Attacking the Messenger, Ignoring the Message

Constructive Criticism or mindless attacks?

You have heard the phrase, "Attacking the messenger, ignoring the message?"

What often happens when someone offers an opinion or reveals an ignored truth? Usually two things:
1) The messenger is attacked, put-down, criticized or slandered.
2) The message is ignored, belittled, minimized or downplayed.

And so it is with this blog. I have been called a liar. Yet to this point, not a single person has shown me any lies in what I wrote. I have been called contentious, mean, angry, spreading rumors and called a troublemaker. It is interesting that the persons who said those things NEVER actually responded to ANY of the points made in this blog, they only attacked me personally instead.

Don't attack me. Respond to the points made in each post. Don't attack the messenger, respond to the message, deal with the issues. If you don't like what the post says, then click the "respond" link at the end of each post and do just that. Respond! The issues will never be resolved if you do not respond.

Show where any single point in this blog is incorrect. Show where I am wrong. I have asked that repeatedly yet nobody has bothered respond. I know for a fact that you are talking behind my back. (Gossip) Rather than break the commandment against gossip, just respond to the issues.

I haven't spoken to everyone in the church regarding this issue. But I have spoken to many "paid-up" church members over the past five years or so about this. Here is an interesting bit of information for you.

Of the people supporting the move, NOT A SINGLE PERSON mentioned reaching lost people !!!
NOBODY!
Zero!
Zilch!
Nada!

When I say "not a single person, " that includes the church staff! In fact, the church staff only mentioned the age of the building, not reaching lost people.

A few others mentioned the condition of the 80 year old building, speaking in unison with the church staff, always in the most negative terms and with the most defeated attitude, as if there is NO HOPE for this historic building. It is very telling that all who mentioned the age of the building or the physical problems with the building used EXACTLY THE SAME PHRASES as though they had been taught those phrases or as though they had heard them over and over and over again, including the church staff member who responded! They repeated these phrases without thinking what they were actually saying. They ALL repeated the same exact phrases! It was like listening to the rhetoric repeated mindlessly by the supporters of one political party or another.

Of the people NOT SUPPORTING this move, almost every person said these same points:

1) There is NO reason to move or build a new building
2) There is virtually NO NET GAIN in our church, certainly not enough to support a new building. (folks going out the back as fast as others coming in the front)
3) We sit in a half empty building every Sunday as it is.
4) There is NOTHING wrong with our buildings that cannot be repaired if they would just do it right the first time.
5) [The Church Leaders] are ignoring basic maintainance, then falsly blaiming the poor condition of the building on age.

I don't care what you say about me, especially if you do not deal with the points that have been written here in this blog. Just deal with the issues presented in this blog.

Drop the rhetoric.
Drop the platitudes.
Stop attacking me, the messenger.
Answer the message, deal with the issues.

DEAL WITH THE ISSUES!