The Bible NETWork ~ Impacting the World for Christ one post at a time!

Before registering or posting in any of our forums please take the time to read through the following Purpose Statement & Code of Conduct. If after reading you have questions please do not hesitate to let one of the staff know. If you do not think that you can abide by these guidelines please do not register. Thanks :)

The Bible.org Forum and Its Vision

The Bible.org forum is a strategic resource designed to meet a variety of needs in the international Christian community and to serve as a lighthouse of the grace and truth of God found in Jesus Christ as revealed through the Holy Bible. This forum is administered and moderated by friends and volunteers of bible.org who are committed to provide a location near the city gates where individuals can gather to ask questions, to share ideas and best practices, to encourage one another, to talk strategy, and to provide informal Christian education. When people visit the bible.org forum we want them to be built up in the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ by the time they leave. Regardless of culture or Christian tradition, we want them to consider the forum as a place of integrity to which they will want to return.

As with any community the forum needs volunteers to help moderate the discussions to ensure successful accomplishment of its vision. If the forum fails to hold its administrators, moderators, members and guests accountable to the basic principles of respectful interaction, the credibility and integrity of the forum is undermined. Unfortunately, the overall credibility and integrity of bible.org can likewise be impacted even though the opinions of those posting on the forum are the views of the author and do not represent the opinions of the scholars on bible.org. This can not be allowed to happen and the administrator(s) and the moderators will do their best to keep this from happening.

Purpose Statement & Code of Conduct

The purpose of this public forum is to further the ministry and vision of Bible.org to help one-another in evangelism and the Christian maturing process, so we all will finish the task that Christ expects us to accomplish here on earth. It is also a safe place for those who are genuinely searching for answers concerning the Christian faith to come and interact with believers. However, while moderators and our general user population acts as a community to promote a "safe place" Bible.org makes no claim as to the safety or privacy of any data entered, transferred or stored on the forum because this is a public internet site and "wolves in sheep's clothing" can register. In addition, all data entered and/or stored on the forum is considered released to bible.org for its use as it works to fulfill its vision statement above. All registered users accept the fact that forum software cannot be made to assure privacy so there is no expectation of privacy for any transaction made by the user. (Note: this includes private forums and pm's) Please remember this is NOT a Christian apologetics forum where Christians have to constantly defend the Faith. As the forum grows and matures we may add a Christian apologetics section to help other Christians learn how to defend the faith. A list of reputable Christian Apologetics sites will be coming soon. As such there are a few guidelines that we request that all members and guests who chose to utilize this forum follow:

1) Please do not post any messages that harass, insult, belittle, or threaten another member or guest. Kindness and respect is required of all who choose to use any of our forums. This includes but is not limited to: threatening God's judgment on another member, condemning someone to hell, questioning someone's personal salvation, as well as "name-calling."

2) Please be open and honest in all your posting. Remember this is not the place for meaningless debate, but for questions and answers with a little discussion thrown in.

3) If you are posting an answer to another post, please try to use scriptures where appropriate. Also, please cite the version which you are quoting (e.g. NET, NIV, NKJ, KJV, etc.). Failure to do so will result in your quote being changed to the NET version. Do not post excessively long lists of scriptural references without discussing the scriptures in question. Doing so may result in the removal of such lists from your post.

If you are quoting from an extra-biblical source you must acknowledge that you are quoting someone else and cite the source or indicate that you are quoting from a source you cannot identify. Failure to do so will result in removal of the quote. In general, please refrain from quoting more than two (2) paragraphs from a single extra-biblical source. You may post a link to the source of your quote so long as the linked site complies with other provisions of the forum's Code of Conduct (see especially Code of Conduct #11). Violation of these provisions will result in your post being edited. Further violation of these provisions after a warning has been issued will result in the complete removal of the offending posts without notice.

4) Any posts that are deemed to be intentionally offensive or to have been made for the sole purpose of provoking a high volume of responses will be removed. Please do not post comments or links to other sites that are disrespectful or dismissive of Christianity, that misrepresent Christianity, or that are considered blasphemous or heretical by orthodox Evangelical Christians in general and by the forum staff in particular. This includes links to websites in profiles and signatures. Forum staff reserve the right to remove without notice any website link or address that is deemed inappropriate.

5) Please refrain from cross-posting the same message in multiple forums. If you would like your post moved to another section of the website please send a message to one of our moderators. We will be glad to move your post for you. Duplicate threads may be locked or removed.

6) This site is not to be used as a place to advertise your personal businesses. This includes links in your profile or signature. If you have posted a business link in either place and are not an active member of the forum, your link will be deleted.

7) Please do not post comments in the forum regarding actions that a moderator has either taken or not taken in a moderating capacity. If you would like to provide feedback to the moderators or to the site administrator, please use the forum's personal messaging (PM) system or e-mail.

Likewise, please do not use the forum to voice complaints about other forum members. If you have such a complaint, direct it to one of the moderators or to the site administrator using the forum's personal messaging (PM) system or e-mail.

8) Each member may register only one username. Creating multiple usernames using multiple e-mail addresses is not allowed. If a member is found to be posting with multiple usernames, all but the oldest one will be deleted without notice.

9) Please do not take offense if you are asked by a moderator, administrator, or another member to explain exactly what you are trying to say. In this mode of communication it is not always easy to understand one another correctly. If you are asked to clarify your comments, please do so to the best of your ability. This will help alleviate many misunderstandings.

10) There are times when it may be necessary for a Moderator to edit a member's post. If this happens, the moderator will send a pm to the member with the reason for the edit. The moderator will also make any necessary adjustments to the members post stating the post has been edited. Such as: Edited by moderator These may not be the exact words used but the post will be annotated to show that it was edited. Please DO NOT re-edit your post to remove any changes made by a staff member.

