Yesterday, another comment was made in regards to the Easter “debate.” Amid a whole host of very good things, the commenter said,
If I was a non-Christian reading this blog I would not be attracted to Christ at all. I can get fighting and contention on reality television. Please do not misunderstand me tradition, doctrine and study of god's word is paramount to the Christian’s live. But so is loving and listening to each other. If we really want to demonstrate god's love we need to learn to see everyone (even those who express their worship experience in different ways then us) in light of the fact that we are all made in the image of God and that spiritually maturation is a journey.
My heart sank when I read the comment. It is not the purpose of this blog to drive people away from Jesus Christ. I suppose the comment upset me so much because I know that G is right. I want nothing more than to show people the love of Christ. On many occasions on this blog I believe I have been successful in my attempt to articulate the power of the love, mercy and grace of Jesus. In honest reflection, I can see where I may have fallen short during the Easter discussion.
If anyone was offended by my comments, please accept my apology.
Now, to those who have commented on this blog, I have asked once before, and I will ask again; Please remember to be respectful of one another. I am thankful for everyone’s comments, but when the theme turns so ugly that non-Christians would not be attracted to Christ, I must do something differently.
I don’t want to stop having open dialogues here, but I will start being much more careful about what I post about if our comments cannot be more respectful. However, I am not sure why saying; “Happy Easter” started all of this, so I am not convinced that I can stop what people choose to jump all over. But I can delete comments, and while I don’t want to do that, I may have to start.
The commenter finished last night by saying,
I would love to hear what you think about this because I was EXTERMELY CONCERNED by the levels of hostile that where coming across the blog spot. I am going to pray that their in common ground and that in Christ we can learn to love each other deeply.
I have shared my thoughts, and again apologize for whatever part I have played. If anyone else wants to share their thoughts, please feel free to do so here, but please, remember to be respectful.
May God continue to bless each of us as we seek Him.
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11 comments:
hmmmm. . .i have to be honest Conni, I can;t speak for the writer, but i think that the comments were direted towards the initial poster (dag?) who started condemning the easter services at McKnight Rd. I know that several of us jumped to your defense, and I for one, as is my tendency, was very abrupt and succicnt. It was certainly not intending to be hostile, but it was to make sure, that "dag" understood, in no uncertain terms, that some of those of us who read this blog did not appreciate the condemnation that was apparent in their post.
I am not sure that the poster "G" was actually addressing YOU and your approach, which has remained accepting, gracious, and God-loving. I think it was that your desire to discuss the beauty of your easter celebration that was obscured by the debate that ensued.
As for me, i will own my part in it, because i am not one to back down when confronted (as you well know). . .dag said "You're Wrong!" and i jumped back up in his/her face.
My dear late mother used to say "Never wrestle in the mud with a pig. . .you can't win and the pig likes it." I think that is probably true when dealing with those who attempt to use the Bible to damn other people and their faith. We probably all would have done well to ignore "dag" and just talked about the beauty of our easter. Myself especially.
No, you keep it up. . .when a person is living a life that is beautiful and blessed, it is going to piss some people off. Let them be pissed. Sorry if I turned the discussion into point/counterpoint.
3q
Conni, I can't imagine anyone who reads anything YOU write would not be attracted to Christ. I know I get hot under the collar when there is a perceived attack. I know that I felt dag was attacking, so I jumped. I won't apologize for my opinions, but if I was fierce I do apologize for that.
However, I got to have a wonderful dialogue with one of your readers, Kathy, and for that I am blessed. There WAS a fierceness in many of the replies, but I think the end result was a good thing, most of the posters shared a love of Christ and developed an understanding of each other.
I have to say that I frequent Bradford Stevens' blogs, both the personal and More Noble blog. While I enjoy his personal blog, I have a difficult time reading the More Noble blog. I DEFINITELY enjoyed reading his post on your blog about the church of Christ, it was very easy to read and understand where he is coming from in his beliefs.
I think that most of the conversation ended up a good thing, but I think dag is an internet troll and did not exhibit any traits of a good Christian or any desire for an open dialogue.
I cannot imagine that anyone would think that you are not promoting the love of Christ. You are a great example of how Christianity can change a life and be a wonderful thing. I don't think that G could have possibly been talking about YOUR comments. DAG and 3q maybe...but your comments seemed okay to me.
Connie- I am confused. Is the person who commented saying that he or she thinks that we should all just love and accept no matter what? Jesus called people to be accountable. I read all of the comments and it sounded to me like 3q and dag were simply comparing ideas of what the Word actually means. I TOTALLY agree that we should love one another, even in light of our differences, but I DO NOT think that we should just all love each other and get along just for the sake of avoiding conflict. If we refuse to confront and question, we are not providing much room for growth and encouragement.
HC
I just finished reading the whole discussion after seeing your comment on Mike Cope's blog.
I was pretty shocked to find that someone had such a stern objection to your wonderful, spirit-filled post on Easter. As far as I can remember w/o going back to it, I'm not even sure you mentioned a "special service," just that you enjoyed it and then enjoyed the day with your family.
All in all, I agree with those who are encoraging you to not withold your comments/opinions/good discussions. Some arguements/dialogue, whatever you want to call it is expected and healthy amoung believers. You wouldn't expect non-Christians to be able to jump into the middle of a theological discussion between two preachers. But that doesn't mean that the two preachers should end their discussion and refrain from such just for the sake of the non-Christian either. That's appealling to the lowest common denominator. Maybe sometimes a blog is about bringing others to Christ, but sometimes it can be about an intellectual debate between believers. I think that's okay.
The only problem I had with any of your comments was the thought of Albert Pujols hitting three homers. As an Astros fan I still have nightmares after his insane homerun against Brad Lidge last year. It's a haunting vision to behold.
Kyle-
Thanks for the encouragement...it is good to hear. I really was disturbed by this whole thing...all I said was HAPPY EASTER! (and for the record, it was VERY happy!)
Please feel free to visit and comment at any time... your comment was a blessing to my lunch break!
I just got done writing a response to my previous comments and lost it. God or what?? haha. Ok- First and foremost, I am in no way trying to criticize Conni. Conni has been a blessing to me and my family for some time now. Her pursuit of godliness and her insight have spurred me on. I was responding to some of the comments. My response was intended as a challenge to each other us, myself included to be mindful of the way we discuss things. Debate and discussion have been a cornerstone for many of us when discussing matters of theology. However, I think that we at times forget that in all things we all called to be like Christ. That means especially when we have conversations. We don't neccesarily know what each others struggles and issues are, therefore I have recently been trying to keep that in mind whenever I share my feelings. That doesn't mean that we don't share but rather that we are intentional and prayerful about how we say things. many of you may read this and think I am speaking to someone specific. and I am, I am speaking to MYSELF. I often find myself, spouting things off before I actually consider the ramifications. I was curious to see if others felt the challenge to this as well. In refernece to the love, listen and accept comment I made. This is what I am thinking. When we think about reaching the lost. We need to build authentic, loving relationships that attempt to understand the thoughts-forms and presuppositions that non-christians may have. We need to understand why they live the way that they do. SO that we can speak the truth of God into their lives. So that we can confront them in their sin we will not be speaking a foreign language to them. Theological concepts like, repentance, justification, salvation or even GOD can be interpreted differently depending on their experiences. If that person had a abusive father, God the father is very different for them then for me. So when I said that we need to love each other and listen with our hearts , I did not mean to say that we should accept people and not challenge them to deal with their sin. I was just simply working out my reflections on what reaching should look like in my life. Wondering if others felt that way too?
Conni- thank you for providing a safe place that we can all come to and grow in our love for God. It is my prayer that we truly spur each other on to who God desires for us to be. G
G- Thank you. Thank you for the clarification, for your kind words towards me, and for the reminders of a few things that we need to remember as Christians!
I appreciate your willingness to be open and share your knowledge as well as your struggles. I know you may find this suprising, but sometimes I talk without thinking too! (SHOCKING!) Thanks for reminding me that I am not alone it that!
You are so right...we always need to be aware of how we act and treat each other. Please feel free to comment here any time- you are welcome any time.
Note-- to understand more fully what conni is referring in today's posting.rather then just reading the excerpts out of context I encourage everyone to read the entire posting found under "not offended" "G's" comments need to be taken in light of the entire posting. She is very convicting.
I wrote "She" but I guess I am not sure. I think "SHE" is a "she"
Hi Honey, I think that your blog is great! It is thought provking and gives you a way to share Jesus. I also think that if people read all of your blogs I think they will see how much you love and want to share Jesus. I hope that you continue to write here because I can see how much of a outlet it is for you : )
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