Typically, if you enter an online "community forum," especially for the purposes of discussing your beliefs, its a good idea to know where you stand with regard to the beliefs of those who host the forum. As far as I can see, this particular forum has always been held as a ministry by the administrators of it and as ministers of "the faith" they are effectively acting in a Pastoral capacity or as "elders" among those who have chosen to teach and to learn from others the doctrines of Christ and the application of them to our times, on this particular site. Now, those in Pastoral authority also have a responsibility to protect those sovereignly placed under their authority from false teachers who enter in to pervert doctrine and lead the untrained away to fleshly ideas and pursuits. This is reason enough for a sound and comprehensive theological statement that creates boundaries for discussion and rules to maintain a sense of order. People tend to be offended by rules and laws and by anything that prevents them from expressing their own will to its fullest extent, but since God saw fit to create order through rules of law in the physical universe and did so for our good it seems only reasonable that an online forum representing God's people should do the same.
Sometimes people will play the role of devil's advocate on a Christian forum just to evoke response and make others think about what it is that they really believe, and its been my experience here that the staff gives quite a bit of space to people expressing their current understanding as long as the postings remain constructive and serve the purposes of Christ in building His body, the church. If someone feels the need to express strange doctrine and ideas foreign to the bible, let them go to Babylon and add to its confusion. They don't have to go far because Babylon is all around us and regularly intrudes into the church.
For the church to mature as a whole, there has to be a single recognized head which is Christ Himself, and there should be a unity of purpose and conviction among the body (because there will never be perfect agreement on doctrine before the millennium, the glorification of the church, and the opening of our minds to the full knowledge of our Lord). The alignment of our beliefs doctrinally strengthens our unity to some extent, though never to the same degree as our love for Christ which manifests in love for the brethren. The biggest problem we face in this time is a waning in our love for Christ caused by a diminishing of the teaching of the doctrine of sin and our own culpability. Understanding our guilt and the enormity of sin's offense before a Holy God is a necessary step in receiving God's grace and growing a love for the One who died for us:
41. "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"
43. Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."
And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." 44. Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47. "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Luke 7:41-47
When sin is trivialized love is diminished.