11) Concerning linking to external sites within postings: External web sites may be used as a reference when quoting from the site, (at the discretion of the staff) however please do not use our forums to self-promote your articles and beliefs or other ministries without written permission. Please know that the staff can and does check every link provided whether in post format or in your profiles. Links can and will be removed from either place without further notice if we feel that they are self promoting, doctrinally unsound, or used instead of interacting within the forum. If you are warned concerning this action and continue to abuse this privilege further action will be taken.

If you choose to add a theological based url to your profile or post, your site must contain a Statement of belief of some kind in order for it to remain.

12) We request that as you post please refrain from posting in red. This is the color that our staff uses when conducting official forum business. Posting in red will result in your font color being changed to the standard black color. Thank you for your understanding.

13)This forum is not for you if you see yourself as a teacher and not a learner (I Cor. 4:6-13). If the primary purpose of your participation is not to grow in maturity and help others grow as well, please do not participate.

14)As a privately owned board, the staff reserves the right to modify the posting abilities of individuals. The staff also reserves the right to refuse access to any or all of these message boards.

15)We have a strict NO SPAM, NO FLOOD policy. Please refrain from posting SPAM and FLOODING our boards with the same message, over and over. FLOODING is also defined as posting multiple messages one after another for any reason, including but not limited to flooding with the intent to bypass the post length restriction. If you are found to be "SPAMMING" using the PM (Personal Message) system, your ability to access this service will be denied.

SPAM is defined as any Unsolicited Messages that are sent to either 1 or a multitude of people!

16)Concerning post length:

Please try to keep each post no more than 500 words or 5000 characters. Failure to comply will result in either the edit or removal of the offending post. The staff reserves the right to make judgment calls on a case by case basis. When in doubt pm a moderator of the room you are posting in and ASK FIRST!

If you have written a study and/or article that you want reviewed please use the Articles/Studies from Other Places forum.

17Concerning PM's: PM's or personal messages are a privilege and not a right. Please refrain from using the provided PM system instead of interacting with people on the board. As stated above please do not use the PM system to SPAM another member. Please refrain from trying to bypass restrictions within the board by using the PM system. If it is discovered that a member is using the PM system in place of the board, or is using the PM system to promote other discussion forums, or is using the PM system as a way to circumvent this Code of Conduct then that individuals ability to use the PM system may be altered. Thank you for your understanding.

Instances where posts will be deleted or edited immediately include but is not limited to the following:

1) Posts where one member is reminding other members of the rules of the forum.
2) Posts where one member asserts that other members are violating rules of the forum.
3) Posts where one member passes judgment on the value of another member's post.
4) Posts where one member passes judgment on the motives of another member.
5) Posts where one member slanders a person's reputation or threatens God's judgment upon another member.
6) Posts where a user places everything in all CAPS.
7) Duplicate posts in multiple forums or multiple posts (successive) in the same thread(flooding)

At the discretion of the staff, violation of any of the above may result in any or all of the following:

• Warning via pm
• Deletion of further offending posts without notification
• User will be placed on probation
• User will be temporarily suspended-admin now involved
• User will be permanently banned from the forums, will receive notification from the administration

These guidelines/rules may be amended at any time as the forum progresses to better serve the needs of our members and staff. Thanks for taking the time to post on our forum. If you have any comments, suggestions or complaints please do not hesitate to let one of the moderators know.

Below you will find the instructions for handling disputes. If you are not satisfied with the actions taken by any moderator or discipler please adhere to the following steps:

1) Using the private messaging (pm) system that is offered, contact the Moderator with whom you disagree directly. Explain why you disagree and what you think should be done to rectify the situation. Note: please allow up to 72 hours for a response.
2) If after 72 hours you either A) Have not had a response from the original Moderator or B) Feel the situation was not explained or resolved to your satisfaction please contact the Sr. Moderator for that room. (This information is listed next to the room name on the index page). When contacting a Sr. Moderator please include any copies of related pm's and as much information as possible. Again please allow up to 72 hours to get the situation resolved.
3) If after contacting a Sr. Moderator you are still unsatisfied, please contact the Assistant admin, MikeC1956. Either use the pm system or send an e-mail to MikeC1956@bible.org . The e-mail method is preferred. Please include the following information: Moderators name, threads in question, dates, and etc. The more info you can send the quicker the situation can resolved.
4) If after contacting the Asst. Admin you feel the situation was not resolved to your satisfaction please contact me directly. Either use the pm system or send me an e-mail to jenniferdent@bible.org . The e-mail method is preferred. Please include the following information: Moderators name, threads in question, dates, and etc. The more info you can send the quicker the situation can resolved. Please note, at this point the decision of the admin is the final. I will only get involved when the first 2 items have been completed.

If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to contact any member of the team. We will answer each and every question as soon as we can. Please remember that our staff is 100% volunteer and the forum is not monitored 24 hours a day. (and we are scattered all around the globe) ;) So when you DO have a problem we request patience as it may take a few days to completely resolve an issue.

Thanks again for being valued members of our forum. May God get all the Glory and may this forum do whatever it can to help one another grow in Christ so we all will finish the task that Christ expects us to accomplish here on earth.

version 1/6/06 added the words goals and purpose statement and link to vision of bible.org to make it more clear...da
1/8/06 added the Bible.org forum vision statement, christian apologetics note added, included disciplinary structure...jd
3/9/06 added the note concerning editing of posts
3/25/06 added #11 concerning linkage to external sites
3/29/06 added the appeals process information from it's separate post and combined it with the Code of Conduct
8/20/06 fixed typos
6/11/08 articles/studies from other places link updated
7/19/09 fixed add'l typos