On Disclaimers

Last night, I was thinking of writing a blog post on my problem with disclaimers. Then I came across this one this morning and was intrigued to know I am not the only one who has noticed this issue.

I used to buy books in a Christian bookstore where the manager would place in the front cover of every book a disclaimer along the lines of "though this book is sold in this bookstore, it does not mean we endorse or support the author or content of the book." It seemed paranoid, but I can't really blame them. They had years of experience with people's nitpicking complaints over things with which they disagreed.

The reality is that no author, pastor, or publisher ever gets it right all the time. Really, if you believe in total depravity and progressive sanctification, then you ought to expect that everyone is going to miss the mark at times. Some hit the mark more often than others. But some who rarely hit the mark still occasionally do.

So what should a person do if they like something an author says even if they possibly disagree with other things? As a blogger, do I have to identify every criticism I have? Do I do readers a disservice if I only mention the things that positively influenced me?

First, I assume that the readers of this blog aren't mindless sycophants with an inability to think discerningly for themselves (or without the ability to look up sycophants at www.dictionary.com).

Second, I believe much of our criticism of Christian authors, pastors, and publishers is based on bad theology. We don't really believe God's promise to finish the work He's begun to build His church and beautify His Body (Phil. 1:6). We see potential failure all around. In this paradigm, every pastor or author is only one step away from denying the faith and sending all those under his influence to the land of cults and heresy. And our job is to point out everything they get wrong all the time.

I'm adopting my own personal policy for this blog concerning disclaimers--I'm going to do my best to not use them. I'll probably give into my own paranoid fear on occasion and use them just to protect myself from the inevitable criticism if I don't. But my goal is to act consistently with my belief that readers here are discerning and that a strong focus on those things that are correct is way more effective than emphasizing the things with which I disagree.

With all that said, I really liked the Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James and I'm currently in the middle of and learning alot from Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel.