Collide Magazine

Steps Toward Redemptive Blogging

Ed Cyzewski - Originally posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 -

In the epistle of James, the author says no one can tame the tongue because it is a restless evil (James 3:8). In our day and age, we could say the same for our fingers as we write blog posts and leave comments online. Fingers can tap out their fair share of destruction, effectively tossing Jesus’ Golden rule into the desktop recycle bin.

We don’t have to look very far to find Christians who either write or lambaste fellow believers in a few keystrokes, seeing their targets as mere hypertext or an avatar instead of an actual person. In the process, they forget that when online they also appear as hypertext or an avatar, and they would not want to be treated in the same way.

Perhaps you’ve also stumbled into such conduct at times, forget- ting the priority given to settling our disputes privately when possible. Perhaps you’ve—at times—forgotten our mandate to extend love and gentleness to others. Sadly, charity and modesty toward others do not translate into traffic, attention, or recognition on the Internet.

When attacking an avatar we don’t have to worry about the effect on the other person, the wounded expression on his or her face, or the day we may have ruined. They are just text and tiny pictures that are completely disconnected from our own lives, and, as such, it’s easy to drop not only standard civility but also Christian charity.

It’s hard to love an avatar or a name on a screen. Therefore, the trick is figuring out how to love these links and avatars in our online lives so that our text will be redemptive and point them toward God and His Kingdom. In order to accomplish that, I try to adhere to three principles that I hope will make my online discussion a constructive, God-honoring, and neighbor-loving practice.

1. Represent The Views Of Others More Carefully Than My Own
When writing or interacting online, I have noticed that it’s far too easy to oversimplify views I find distasteful, stuffing straw men with truncated summaries and then walloping them with my own carefully researched and articulated views. As a result, emotions rise, attacks are unleashed, and dialogues spiral out of control into endless arguments.

The solution to such antics is a commitment to present the views of others with greater care than we would our own. It’s not only in line with the Golden Rule, but we may start a few good discussions in the process. This worked for me when mixing Christianity and politics on my blog.

During the 2008 election, I noticed that many evangelicals were joining the Obama camp, while others remained linked to the conserva- tives. Though I had my own strong feelings about politics and religion, I wrote two posts, each presenting plausible reasons why Christians may vote for McCain or Obama. No one left a comment accusing me of being unfair, and good discussions took place.

If we do justice to the views of others, we’ve created a respectful atmosphere where they’ll feel free to discuss real issues without diverting the conversation into personal attacks. By presenting the views of our opponents more carefully than our own, we force ourselves to confront the tendency to characterize opponents as foolish, less intellectually honest, or deceived in some way. Whether discussing theology or politics, we can often find middle ground, even if we disagree on the nature of the problems and solutions.

2. Set Redemptive Goals
There is no shortage of issues to debate on blogs, generating lots of hits, links, and comments, but a topic’s popularity does not necessarily make it redemptive for the Christian community. It is far too easy to react to a particular Christian’s actions or statements that make the news or to dismantle beliefs that we find disagreeable. However, in the quest to be right, we may be failing to work for the redemption and growth of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s hard for an accuser to also be a redeemer. Our online discourse can be a tool for God’s redemptive work rather than repositories of critique and criticism.

Are we helping fellow Christians follow Jesus better or equipping the saints for ministry? Paul reminds his readers to have nothing to do with foolish arguments, but to commit themselves to building one another up (2 Timothy 2:22-25). There comes a point when we need to ask what benefits our discussions and debates will bring to the Body of Christ and the mission of God.

3. Let Others Win
Often a thread of blog comments features each side asserting the same ideas over and over, hoping to wrap up the matter with the last word. If there’s no room for further discussion, I’ve learned that many times it’s best to thank others for their views and to drop things at that.

One of the most controversial topics today for Christians is homo- sexuality. Consequently, each time I address a development in either a denomination or state law on my blog, the comments come fast and furious from a variety of perspectives. Both sides enter the debate with passionate beliefs and are very unlikely to change their minds no matter what appears in the comment section.

Rather than fighting for the last word or aiming to outdo one another, we have a chance to step back and to place others ahead of ourselves by letting them have the last word. Following Jesus sometimes means taking a lower position, humbling ourselves in these small ways even as he humbled himself in ways we cannot fathom.

Taming Our Fingers
We know that our fingers are quite impossible to tame. The text we share has the power to build up or to tear down. Thankfully Christ has conquered even our fingers and frees us to use them to love one another.

As our words appear on screens for others to view, they can have a far-reaching and lasting impact on those who appear as text and avatars. These are neighbors we are called to love, and therefore, they deserve our respect, encouragement, and deference. By honoring opposing views, seeking redemption, and letting others win, we can reshape our online conduct according to the character and spirit of Christ.

Ed Cyzewski is the author of Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life. He blogs on theology and culture at www.inamirrordimly.com.