Think no more?

Those of you who read the early days of “House of Horne” and its previous version, “Cogito Ergo Blog”, may be under the impression that very little “thinking things through” takes place in the Horne household these days. In the early going, I posted frequently on a range of topics. Over time, the site has morphed into something more akin to a family journal, a constantly updated Christmas letter.

Now, I don’t view this change as negative, but I did want to offer an explanation. In January of 2003 I became a ruling elder at our church, Town North Presbyterian Church. Since that time, I have discovered that most of my energy spent on writing down thoughts has been directed at preparing lessons for Sunday School and writing position papers for the Session. Though I’ve contemplated posting a paper now and then, I tend to want to err on the side of discretion. If I’m trying to influence or dialogue with fellow elders at a particular church on a topic, it feels awkward to broadcast my view before a mutual decision is reached. Once such a decision is reached, it still doesn’t seem appropriate to broadcast my views, particularly if my thoughts diverge from the consensus position.

Over time, I would think that a couple things will alleviate this set of issues. First, my sense of discretion will hopefully become more refined, thus allowing me a better sense of when my thoughts can be freely shared. Second, as certain topics age, I may feel the liberty to go back and post what I had written.

In reality, though, I’m guessing that the audience of this site has changed with the content, so that there isn’t exactly pent up demand for my ramblings…

5 Replies to “Think no more?”

  1. For what it’s worth, nobody ever posted comments on my site when I would put serious thought into my entries, so I would say the “constantly updated Christmas letter” theme really works in my blogging world too. Then again I rarely said many relevant things even when I did have a personal epiphany.

    That having been said, I still think often about your NIV Psalms critique Jay, but I can’t seem to find it in the archives. I thought it was called “Drunken Yahweh” or “God Gets Pissed” or something else along those lines, but I just can’t locate it.

  2. I’ve always appreciated your ramblings! Serving as a RE is a little like being a father. You don’t really know what it does to your “free time” until after you’re committed.

  3. I think you are wise to leave thoughts unposted if they are in discussion with your church. I’m sure the temptation must be there to air all of your thinking on issues of controversy, and possible on how dumb the other guy’s position is. You are showing great love and respect for your brothers there through your discretion.

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