in certain situations. Because they are gifted by the Spirit, believers have different abilities in the church setting. The differences in their gifts mean they are not equally qualified to do the same things and do not have equal rights to do the same things. One lacking in teaching gifts does not have a right to teach, etc.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching. (Rom. 12:6-7)

Scripture is also clear that differences in authority exist by God’s design and that these differences result in different rights. Children are to obey parents (Eph. 6:1), wives are to obey husbands (Tit. 2:5), believers are to obey “those who have the rule over” them (Heb. 13:17), and all are to obey “the governing authorities” (Rom. 13:1). Whenever one person has the responsibility of obedience, another has the responsibility of direction and the latter has a right to command (limited though that right may be), while the former does not.

On inequality of character, Scripture is likewise clear. Many of the Proverbs depend on the principle that a substantial difference exists between the wise and the unwise (fools, simpletons, scoffers and sluggards). And Proverbs contains numerous calls to treat fools differently from how we treat others (16:22, 17:16, 19:10, 26:4-8). The New Testament also recognizes that some rights differ based on character. The offices of elder and deacon are open only to those who meet the qualifications (Tit. 1:5-9, 1 Tim. 3:8-13). Lacking the requirements means one has no right to aspire to the office.

Implications for Forum Philosophy

The fact that people are unequal in ability, authority, and character has some implications for how forums ought to operate. Unequal ability means that we are not all equally qualified to speak on every subject. Some possess superior knowledge and skill in one area or another and, as a result, are “more entitled” to post and more likely to be worth reading. Since our goal as believers is to speak in ways that edify rather than degrade (Eph. 4:29), we have less right to speak on any occasion when we are less likely to speak helpfully. This reality doesn’t mean a Christian forum should institute rules or build processes that gather members’ credentials, require special treatment for them, and attempt to silence the less qualified. It does mean they should encourage attitudes of humility, respect, and deference in every way possible.

Unequal authority also means that forum members do not all have the same rights. Since legitimate authority resides in those who operate the forum, those assigned to the task of enforcing the rules have legitimate authority to do so. They have a right to carry out whatever penalties are in place when they believe violations have occurred. In some forums, it’s common to see posters complain about moderators “using the moderator stick.” But those who understand the reality of unequal authority know that using the “stick” is a moderator’s responsibility (therefore, his right) and that such complaining is nonsense. In a Christian forum, the right of those in authority to exercise authority should be highly respected.

Unequal character also has implications for forum life. This principle means members forfeit rights if they exhibit malicious attitudes, make false claims to believe in the community’s defining ideas, or misbehave in various other ways.

The Matter of Rules

As for SI Forum rules, the details of what of kinds of policies and procedures these principles recommend are yet to be determined. Most of the rules are already in place. Forum behavior at SI compares favorably to just about anything else on the Web (if you know where they do better, do tell me. I want to find out how they do it), so I don’t see a boatload of new rules on our horizon. In any case, we’re better off regulating things internally rather than externally whenever possible. Finding new ways to build a stronger culture of respect in the forums (along with optimizing existing policing efforts) is a better route than multiplying regulations.

Given the solid forum community SI already has, I’m confident that we can continue to grow in these areas. As for examining biblical principles that should govern our speech (especially Proverbs) and the matter of anonymity, these and other matters will be the subjects of future articles in this series.

Aaron Blumer, a native of lower Michigan, is a graduate of Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC) and Central Baptist Theological Seminary (Plymouth, MN). He, his wife, and their two children live in a small town in western Wisconsin, where he has pastored Grace Baptist Church (Boyceville, WI) since 2000. Prior to serving as a pastor, Aaron taught school in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and served in customer service and technical support for Unisys Corporation (Eagan, MN). He enjoys science fiction, music, and dabbling in software engineering.