Blogging

I love to come to work, drink my coffee, and read the blogs of my family and friends as a morning ritual. This morning, however, when I was reading the blog of my sweet sister-in-law, I was so saddened by the willingness of an anonymous writer to be mean.

I have been astonished to see not only the willingness of people to be mean through e-mail and other electronic messaging, but the extent of their meanness. In the end, the electronic age has given us a means of writing the depravity of our thoughts, with anonymity and forcefulness, and just downright ugliness. Mostly, I have been surprised by the commonality of this pattern in the church. What people would never say in person, they will say in an e-mail. They justify their writing, claiming that they are simply stating "truth." Somehow they are missing the biblical command to say such things in love. Perhaps, such things needn't be said at all. If we were honest about what we are writing and why we are writing it, we might find that we are simply satisfying our sinful desire for striking back, or getting the last word, or better yet - to somehow masterfully set our opponent speechless with our impressive verbiage. I have seen some justify their meanness by signing their name to their nasty letter, and "standing by their words."

A couple of weeks ago, we heard a wonderful sermon on James, talking about the tongue and the relationship between our words and our hearts, especially in the process of sanctification. How amazing it is that James so succinctly shows the bridling of the tongue as evidence of maturity and growth in Christ.

RC Sproul aptly renounces the children's rhyme "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me." He laughed after he quoted it, and said, "My mother lied to me!" Words not only hurt, but they can hurt for a long time. James spends a lot of time talking about our words and our responsibility to manage them biblically.

I have only known one person who thought he wasn't responsible for the way that his comments are received. He objected to censoring his comments because he thought that the sensitivities of others would overrun productivity and truth. James is clear however, and commands us to bridle our tongues. James 4:11, "Brothers, do not slander one another."

Shall we consider the impact of our words before we write them? Shouldn't we consider the person to whom we write, as made in the image of God (James 3), and worthy of our care and kindness?

An OPC minister recently noted that of all the qualities required to be an elder in the church (over 20 qualities), only one was doctrinal. I Timothy 3:2 and 3, "Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." And that is not the whole list!

Gentleness, kindness, and compassion for others are evidence of the believer's heart which has been changed by the Holy Spirit, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, and made clean through Christ's righteousness imputed to him. Shouldn't we examine our e-mails and blogs and see if they show a humble gratefulness for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives?

I am sorry for the unkindness that Mary Kathryn had to read this morning. Perhaps the anonymous writer will consider his thoughts more carefully next time, and realize that his words, in voice or pen, are laid before the Savior, who loves His children dearly.