Proverbs for Christian Blogging: Be Slow to Speak

“…let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…”

The internet is not very conducive to obeying this command. When something goes viral it can be very tempting to be one of the voices in the crowd. If something is trending on Twitter all I have to do is write an article and put a # sign in there and immediately my blog will get an upswing in traffic.

Furthermore, there is a constant stream of vast amounts of material—most of it needing rebuked. Some things actually need a response. Most things only make us think that they need a response.

In the midst of all the noise God says to the Christian blogger, “let every [blogger] be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow and anger…”

Quick to Hear

To be “quick to hear” means to rapidly pursue listening. It means chewing on what another person has said. True hearing requires understanding—or at least an attempt to truly understand. If I cannot fairly represent what was just said then I have not truly listened to you.

Think about how this relates to the ridiculousness of many comment streams. A good host of the comments are taken up by those that did not truly hear the piece that was written. Then people respond (without truly hearing) to the dude that just commented after failing to hear the original piece.

My how the Christian slice of the internet would change if we lived out our redemption in this area!

Slow to Speak*

Most of us assume understanding. That’s why we start nodding our heads in agreement (or shaking our fists in disagreement) when the speaker is only a few words into his speech. Once we start nodding (or seething) we start formulating our own response. The internet is no different. We read a title, factor in the author, read a couple of lines and then assume that we know his/her argument.

To truly be slow to speak means that even though everything within us is crying out “Write a response to this dummy”, we intentionally slow ourselves down. Go ahead and type out of a rough draft. Get it all out. Throw it all up on your paper.

Then throw it away.

After you rewrite the article let it sit there for awhile. And as it sits there ask yourself with it really needs to be said. Can it wait a day? Can it wait a week? The more it sits the more you are able to choose your words more intentionally.

Slow to Anger

This fits with being slow to speak. Anger makes us want to give a quick response. It’s always a good idea to let a response post sit for time. You don’t have to give a quick response. Angry responses are usually quick responses. Save your anger for that which truly should evoke anger and not those sinful outbursts that we like to excuse as “righteous indignation”.

Listen, I understand the rules of the internet. I know that it moves really fast. I know that if you’ve written a really good and angry piece on the relationship between sin, #GaryColeman, #JustinBieber, and #KellogsCornFlakes, you need to get that bad boy out there before those dudes stop trending. I also know that you need to respond quickly in order to be seen as relevant. So…

I hear you.

I simply refuse to play by the rules if the rules are sin-inducing. I’d rather be irrelevant and holy than relevant and rebellious. James 1:21 is clear, blog accordingly.

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*It’s important to note that I am not advocating never posting a response to something that happens in that day. We just need to be wise in how we do it. It should be the exception and not the rule.

What I’ve Learned From Prosperity Teachers

I’ve shared before my experience with prosperity “gospel” teaching. Early on in my Christian life I swallowed it whole. I woke up with TBN on in my house and I went to bed with folks like Benny Hinn preaching to me. I drank the Kool-aid they stirred. I smoked everything they rolled up for me.

Not all of it was killing my soul.

Consider these recent tweets by Joel Osteen. Statements of this sort pepper the speech of TBN throughout each day:

What I learned from prosperity teachers is that God is a really big God that can do anything…so long as we _______.

Such a belief of course is necessary to prosperity teaching. God must be big in order for prosperity teaching to work. Believing that He can turn my $20 seed of faith into a down-payment for a house requires a God that is able to do anything. It requires a God that is able to “call into existence the things that do not exist”.

The second half of that statement is equally important. God is a really big God that can do anything—but in order to get Him to act it requires our faith or our words. Yeah, God can turn twenty bucks into 2,000. But He will only do that if we put that twenty into the pocket of our favorite prosperity teachers tailor made suit coat.

Eventually I dropped the second half of that statement. That is the part that is untrue. The first part, however, that God is really big and can do anything is absolutely true. It was through prosperity teaching that I learned that God was big and can do anything.

What do we learn from this?

Some might take this and say, “see prosperity teachers aren’t all bad! We ought to thank God for them.” I partially agree. I agree that in as much as they do faithfully proclaim Christ I’m grateful that the gospel is preached. I also don’t believe they are all bad. Some of them have really nice hair, probably love their mothers, can teach really well, might even be good leaders, and stand for many biblical principles.

Yet, I still believe they are deadly. Satan parades around as an angel of light and so do many of these false teachers. Rather than thanking them for preaching a half truth I believe the lesson here is that we ought to thank God for being powerful enough to shine the light of Christ through substantial error. His Spirit is powerful enough to bring us through even the most shoddy of teaching.

