[Lonely Bull]

But truth is still truth, and the Gospel must still be proclaimed, and falsehood discredited.

I hope that such proclamation of truth and discrediting of falsehood will be sober. More people would take the Religion Forum more seriously if the conversation were more serious and less angry, sarcastic, barbed, and vengeful.

Do you, reader, oppose indifferentism? Take care that what you post in the Religion Forum differs from the brawling of the world. (The Religion Moderator profile isn't full of regulations just for fun. I have been tempted to misquote "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.") If your faith doesn't seem to make much difference in your posting and thus in your life, a lurker just may conclude interesting things about your faith or your God.

[Springfield Reformer]

SR: But truth is still truth, and the Gospel must still be proclaimed, and falsehood discredited.

LB: I hope that such proclamation of truth and discrediting of falsehood will be sober. More people would take the Religion Forum more seriously if the conversation were more serious and less angry, sarcastic, barbed, and vengeful.

Do you, reader, oppose indifferentism? Take care that what you post in the Religion Forum differs from the brawling of the world. (The Religion Moderator profile isn't full of regulations just for fun. I have been tempted to misquote "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.") If your faith doesn't seem to make much difference in your posting and thus in your life, a lurker just may conclude interesting things about your faith or your God.

I completely agree that our communication here should be informed by our trust in Christ and our love for Him, for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and for those who might be in some sense our enemies.  How that affects our writing style at any given moment is another question.  In general, yes, absolutely we should be wise as serpents, harmless as doves, communication that is wholesome and straightforward, speaking truth in love.  

But by example of Jesus, Paul, and some others, there are still a lot of different ways to make a point, and some of them can be a bit more pungent than others. I'm thinking, for example, of this:

So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." (1 Kings 18:26-27)

Seeing Elijah outright mocks the prophets of Baal, we understand that mocking idolatry is a valid style of criticism. So I'm not willing to say that any particular style is inherently wrong.  There are plenty of examples in Scripture of not pulling punches, like Jesus clearing out the temple, calling the Pharisees vipers, Paul openly hoping the judaizers would injure themselves, etc.  Not that we are in a position to copy everything they do.  Just that the style can't be inherently wrong if they used it.

As for me, I'm not good at snark.  I actually tried it occasionally in my first year or two on FR.  What I've found is that for my own well being, as well as for the calmness and usefulness of the conversation, I should just try to be myself.  My wife thinks I'm too laid back: "The house is on fire!", "OK, honey, let me  finish this FR RF post first ..."   That sort of thing. :)  And like you say, you never know how this plays with the lurkers, so best to try and maintain a gentle spirit.  Not that I always attain that to which I aspire, but like Paul, I press on toward the goal.  It's not easy being a fallible human.

Peace,

SR

[Elsie]

More people would take the Religion Forum more seriously if the conversation were more serious and less angry, sarcastic, barbed, and vengeful.

Oh!

I hear ya!!!

---

Luke 18:9-14   (NIV)

 

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”