Afterword: Look Up

I know this sounds incredibly naive, but until blogging within the church went mainstream, I had no idea how much Christians love to attack, criticize, and belittle other churches and people in ministry. 

We love to look down, don't we? A virtual industry has been created filled with people determined to tear down other churches. It still strikes me as a bit unbelievable that these attacks are by other believers and not those opposed to the Christian faith. For some reason, people who have never stepped foot in the church they’ve chosen to target feel completely comfortable attacking its theology, style, outreach methods, and even the salvation of people who came to know Christ through the ministry. They offer armchair criticism and mocking commentary of a house of worship in the same callous and disdainful tone that might be used to evaluate a television show or weekend football game. 

Some of this pride and judgment can be found in the blogs of seminary students and the next generation of church leaders. There is often a sense that a few have stumbled upon the one way to do church and any other approach can be dismissed and ridiculed. 

God works in many different ways and through many different people to reach the lost. Celebrate what God has revealed to you. Share what you've learned with anyone who will listen. Seek out new ideas and perspectives. But don't be hatin' other churches and your brothers and sisters in Christ. There's no other word for it, and it's wrong.

Last year, a fellow blogger introduced me to an incredible musician, Mike Doughty. Though he wouldn't be classified as a Christian artist, his album, Haughty Melodic, is filled with introspective, thoughtful, and sometimes reverent lyrics. I listened to the song His Truth is Marching On constantly as I wrote The Blogging Church and it has since become a reminder of my place within His grand design. I like to think of it as A Blogger's Prayer:

Let me know your enormity and my tininess and
Help me see your infinity and my finiteness

When we look down, we take our eyes off of the God of the Universe and assume a position of arrogance. When we look up, His perspective will inform and impact our every thought and action and become our perspective.

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Comments

[David Cooke]

I have just started blogging and am new to all this. Yesterday, I read your book in one sitting and found it stimulating and very helpful (in fact after not before starting my own blog). We are rather behind the blogging times in England and you have opened my eyes to all a blog can be in my ministry. I will be recommending it to others. Thank you for taking the time to share your passion.

[Eric Busby]

Hi Brian.

I was talking to Robert Scobel this week at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco... he said he met you.

Hope all is well. I started a blog. I will be discussing technology and ministryas intentionally as possible. Not on your scale, but I will share my ideas in hopes they are helpful to some other guys.

You interested in doing a podcast?

Eric (at Saddleback Church)

[Ruthy Spiller]

I just want to say I wholeheartedly agree with your comments!! This life is too short to get grounded down by negtivity in the church. Correction is great if it's done in love and encouragement, but judgement from a seat of superiority or hypocracy is revolting.

The enemy loves it if all he has to do is pit us against one another, and build up our pride. Start encouraging each other, humble yourselves before the Lord and seek Jesus above all else - if you still have time to slag other churches off, I reckon you're missing something.

[John Lambert]

Brian, you are right on with this post. I have seen a trend where it seems like it's cool to be cynical and put other brothers down because they are not doing it "the right way." And although I am 31 years old and believe in relevancy and engaging culture, I see many in my generation looking down on other churches who are not "cool." The time is too short for us to be criticizing each other. We need to be focusing on being "fishers of men" not "hunters of the brethren".