Just a few comments about comments: I have changed internet mail servers and now sometimes comments take several days to reach my inbox. Sometimes the WordPress programme that Ancient Faith has set up for my blog sends a legitimate comment into the spam folder, and I do not see it at all unless I go rooting through the collected spam and retrieve it. Given that I have a real job in running a parish, the unpaid work of blogging and rooting through spam folders of necessity must sometimes wait in line until I have time to do it.
My policy is to post all comments, provided that they are 1) concise; 2) on topic, and 3) civil.
If a comment is not concise to the point where its length rivals that of the original post, it will not be posted. The comment may be wonderful and valuable, but its proper place is on your own blog, not the comments section of mine. It is not possible to adequately respond to comments of that length, and such response is whole point of the comments section.
If a comment is off topic because my post triggered something in you and you feel compelled to express yourself, that is fine, but once again, the proper place for it is your own blog. The comment section of any blog is set up to allow for clarification, debate, and elaboration of the original post. Hobby horses must be ridden elsewhere.
If a comment is rude or uncivil it will not be posted. Logging on to a blog’s comments section is a bit like entering someone’s home, and no sane person would allow a stranger to enter their home for the sole purpose of abusing, denouncing, or insulting them. If my blog post leads you to conclude that I am evil, dangerous, heretical, or generally terrible, please feel free to say so on your own blog.
Like other clergy blogging on Ancient Faith, my blog posts are a part of my preaching ministry. We do not blog out of a desire to pontificate or as a form of therapy, but because we are clergy and clergy are required by their office to teach. Comments on the blog are therefore like comments in the church hall over coffee after Liturgy: I am happy to hear feedback from my sermon, and happy to receive comments on my blog post. Both allow me the opportunity to interact with thoughtful people I care about and to correct misunderstandings in what I meant to say.
About Fr. Lawrence Farley
Fr. Lawrence serves as pastor of St. Herman's Orthodox Church in Langley, BC. He is also author of the Orthodox Bible Companion Series along with a number of other publications.