雜崩能閱讀報告
JBL Reading Report

Actually for quite a while I have noticed that Christian leaders who blog frequently tend to very easily criticize and mock ignorant behaviors of fellow brothers and sisters.

When I read those posts, at first sight, it is easy for me to murmur in my heart "oh, hell yeah, that's so right, that's exactly how ridiculous 'those Christians' behave", and then immediately cross post these articles on my own blog.

Well, after a while, I noticed something is really wrong here. On the surface, these posts accurately describe some of the problems of our contemporary church life. At a closer look, there is actually a heavy dosage of cynicism and elitism in the attitude these posts are written. How come Christian leaders who have been properly equipped to love and nurture the church end up shooting arrows at their own brothers and sisters all the time?

I remember Darrell Johnson once quoted from Richard Lovelace's Dynamics of Spiritual Life, saying "...it seems to me that much of the church’s warfare today is fought by blindfolded soldiers who cannot see the forces ranged against them, who are buffeted by invisible opponents and respond by striking one another” (p. 18). We criticize the body of Christ constantly because we are blindfolded and not knowing the true enemy is of the "powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12)

If we truly love the church, we'd be spending time loving them and teaching them properly, not hiding behind the computer screen writing cynical comments and fussing all the frustration and discontent on our blogs due to pastoral failure, hoping that those mentioned will read it and be shamed automatically, and those who agree will respond with a high-five. Think about it, this is just so wicked!

Since that realization, I stopped writing anything that shows contempt for those whom Christ bought with a heavy price, or even cross-posting those cynical posts, no matter how accurate they describe the ridiculousness of the behaviors of brothers and sisters, and only choose to write when I have something constructive, educating or inspiring to say.

This is just my honest feeling that I have wanted to share for quite a while.

Anson, you are very right.

But I still see the necessity of criticism. It is undoubtedly a major force of improvement. 但對事不對人很重要。真正的愛心亦很重要。異象與呼召也很重要。怕的就是那種拿批評來消遣吹水唔抹嘴的評語。這就是我所指的無承擔。

I struggle with the issue of criticism as well. I have friends who think you should never criticize and always love. I have other friends who thinks that because humans are so depraved, their message always has to be coming down on sin.

I don't remember where I read it, but someone once wrote that his life goal is moderation, including moderation in moderation. I believe that to be true. I have to remind myself not to go to extremes, including not going to extreme in trying to please everyone.