Sunday, November 26, 2006....man, that was almost four years ago.
I began "The Silent Planet" my experiment in blogging. It was fun, as I enjoyed the writing outlet quite a bit. But, then I started grad school...where I was writing for credit. Then, I moved to Philadelphia. Then, I started dating Anna, who is now my fiance. So, frankly, I got a life.
As I browsed through the back pages of the Planet, it did remind me of God's faithfulness. It recorded some really great experiences, such as my Bolivia missions trip, the decision to move back up north - but also some really dark times where I was holding onto my sanity and faith by a thread.
There were other reasons why my blogging became more of a rarity. One of the primary reasons was increased conviction from God about how people relate in the blogosphere. Proverbs 18:2 ("A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.") began to resonate with me. Similarly, there was an op-ed piece by Dick Polman in the Philadelphia Inquirer, called, "The Incivility Death Spiral." It talked about the behavior in the internet media world, particularly in relation to the deaths of Senator Ted Kennedy and journalist Tony Snow. Polman talked about how political opponents of these men gleefully gloated about their sickness and expressed joy about their deaths. Polman observed how the anonymity of the internet (or I could argue, the distance and impersonal nature of it), makes public discourse particularly nasty.
To compound this, a long held trick in the blogging world is to be as controversial as possible in order to get readership up. I discovered this trick while editing my college paper, which frankly was a journalistic equivalent of a Victorian Penny Dreadful. If people weren't reading, be a jerk - then watch the fire burn as you see people tear each other up. Not very edifying, particularly when addressing theological issues. Christians often seem to enjoy vilifying each other more than they like doing what they are supposed to. I enjoy theology, but good theology is supposed to result in a Godly life. The more time I spent in the blogsphere, the more I got annoyed by watching Christians engage in trolling. Trolling, would be defined as posting inflammatory articles or making snotty or insulting comments just start an argument. Frankly, I'm rather over that stuff....I'm a bit tired of the broad stereotypes and blatant misinformation: "Evangelicals don't care about the poor," "Obama is a secret Muslim," "9/11 was an inside job"....and other utter nonsense. It's not that people don't have a right to express themselves, but I'm really tired of people doing so in an arrogant and condescending manner. It gets really, really old and doesn't do anything to solve problems or edify anyone.
To repeat myself, this is especially awful when Christians do this to each other. Seriously, there are heretics out there, real heretics. If you want to turn your guns and fire, point at Spong, McClaren, Tillich and others who have a Christian label but have completely turned from orthodoxy and gospel - they are pied pipers on the road to hellfire. Posting rude and insulting comments about fellow believers who you might disagree with is sinful. Making snide comments about denominations or traditions you may disagree with on finer points of doctrine is uncharitable. Gloating in the downfall of church leaders that you might disagree with is perverse.
Unfortunately, I did most, if not all, of these during the early years of The Silent Planet. I was convicted about how I was stirring up dissension and engaging in all sorts of sinful, proud behavior. There is much to be said in scripture about such things:
- Proverbs 6 describes one who stirs up dissent as a villain, it continues to say that God hates it when people stir up dissension between brothers.
- Proverbs 10 states how hatred is the root of stirring up dissension.
- Proverbs 16 says that stirring up dissension is perverse.
- Lastly, Proverbs 29 says that stirring up dissension is a display of anger.
" 9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12, NIV)
I have archived all the old entries in case I need to resurrect something. I've also left a few of my favorite entries up, although some of them might be not as charitable as I'd like.
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