im new here and wanted to say hello. 
Welcome to the forum. I sure hope you have many enjoyable, and edifying experiences here.
I have been active on this forum for just over a year, I’ve read alot, and heard alot of ideas I never would have thought of myself. So, I’ll offer a few unsolicited insights from my personal perspective drawn from my short tenure here.
As there is no strict criteria for membership or participation on this forum, you will find it attracts a wide array of ideas and opinions. Most participants are decidedly “Christian” but some are admittedly not. The idea of “forum”, (taken from the ancient Roman Forum), is a neutral meeting place for cultural exchange. You will not agree with everyone here, but you can learn from them, if you listen carefully and attentively to foreign points of view. Remember, foreign does not equal falsehood.
I have been a disciple of Jesus for many years, and now that I am old, I realize that most Christians grow-up in a fairly narrow environment, and may not even realize that there are other expressions of Christianity with which they are unfamiliar, and some of them might even evoke feelings of unsettledness. That’s reality. I am not suggesting you let your personal guard down, or compromise to accept some unbiblical form of ecumenicalism, nor am I endorsing any kind of Beatlemania “All we need is love” attitude. Lots of people call themselves Christian; but the Shepherd knows His sheep. I am only suggesting that you remain vigilant in your biblical discernment here, weigh everything by scripture, while also withholding quick condemnation of ideas you are unfamiliar with. You will find much help in here keeping ideas Biblical.
James has some good advice for us here:
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)
You will surely find yourself being stretched, simply because those who participate here are not members of your congregation, have not grown-up in Christ in the same culture that you did, and may see your way of practicing Christianity as foreign to them as theirs is to you. Stay calm. Jesus is not thrown off course by any of this. We should be stretched and growing, and “no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14)
If you stay with us for a while, soon you will become familiar with the various personalities on this forum: some are timid while others are bold; some are gentle while others are less-so; some see themselves as teachers, while others are just here to learn, some are critically fact-based, and some ride on waves of emotion, some are sort-of “one-trick-ponies” in that they have a very specific agenda to push into every conversation, while others are naïve, meek, and very young in their faith. Many of the participants are not living in the USA, and so their perspectives are cross-cultural. Some are dyed-in-the-wool reformed, some are fairly liberal protestant, some a bit new-age, some old-world orthodox, some ecumenical, some almost cultish, some fire-and-brimstone preachers, and some come across as universalists. Posts from some folks will make you want to drink in every word, but you will learn to automatically bypass others. Many of the voices on here believe their way is the only way, and are armed and ready to defend the distinctives of the brand of Christianity to which they subscribe. My only advice here is to stay humble, listen to them all, agree where you can, and purpose to do all you can to edify (build up) the body of Christ., Remember to testify to the hope that is within you, to faithfully serve the unity of the body, not endorsing error, but endorsing the truth, knowing that we are all in a state of growth, and we will continue to grow in our understanding of the fullness of The Truth as He continues to sanctify us from our flesh and from the world.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)
Welcome to the forum friends
KP
P.S. If you need help navigating the forum, or learning the idiosyncrasies of the platform, just ask. We are always ready and eager to offer the fruit of our experience.
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