Think when you read

I have been spurred on by four things to just pop this note on the blog.

a) An on-line discussion about worship practices (No! Really?) where some ended up being accused of harshness and lack of sympathy in what they said.

b) E-mail exchanges I have been party to where the tone of e-mails can be ... difficult to guage.

c) The very nature of e-mails, blogs and comments that tends to be ... terse. Brusque, perhaps? We usually don't begin "Dear so and so", or close "Sealed with a loving kiss"!

d) A suggestion on a discussion of Bible software that a company was gloating over a competitor.

Anyway - the upshot of it all is that we need to be very careful how we interpret what we read. Blogs and comments and e-mails are very cold media. They're useful. Excellent in many ways, but not very good at conveying emotional warmth!

For that reason when you read, read with charity, remembering that it is as great a sin to take offence as to give it. Assume the best of motives - love - in the heart of the person who writes. Read affection between the lines.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Amen, dear brother. The 'send' button is sometimes much too easy to press. The communications of man are quite limited and face to face is much better. When you think about it the Bible is an amazing book - it doesn't have that limitation. I suppose that's the influence of the Spirit.
11:47 pm
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