Differences, Defamation, Grace & The Blogosphere

Marv Knox, editor of the Texas Baptist Standard, has an interesting op-ed entitled Differences, Defamation & Grace. Check out a snippet below:

A thoughtful reader recently sent me a letter lamenting the landslide of personal attacks and the torrent of abusive language that characterize Baptist life these days. He specifically cited the tone of several blogs. But he also could have pointed to many church business meetings, e-mail and telephone gossip about individuals and events in the Baptist General Convention of Texas, occasional pronouncements by outsiders about our convention, and far too many Baptist dinnertables where “roast preacher” is served up as if it were a local delicacy.

The problem, friends, is a growing inability to disagree agreeably. People no longer seem to understand they can disagree with each other without being angry at each other. They stumble over the concept of honest disagreement expressed in a spirit of goodwill.

A new blog by the name Baptist Young Professionals (a project of the Texas Baptist Young Professional Network) has posted a few thoughts on this same subject of Differences, Defamation, and Grace in the blogosphere.

We Are Texas Baptists also has a few words to say about the hate and vitriol spewed by certain blogger(s).

Despite the positive response to Knox's recent editorial, one blogger has vowed to continue the unfettered flow of vitriol towards other Baptists.

It's absolutely amazing that a person ordained to preach the Gospel would publicly make such a declaration. But when the declaration comes from a preacher with a penchant for slander, we shouldn't be surprised - just sad. And sad that there are other ministers who seemingly stand steadfastly behind such unChristian behavior.