calebb's Journal: Karma is a funny thing...

There are a LOT of Slashdot readers that seem to be obsessed with their karma. Just look at the FAQ & how many A's are devoted to karma Q's! Browse through a recent article & you'll likely find someone who claims they were the original karma-in-signature poster. Bah.

HOWEVER, despite people being obsessed with something as pointless as karma on a tech website, it does seem to do it's job... very well. I generally read /. comments at +1 & I rarely run into trolls or offensive posters. That's the point, right? Keep the average Joe reader from having to sort through garbage. In 5 minutes or less I can generally skim through all the 'gems' in the comment section & gain a lot of insight on the posted article.

Of course, the whole reason I decided to post this is that my karma just became excellent ;-) This means that my comments are generally informative to people - so now I get a +2 bonus & my comments will be noticed by more people. I hope others gain some insight when I make useful posts - And while I don't attempt to openly evangelize in my comments, I do try to post with the character that Jesus has given me by His sacrifice. I believe that being myself (a person who has been transformed not by himself, but 100% by the grace of Jesus) WILL make a difference, even on Slashdot!

Karma & Moderation (Score:5, Informative)
by Slashdot (1) on Wednesday, April 12, 2000, @1:30PM

Sounds good

[mskfisher]

Excellent (pun intended) - we need more Christians posting on Slashdot.
Your comments reminded me of what my pastor was teaching last night. He taught on meeting people where they are at - relating to them on their level. He drew his example from Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well. He used the water - her circumstances, her interest - to get her attention, and that was what it took to get her to listen. Most times, people won't respond to "You're going to HELL if you don't repent, you SIN

Tact

[Trevalyx]

I have to agree with your pastor. If we always approach non- Christians with a fire- and- brimstone speech, we'll likely scare many more away than we attract, and those attracted can do so more out of a sense of fear that developes into a false faith, rather than a solid- based understanding of God that is to be valued.
This isn't to say, however, that we should always strive to be unoffensive. Often times, a more direct approach is called for. The shock of the blunt statement, "You are a sinner, your natu

Re:Tact

[mskfisher]

I agree completely. Fortunately, we don't need to know who will be responsive to what type of approach - the Holy Spirit will direct us as need be. That's pretty awesome.

Re: false faith: again, good call. Jesus didn't say "go convert all the world," He said "Go make disciples of all the world (Matthew 28:19)" That requires follow-up, and attention, and care. Leading someone to the knowledge of Jesus Christ isn't enough - you're commanded to stick with them and help them into a committed relationship.

Good comments! (long reply!)

[calebb]

Those are both very good points; Sensitivity vs. gracefully explaining the whole gospel. I've thought a LOT about those & here are my thoughts.

Billy Graham is sold-out to Jesus. He has an awesome ministry & I believe he is annointed & appointed to do what he's doing. However, in a class I once took, we looked at the differences between the revivals started by Charles Finney & those started by Billy Graham;

Clearly, US culture was a lot different in the 1800's, but 20 years after Finn