So, you’re stopping by here - maybe for the first time.

You’re thinking to yourself… where is this guy coming from?

Well, this is my small attempt to answer you.

My name is Joshua Whipps. I was born on June 30th, 1978; previously divorced, and newly remarried to Bethany, who authors a blog called “A Picturesque Life“; a father of three, stepfather of two more, adopted father to yet another (let me make this simple: his, hers, ours, and theirs = 6 kids), and a Reformed Baptist. I’m the son of a NASA Engineer and a (former) church Music Director, and oldest of 6 children. I was homeschooled until age 13, went to a private Christian school until 11th grade - at which time I finished up my high school years in homeschool, once again.

Since this is also an apologetics blog, I’ll give you a bit of my theology. I hold to the same doctrines stated in the 1689 London Baptist Confession (which actually dates from 1677) - I’m Calvinist in soteriology, obviously, learning to become Presuppositional in apologetic approach, and Covenantal in theology. I attend Michael Memorial Baptist Church, in Gulfport, MS.

I’m ex-military (USAF, Avionics, Guidance and Control), but I’ve had quite a few different jobs in my “working life” thus far. Computer repair (and builds), lawn maintenance, parks & rec, electronics repair, freelance web design, garage door installation, restaurant management… lots of stuff. What I do now is install garage doors here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Why do I blog (when I do!)?

That’s easy. Writing, for me, is a compulsion. Much like reading. I read, on the average, 3,500 pages per week - not counting any reading I do online. Which, I might add, is not chump change either. I’ve been writing regularly for about 6 years now, in various formats, and it’s something I really enjoy.

What have I done around the net?

Currently, I run several websites - this one, of course, our extended family site, Whipps Family Circus, and the site for my game project, Fringespace.

Well… shortly after I started “seriously” on the ‘net - ‘99 or thereabouts, I started a little site called “Scifihaven”. To make this a short story, I “marketed” beginning science fiction and fantasy authors to publishers, while giving them a “showcase” for their work. It went well, for a while, but like most group projects, interest waned in several members, and it eventually folded.

I volunteered for a group called “CyberAngels”, at roughly the same time. Basically, they helped people who had issues with cyberstalking, online crime, and the like. This was back before it was a “big deal”.

I’ve run, assisted, and participated in various gaming groups - or “clans”. Most notably “New Dawn.” I ran that group for a couple years and was a member for over 4 years. I’m also a (former) member of the group “Men of God,” an evangelistic gaming ministry that does actual outreach work on gaming servers. (Online gaming is a HUGE mission field. Millions of people - and especially teenagers, play online games - with barely a wisp of Christian influence.)

I’ve written several articles about gaming, Christian apologetics & theology, and posted on my former blog, at Oblivion’s Gate for over a year. I debate occasionally as well - most notably at MekTek’s political/religious debate forums, and in the chat channels of Alpha & Omega Ministries, and the Undernet chat channel #apologetics. Out of those debates, I’ve begun an apologetics ministry that I call “Shade Tree Apologists”.

Dude… why that name?

RazorsKiss is a name I created for Elite Plus, when I was 8-9 years old. I’m a huge space sim fan, by the by. (Check my main website out, if you want to see how much I like gaming I’ve kept it since that time, and it’s been my consistent “online handle” since there _was_ an internet. Not for any particular reason, to begin with - but it has become a statement, in several ways. So, that’s the origin.

Symbology:

RazorsKiss conjures up images of sharp edges, dark places, a hint of “warmth” in an otherwise hard-edged, gothic atmosphere. It is two diametrically opposed objects, juxtaposed in one composite word. It is blood-red, shining, glinting light, off of a sinister object. It is a indictment of the gothic culture, by using their symbology, and turning it around from a Christian perspective. It is the sort of name that “gets you in” to the youth culture - but carries connotations that put you just a bit ill-at-ease.

Ideologically:

Razors are some of the sharpest bladed objects we’ve created. They are small, they are subtle - and they can draw blood with even the smallest cut. They can split hairs, cut hairs - and yet, create the smoothest of skin - with the sharpest of blades. The sharper the razor, the better the shave, and the smoother the result is. You need a very sharp razor, to have a very good shave.

In logic, in debates, and in apologetics, things work the same way. You logic has to be very concise, your explanations clear, your mind sharp, and your attention must be very focused. People tell me that I stare daggers, when I’m concentrating. I’m an incredibly focused person - when I want to be. I’m also very lazy at times - perhaps as a counter to the focused part of me. There IS some element to the “Occam’s Razor” reference that Ed mentioned. That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept it, actually.

Otherwise:

It’s a cool name, it’s very distinctive, I love black, silver, and red (favorite colors), the name is an old and virtually unused “trademark”. The only other people who use it (at the time of this writing) are a German Xanga goth - and an old German metal band. My selection far predates both. A Super Star Destroyer is named “Razor Kiss”, in a Star Wars book (Warlord Zsinj’s second) - but my name predates that as well.

So, basically… I made it up at 9 (Why? How? I have no idea. It popped into my head. I’m a huge reader - and have been since the age of 3. I read truly INSANE amounts every week - so who knows where I picked it up. ) - and I’ve kept it, because it’s “edgy” (oh… is that a theme? ), and because it’s unique, and distinctive.

So, anyway. Yeah. I like the name.

I could probably write more…

But we’ll leave it here, for now.

Comments open: What would you like to know?

Q. “How do you read 3,500 pages per week?”

A. I speed read. Seriously. Roughly 2,000 wpm.