That’s comforting for teachers too. I want to be as faithful as I possibly can in presenting the gospel. But I also know that the tongue is a fire and I’m not totally redeemed in either my theology or my heart. I agree with Craig Blomberg, “sooner or later every teacher will do damage.” That’s heart wrenching. But it’s also good to know that the Lord leads people through our errors. God can speak through donkeys, and that means He can probably speak through me.

It is also encouraging to know that God can use everything—even a season sitting under rotten teaching for His glory and our good. I’m glad that the false god of the prosperity teachers is subservient to Almighty God that can use anything to serve His sovereign purpose.

May we press on in being faithful teachers and thank God that He is more than able to bring us into full maturity.

Today in Blogworld 05.02.13

3 Things Christians Should Remember About Public Debate

Great piece by Marty Duren. These are three really simple things that Christians need to remember about public debate. “In the days ahead we can either grasp tightly an illusory America that, for the most part, never was, or we can hold tightly the Kingdom Jesus introduced. We may choose one, we may choose the other, but we cannot choose both.”

4 Sermon Types to Avoid

Pretty sure I’ve done all four of these. Oddly enough not the third one while actually being in seminary. I believe that I’ve gotten each of these sermons “out of the way” quite early in my ministry.

6 Continuities Between the Old and New Covenants

Charts like this are really helpful. Andy Naselli always seems to post helpful stuff like this.

Well This is Going to Be Awkward

Tim Challies wonders if our cultural obsession with awkwardness betrays our “greater love for conformity than for uniqueness and that our love is contingent on not embarrassing us.” As one that has been called awkward (and often feels awkward I was both helped and rebuked by this piece).

I haven’t had a chance to check this out yet…but I love the guys from Reach Records. If you’ve got a spare hour check this out and tell me what you think:

Baseball, Streaking, and the Christian Life

At one point this season, Royals centerfielder Lorenzo Cain had a 12 for 18 streak. That streak* was filled with homeruns, doubles, and more than one clutch RBI. When interviewed during this streak, Cain commented that the ball was coming to him looking like a beach ball. His comment got me thinking about living the Christian life.

I’ve actually experienced the beach-ball effect. At one point during my senior year of high school (the last year I played hardball) I had a similar streak to Cain’s. As I watched the ball come to the plate it seemed to grow at the same rate as the Grinch’s heart. It’s easy to hit a baseball when you see it this clearly.

I’m not in the major leagues.

That is because for the most part I’m a terrible hitter. Typically the ball looks like a deflated ping pong ball. And that (among other things) is what separates me from major league stars. Any schmuck can hit a ball when it looks three sizes too big. What separates the big boys of summer from the mustard-stained amigo on the couch is how you hit when the ball is normal—or even when it appears smaller than normal.

3 Lessons From the Beach Ball

I believe you could use this analogy for a number of things. You could talk about pastoring in the difficult times, parenting when your kids seem like monkeys hopped up on energy drinks, being a good friend when your buddy is a jerk, or remaining faithful as a spouse when times get really tough. You can apply it many ways. Here are three general lessons that I draw from the beach ball.

1. It’s not the hot streaks but the day to day faithfulness to Jesus that will define me. The world might view us based upon our best day or on our worst day. But the Lord (and history) seems to view the entire trajectory of our lives. If I’m amazing at being a husband for three months after attending a seminar, but I’m a terrible specimen of a man the other nine months I’ll be defined as a husband that blew it.
2. How I respond in the cold streaks matter. If I give up and wait until the beach ball moments come back I’ve blown it. I think about this with writing. Sometimes it comes with ease. Other times it feels like I can’t even write my name. Yet I keep plodding along.
3. Am I taking advantage of those beach balls? Listen if the Lord gives you an overflow of grace you had better use it up. It’s like manna—it’s meant for today. If the ball feels like a beach ball don’t stand at the plate with the bat on your shoulder looking for a walk, get after it. You know that the streak won’t last—that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of it. Some people can’t enjoy the view from the mountain because they see the valley right around the corner.

If you’re having a beach ball experience then enjoy it and use it for God’s glory. If things are coming a little more difficult keep plodding along. Take heart in knowing that the most important aspect of your faith is it’s unchanging object.

Keep on swinging whether it looks like a beach ball or not.
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*Did you think I meant a different type of streaking? Silly rabbit…

Today in Blogworld 05.01.13

Aggasiz and the Fish

I had heard this story awhile back and it actually shaped the way that I think. I appreciated seeing a little more detailed version given to us by Justin Taylor.

What if Life Was Complex?

This is Carl Trueman at his best. I’m glad he’s not actually making a point here…because that would be terrible.

Deeper Beauty: Women, “Hot Wives”, and Christ

It’s sad that this takes more than a few sentences but here we are. Owen Strachan has a very balanced take on the phrase “smoking hot wives”.

Why Bad Writing is Almost Always Mistaken for Good Writing

I pray that I’m in the latter.   (HT: Trevin)

This may actually be a necessary service: