Welcome to Vox Apologia II. I know this week’s submissions were a bit light compared to last week. I apologize for that, as I feel I goofed a bit, by posting the dates/times so poorly.

From here on out, we’ll have hosts, dates, and times delineated, and planned further ahead – and the next week’s host, email, and subject defined within the Vox Apologia entry.

That being said… Welcome: To the Digital Saltshaker.

Today’s host is yours truly – Joshua Whipps, aka “RazorsKiss”. Our guest artist is my brother, Paul, aka “BrainCatalyst”. I hope you stop by his site, when you’re through. I enjoy his work – in fact – it’s all over my site. Including the banner, you see above. (Mouseover the images, as you browse down the presentation – I tried to arrange the posts by the general “tone”.)

Today’s subject is “Digital Salt”. I left the definition and description purposely vague, to see what people came up with. Several people took a similar approach, several people took “the road less traveled”. Both types of entries complement each other well.

Note: If you have a late submission, due to my general “uh, I’m supposed to be organized?” moments… just
send it. I’ll add it. Thanks!

Submission	Host’s Commentary
AllThings2All shares a story called “Is It Tomorrow Yet?” She writes: “If there was any impression I gained this time out it was that people are wasting time… Always passing the time and waiting for tomorrow.”	This story is powerful. It’s a wonderful example – from people ACTUALLY leaving the saltshaker, in the un-digital world. If this doesn’t convict you – you need a spiritual checkup.
Weapons of Warfare brings us Spreading the Salt. He writes: “What does it mean to be salt on this earth? More specifically, what does it mean to be salt in this new and growing medium, the blogosphere?”	There are some excellent points made here. My favorite is concerning an “over-concentration” of salt, in one place. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that fell right in with what we’ve been talking about, with the “Ghetto”.
From firstPete315, we get Mmm Mmm good…or not. He takes a brief look at the responsibility we bear as Christian bloggers and the outcomes of “blogging” in a way that is consistent with the inspired counsel of Paul.	You know – this is a wonderful “manual” for the Christian who is sharing the Word, or the Gospel, with someone else – and encounters opposition. It’s short – but chock full of good advice.
Dory, from Wittenberg Gate reminds us of the difference between effective apologetics, and winning an argument, in her entry entitled Know How To Answer Each One. She bases it on Colossians 4:5-6, and explores what our apologetic goals are, so that we can wisely choose the best approach to meet them.	She’s right. There are two types of people: scoffers, and hearers. Whether we encounter scoffers, or hearers – our audience is always the hearers of the Word. So, our speech, as she reminds us, should always be “as though seasoned with salt.”
My own post is titled “Salting the Digital World“. I write: “We shouldn’t be venus flytraps, waiting for someone to stop by, and step into our parlor. We need to go knock on other people’s doors – and go visit.”	Basically, it’s like this. We have these nice, comfortable blogs. We stay here – and, in the nice, comfortable blogs of other people we know. It’s nice to be comfortable. However – it’s nicer to be in an active dialogue with those who need to hear what we have to say – and, hear it in THEIR parlor – not just ours.
Every Thought Captive asks us a question: Where To From Here? He writes: “We are on only the ground floor of what the blogosphere can do for the Church. Let us be wise, winsome, and creative in how we proceed!”	Phil makes some great points, which serve to give an example of how to “encourage the saints” – not to mention detailing how to both engage in, and sustain a conversation in this medium.
Hill Country Views gives us Digital Salt. He writes: “We don’t hoard the digital salt for ourselves, but pass it freely around the internet.”	Anselm explores a sort of “lifestyle evangelism” – from a blogging perspective. How does your light shine, before all men? Are you actually _being_ salt?
The Greatest Pursuits reminds us, most appropriately, of another use for salt: creating traction. His entry is Melting the Ice. He writes: “As the “salt of the earth,” I believe Christians are given the ability to melt away the snow and ice coming between those who are lost or in bondage and the truth which can free them”	Very, very astute observation he makes. You really need to check this one out. In this wintry weather, you may appreciate it even more.
The Revenge of Mr. Dumpling gives us some pointers on how to BE Digital Salt, and WHY we should be Digital Salt, in his post “Digital Salt“. He writes: “I believe that the Internet is the mission field of the 21st century. The instantaneous nature of Internet communication and its global reach mean that anyone, and I mean anyone, can share their thoughts with any person, in any part of the world with extremely basic resources.”	Man, I like this guy. He’s speaking to us, about just what we’ve been talking about, via the discussions about the “Ghetto”, and what our role, as Christians, should be in this digital world. Go check it out. You won’t be sorry.

Next Week! Next guest host is David Goodwin, aka “Mr. Dumpling”. Send entries HERE , no earlier than Thursday, January 27th, no later than midnight EST, Sunday, Jan. 30th.	Graphics courtesy of: My brother, and a graphics guru.	Got Defense? Host Vox Apologia! “being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”
The Vox Apologia is a weekly symposium, conducted on a “thematic” basis. It includes blog entries based around a single theme, in order to garner varying perspectives – which will be assembled, as time passes, as a database of sorts. Each edition of the Vox Apologia is ‘guest hosted’ with commentary from the guest host, relevant to each submitted article, where possible, and a graphic – if desired. Participants need not be members of the Apologetics Aggregator, nor do the entry URLs submitted have to be those of the participant. Submission guidelines and a short FAQ are here. Credit goes to Gary Cruse, of The Owner’s Manual, for the presentation concept. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.

The first question: What does “being salt” mean?

Well, I wrote a bit on this some time ago, in a post entitled “On Salt” – so I’ll plagiarize myself first, and go from there.

Salt is many things, but let’s look at a few things that salt has always been, historically, and in the Bible.

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A Challenge:

“Funky Dung”, of Ales Rarus (heh. That is SUCH a name.) has a challenge for us.

Write about how we are “Not to consume one another” – a reference from Galatians 5:15.

I now humbly request my fellow Godbloggers to write about this serious issue from their own perspectives. My readership is loyal, but small. This issue must be dealt with by all bloggers who call themselves Christians. The more voices denouncing enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, and the like and enouraging love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, the better.

So – who’s going to take it up? I’ve seen a bit of it this week, actually. I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment. Look for something from me soon.

An Inspiration:

Read this post.

Do it now.

The mind of Christ is expressed in this small, poignant scene from a red light district outreach.

It made me tear up. Thank you Catez, for sharing it with us.

The funny part? I’m the lowest-ranked out of all of the apologetics bloggers.

Heh.

See numbers below. If I put them without a “more”… this page loads slower than it’s admitted graphics-heaviness already makes it.

So…

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Updates:

The answer to yesterday’s Trivia:

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 and red (favorite colors), the name is an old and virtually unused “trademark”. The only other people who use it are a German Xanga goth – and an old German metal band. My selection 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? :D), and because it’s unique, and distinctive.

So, anyway. Yeah. I like the name. (Thanks for reminding me (with your Razor Ramon comment… NOOOOO!) to add this, Eric. (and I’m a 26 year old male, in case anyone is wondering :D)

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Challies writes about Apologetics.

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Welcomes:

To the Aggregator:

Ales Rarus, a Catholic apologist. It helps, sometimes, to get a different perspective on things.

Alex Forrest – he’s doing Doctoral work in apologetics. Welcome to the community!

Blogma, a very sharp looking blog, with a nice post on “Injustice vs Non-Justice” up right now.

Noticed:

Unscrewing the Inscrutable has come up with another Carnival. This carnival, however, is called the Carnival of the Godless. So, yeah. Now, here’s an interesting note I found:

“From a godless perspective” does NOT mean that you must be an atheist to send in a submission. There are plenty of theists who blog from a godless perspective. We welcome their posts. We will even consider posts criticizing godlessness in general, or atheism in particular. We recognize that there are some interesting theists out there who will have written relevant posts. We only ask that you do not submit a post that is just a short linking post, but rather something that shows off yours or someone else’s writing ability.

So, there’s an “outreach” opportunity if you want to take it.

Ales Rarus directs us to a post criticizing C.S. Lewis. He also wonders if anyone would be willing to do an apologetic for an apologist – namely, C.S. Lewis.

Blind Mind’s Eye disagrees with my comments about Poliblogs. He has more to say in the comments, after I reply.

I disagree – but it was kinda interesting to have someone actually disagree with me. Blogs, as I’ve noticed, have a tendency to either applaud wildly, or disagree vehemently. An actualy, reasonable disagreement was interesting 😀

Too many people are talking about Spongebob. I don’t care. So, yeah.

Christian Carnival #53 is up, and stuff. I might read it – I read really, really fast (like, neighborhood of 1,800 wpm fast) – but that would take a considerable chunk of time. I may work through it as the week progresses.

BlogClicker looks interesting.

Smart Christian is doing a one-day series on “Evangelical Identity”. (Just noticed – Joe found it before me… bleh.)

Classical Values posts about Israeli Arabs. Very interesting – go read it.

Blog of the Week:

Weapons of Warfare – some truly prodigious output, and very, very sharp blogging on apologetics.

Discovered:

Mr. Standfast, via Jollyblogger. I like.

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If I see anything else, I’ll add it in updates to the top.

Short once-over.

Same (added one to the top 100, lost one. Close. Wittenberg and Adrian closing on the top 100 – Le Sabot _just_ dipping out, with In the Agora jumping in.

Lots of movement, and additions to the top 500 and top 100 ranks. I didn’t catch all of the additions – though I did catch some. I’ll do a full workdown of it over the weekend, with every current member Joe has listed. Steadily growing, with _some_ fluctuation.

Just as my twist.. “my” bloggers are bolded this time, to show the effect of large-scale aggregator/metablog + meta-niche blogging. I think it’ll be interesting. (Note: Ev. Underground has a new blog, I think. Not positive.)

(As an aside, I’ve gone from 5713 to 1018, as of this posting, since this started. So, yeah. OutPostings + meta-niching WORK. 😛 The newer/smaller blogs got _launched_. Really far.)

Numbers below.
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A Slice of Apologetics:

Every Thought Captive has a couple good ones today.

#5 in his “Is Apologetics Necessary” series.

Many are proclaiming that the idea of truth, as it has been understood for centuries, has been successfully pulled apart by various forces in the postmodern world. I, however, read things differently.

He also points us toward a New Atlantis symposium piece – “Acorns and Embryos”. He says “The New Atlantis is a great and relatively new resource on the web. The latest edition contains this article on embryos and personhood as part of a symposium on the issue. I would encourage you to read through these essays thoughtfully if you have the interest to do so.”

Indeed.

(I know. I couldn’t resist.)

Evangelical Underground has a couple good ones also.

They inform us of Rolling Stone’s Anti-Religious policy here.

They repost an older entry, entitled “Did Jesus Teach Tolerance or Love?”

The answer of course, is “love.” Now you may be scratching your head, curious as to what the difference is between the two.

Well let me begin by saying that I’ve been conversing with a self-proclaimed “mainline” Christian who subscribes only to the teachings of Jesus, and nothing else. Just Jesus. The rest of the Bible he considers “tainted” and he calls fundamentalists like myself, “followers of Paul.” (keep in mind he refuses to this day answer my query as to which books Jesus wrote, and who does he think wrote down what Jesus said.)

Anyway, on with the story.

So… go read it. All of it.

He also celebrates (as do I, as I live one state over, in Mississippi) that Louisiana’s Supreme Court “unanimously reinstated the anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in September.

The high court reversed a state district judge’s ruling in October striking down the amendment on the grounds that it violated a provision of the state constitution requiring that an amendment cover only one subject.”

Good news is music. Good music. I’ll agree with Andrew’s comment to it… “It’s good to see the courts actually upholding the will of the people for once…”

You got that right.

firstPete315 has a nice “rewind” post, highlighting some of their posts from the last year. Go check them out.

They also gave the Apologetics Aggregator a nice flog.

AllThings2All has a new series called “Scene and Heard“, spotlighting what she’s seen and heard around the ‘sphere.

She speculates on what my name means in the first one – and points out a bunch of (other :D) notable female bloggers in the god-blogosphere in the second.

She also added an entry to the Jesus the Logician Project.

Weapons of Warfare (I dub thee “Andrew the Lionhearted!” – and you can quote me!) defends the Faith in a response to “The Angry Agnostic“s post concerning Jesus’ “so-called Divinity“, in a post of his own, entitled “Was Jesus Divine”?

As a side note: This was EXACTLY what I was talking about, when I say “engaging the culture”. Andrew pointed this out to me yesterday, and I didn’t catch it. Make up assignment complete!

He also has a slightly different take on AllThings2All’s “Pascal’s Wager” posts

He also has a JTL project entry…

He looks at The Mystery of the Goodness of God:

One classic paradox presented by atheists to theists, presumably to disprove the existence of God, or more likely to show that even if he did exist, he’s not much of a God, is a discussion about God’s moral directives to humanity. This discussion doesn’t do much for the atheist in the end, but I, as a theist, think that it’s well worth giving considerable thought to.
The question is presented thusly: “On basis does God declare what is good?” There are two answers, says the stater of the paradox.

(1): God declares what is good because he knows it to be good.
(2): God declares what is good simply because he declares it so.

The formulations I’ve given here are somewhat cryptic, because this paradox isn’t usually stated so formally, but the following discussion will serve to show what is meant by each stance, and what the consequences of each are.

Take some notes, apologists.

He also (He’s on fiiiiiire!) takes on Evolution, Neodarwinism, and the Establishment Clause, in response to a post on A Physicist’s Perspective discussing a Washington Post article.

He ALSO posts an excerpt from Tractatus Logico-Theologicus. Which, as it happens, Every Thought Captive also comments on.

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So, there’s your Daily Cut – apologetics style. By the way, Catez – what do you think my name means, anyway? 😀 (It wasn’t conceived in a very profound way, though. I’ll let you all guess – and wait with bated breath (laugh…) until I tell you tomorrow…

Also, don’t forget that Vox Apologia II is coming up fast. For the curious, look up, and to the right. Subject, host, and date for current, upcoming (and, starting Monday, PAST) Vox Apologias are all conveniently listed for you. Finally, there’s a short explanation of the Vox Apologia now posted.

Will be hosted right here.

So get ready… I’m going to have some fun, folks. My brother, over at BrainCatalyst, is doing my graphics for the “presentation” (because I believe in making a good first impression, with my first run at hosting this :D) – mostly because he’s good at it. You’ll see.

Yeah, yeah, so – what is the subject? “Digital Salt”. No explanation – that’s your job. I want to see what that conjures, and what YOUR explanation is for it. Ready? Start thinking on it, and start those mental engines.

The due date/time for all entries is midnight, (to give all the west coasters a bit more time), Sunday the 23rd (or Monday, if you want to get technical). I’ll have the actual post up the night of Monday the 24th.

So, you want to enter the Vox Apologia?

Read the following instructions.

You’re in the right place. Look up, and to your right. You’ll see a section entitled “Apologetics”. Directly under that (and, this is where it will stay, as I am the host, and originator), will be a sub-section, with the heading “Vox Apologia”. Under that, you’ll find the current “Vox Apologia” entries, and the current host (the weekly editions will be hosted at different blogs, every week. This panel will let you know where, and when this will happen.). You’ll see the next date, host, and topic listed directly under “Current.”

Future listings will be directly under _that_. Directly under the “Coming Up” information, is a link that says “Submit your entry” – this is an email address, for the upcoming host. This is where you send the address for the blog entry you wish to enter. Click the link, and it should open your email client, with the subject already filled out. When you do, please include the following items:

Host name: (ex. RazorsKiss)
Host URL: (ex. https://razorskiss.net/wp)
Entry Title: (ex. My Vox Apologia Entry)
Entry URL: (ex. https://razorskiss.net/wp/voxapologiaentry.html) < -- Yes, I know it doesn't exist.
Synopsis (If desired): (ex. “This post is about such and such”)

So, you want to host the Vox Apologia?

Any dates that do not yet have hosts will have a link that says “Like to host?” That emails me. So, if you do – click it – and it will. Also with the subject filled out. The last link (at the time of this entry) says “Vox Apologia FAQ” – that is this post. So, you probably clicked it to get here.

When you are scheduled to host the next week, you need to email me, or the current host, at LEAST 24 hours before the preceding Vox Apologia is scheduled to go up. That way, you can have your information included in that edition, to point people to the right place.

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Ok, now for the “About”.

I decided to start this a while back. Maybe, oh, two months ago. (I’m writing this on 1/20/05). I was still on Oblivion’s Gate, and trying to rack my brains to figure out how to do something like this on that software. I decided I couldn’t do it. I spent the next week hunting for blog software, and another week after that, building/tweaking my blog.

Then, Joe Carter, from Evangelical Outpost, started several projects, in succession. I also read “Blog”, around the same time. Between the two, they convinced me I needed to start _doing_ something – and doing it now. I started to do some legwork – I examined the “Carnivals” and “Symphonies”, and I found the model I liked. However, I’ll say this upfront: This is NOT your normal “symphony.”
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Go here, read what they have to say, and please – help them out.

The resources they offer are INESTIMABLE to apologists, and to the online Christian community.

(HT: Bene Diction