" 16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."
"haughty eyes": eyes that are assuming, cavalier, conceited, contemptuous, detached, disdainful, distant, egotistic, egotistical, high, high and mighty, hoity-toity, imperious, indifferent, lofty, on high horse, overbearing, overweening, proud, reserved, scornful, sniffy, snobbish, snooty, snotty, stuck-up, supercilious, superior, uppity
"a false witness who pours out lies": Do we fall into this trap accidentally when quoting someone else when we have misunderstood them? Do we fall into this trap when we discuss what is happening within the Christian world and end up passing on gossip? I know I fell into that trap here and Peter Kirk brought a timely challenge which helped me see an error (in the comments of that post).
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers: That does not say a man who disagrees with others. Or a man who challenges others. Or a woman who does either. But I do wonder sometimes if some "discussions" have a deeper agenda.
- Are we looking for something to criticise?
- Are we looking for something to be offended by?
- Do we find it easier to blog about other people than to dialogue with them?
- Do we issue a judgement before we issue a question?
- Do we engage or retreat?
Please tell me, at any time, if I am sounding or looking as though I have "haughty eyes"
Tell me if anything I say is gossip or a blatant misunderstanding.
Tell me if you feel I am stirring up dissension amongst brothers.
And with your permission, may I do the same for you?
6 comments:
Thanks for a thoughtful post. It's a difficult standard to hold oneself to - and I know I've just failed! - but you are certainly correct.
Very good post Dave. I'd like to pose a question - when and how is it appropriate to rebuke brothers and sisters online? If ever.
when and how is it appropriate to rebuke brothers and sisters online? If ever.
What do you mean by "rebuke"?
Do you mean disagree with a post?
Or a more personal rebuke?
Thanks for this post. You indeed make important points. My first thought was to think of a particular blogger who seems guilty here. But then I realised that I too have been guilty at times and often rather close to being so. So I certainly should not throw stones before setting my own glasshouse in order.
Thanks also for acknowledging how I helped you. Sadly, as I have now written, it now seems true, or at least confirmed by reliable information, that Todd Bentley did initiate separation from his wife.
Please return the compliment by holding me to account if you find me overstepping these marks. In other words, you have my permission to rebuke me, gently. As for whether we should rebuke others without their permission, that is indeed an interesting question and I would be interested in any answers.
By the way, the Hebrew of verse 19 clearly implies that God equally hates men who stir up dissension among sisters and women who stir up dissension among either brothers or sisters.
Good points Dave.
I reckon Proverbs is one of those well-underrated challenging books.
What you said here would make one heck of a challenging preach, or series of preaches.
Very helpful Dave. It chimes with something I posted a few months back:
It is tempting to assume, when surfing and interacting with the best blogs (even this one!), that we are engaged in deeper theological reflection than we actually are. Therefore if we let our blog use take more time than we spend in God's Word or doing Christian reading there is every danger that we get shallower, even while we think we are receiving good stuff. It commits us to only ever expecting to receive at a certain level. Or, worse, it commits us to only hearing stuff we personally decide to surf because we already agree with it. There are far too many theologically duff conversations that happen in cyberspace where they can never mature through access to encouragement or correction from the outside.
Let all of us Christian bloggers beware!
Post a Comment