I've been reading some devotions on a new site and recently noticed that the authors had highlighted a woman's comments from a previous post and invited others to weigh in on said comments. This woman's comments were bent towards the negative and somewhat biblically unsound. It was obvious from her comments that she has had some unpleasant experiences with other believers and is not completely grounded in the Word.
While I understood the reason those comments were called into question, I questioned the choice to draw attention to them. After a "spirited" debate amongst several commenters, the authors posted a statement that they would be highlighting comments from time to time to point out spiritual untruths or spur discussion.
Here's my question to you, faithful (few) readers: What do you think about this sort of thing? How would you handle this sort of thing on your own blog? Would you draw attention to biblical untruth in a commentor on your blog or would you leave it alone? Delete the comment? Confront the individual? I invite you comments here...I'll tell you what I did in a future post.
Friday, February 1, 2008
A Question Open For Discussion...
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3 comments:
Very hard question. If the truth is known then I would gently direct them to scripture that backs it up. Let the person then take the responsibility to read the scripture and be revealed what God would have them see. We know that scripture does not fall void. If the issue is totally against the bible or Christianity etc. and done so purposefully - I would state that this blog is specifically to give God glory and not to take it away from Him. I wouldn't draw attention to it but I would definitely show your stand for what you believe. I would not delete (depending however on use of language or deliberate hate etc.) nor shun the person but love them and let them see His love through your actions.
All I know is that the love of Christ I saw in a co-worker was one of the ways God drew me nearer to Him. I said "I want what he has". I didn't know what it was at the time but all of the evangelizing and scare tactics that had been used on me in my previous years never made me budge. It is very hard for a person (sinner) that is in the darkness to respond positively to someone telling them that they will go to hell if they don't do X,Y and Z. For a person in depression (much of my life) any way out of this life was what I wanted. The LOVE of Christ, His love for me, for you, for us is what saves us because Grace is Love isn't it? :-)
Hmmm I kinda got of the subject didn't I? hahahaha
Oh well.
Amen!
I think if you point out a person's "errancy" in public, they're more likely to dig in their heels, especially if they're not a Christian (yet). I think the model for Christian discipline holds true if you know a person is a Christian--talk (well, e-mail) to them directly, then involve a leader (I'm not sure how you determine that--perhaps another poster who knows the other person? The person's pastor?), then delete their comments if their hearts are hard and they continue. Interesting question of how to translate to the blogosphere!
The authors should have contacted the person who made the comments and asked for permission to use those as a launching pad for a discussion. If they didn't, their comments could add "fuel to her fire."
She may now be feeling like her thoughts toward other believers are warrented.
If they approached the whole thing in love with the thought that this woman's eternity is perhaps on the line, (rather than the popularity of the post) the Lord could use them to help her see that we're all in the same boat-sinners saved by the Grace of God.
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