Christians, Internet and Fruit of the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
For the past few days, I have been lurking on a Christian internet discussion group watching in dismay a discussion. The lead post was about the guy that was responsible for the shooting at Fort Hood. The member who posted the lead post ended the post with her comment that any Christian who prays for the shooter “makes her sick” and that those Christians practice “sissy Christianity.” And so began the over 208 post saga and it was not a pretty sight.
The original poster’s, a manager of the group, thrust was that she does not pray for evil. The other members had a different slant and were taking the position that is is not evil that is prayed for but salvation. There was one poster that I really was watching closely for despite the attacks, she remained polite and exhibited the fruit of the spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
There was several issues going on that I would like to blog about in future posts.
1. Should Christians refrain from praying for someone’s salvation that commits an act that is more evil than “normal” unsaved people?
2. Who are the wicked as opposed to the righteous? The initial poster took the position that scripture does not command nor is there evidence that evil people should be prayed for and demanded that scripture be provided. The poster I really had my eye on provided scripture and even provided examples from scripture and from news sources where someone who has committed evil and wicked acts repented, named Christ as Lord and were redeemed.
3. Fruit of the Spirit. It’s easy to display the fruit of the spirit when things are going our way but the difficulty begins when things are not going our way. I saw some display the fruit of the spirit while others looked like what you would find in a street brawl.
My reason for this blog post is mostly because I want to vent. It is ugly how Christians can be with one another. It is inappropriate for Christians to announce publically that other Christians make them sick. This is a public statement made by one Christian that other Christians who do not follow her views of who should be prayed for in regards to salvation makes her sick. These Christians who make her sick are those whom Jesus has redeemed with His shed blood.
I learned from the poster who would not attack back in kind to the attacks. She stayed on topic and refrained from answering back with her own attacks. In fact, most of the responders to the thread publically praised her for how she handled herself.
These online ugly attacks between Christians need to stop. This is why I do not participate in online discussion groups anymore. It’s ugly and more important, it’s a bad witness.
This post is mostly my way of venting my frustration and disappointment at what I see across the internet. I have no expectation that this post will in any way affect Christians in how they present themselves to the world on the internet.
Hi, Interesting article. My opinion? Paul was a murderer and David a murderer and an adulterer. Praise God, He forgave them, and He forgives us no matter WHAT. For that matter, one sin is too many! That pretty much takes care of all of us.
I always try to pray for all involved in these kinds of incident – both the victims and the person who committed the crime. That being said, I do think they should be tried, convicted when guilty, and punished. But they need God just as much as we all do. And perhaps God will use them in prison, as He did Chuck Colson and many others.
Thanks for interesting food for thought.
Oh, I DO VERY MUCH agree with you that they should be tried, convicted when guilty AND punished. I just think they are as in need of salvation as anyone else. I think it’s a mistake for Christians to take the position that because our acts before salvation are less depraved or wicked makes us any more deserving of salvation. You are absolutely right, if they are saved even while in prison, they can have much influence.
I’m not out looking to pray for the perpetrators but I certainly can’t claim that they need to be excluded from a prayer for salvation based on their wicked acts. I certainly would not pray for their comfort or ease but that is something I would certainly pray for the victims.
I’m going to post on that topic as well. I was venting at how I see Christians acting towards one another on the internet. It looked like a bar room brawl. For many, the internet is their interaction with Christians. It’s really too bad.
Thanks for your great comments.