Matthew,
Greetings in Christ.
Back when (say around 1995) I moderated a board and chat room on AOL for church musicians.
One of the first rules for moderators was this: Moderate, don't Debate. As a moderator, you were never to get involved in public and heated debates. Instead, all issues were to be deal with pivately through e-mail. There was a three strikes, you're out rule - with a warning given each time. Unless of course, it was offensive (three P's) - profanity, pornography, or online prositution.
I realize that we've come a long way with the internet and forums since the mid 90's, but I can't help but wonder if certain moderators and forum owners couldn't learn from these basic rules.
Peace be with you.
Christopher