Yesterday, I went to CNN.com to get my news to balance out the fairness after reading FoxNews.com. I came across a commentary posted by a Christian blogger who was given a spot on CNN.com. I found it interesting that CNN would actually give a space to Christian commentary.
The article’s writer gave his opinions as to why Christians are jerks online. If Christians are to love thy neighbor, why oh why then do they act like jerks online? You could probably replace “jerks” with self-righteous and still have the same point made.
I suppose his points were valid. He explains how Christians hide behind an online identity, making it easier to be more blunt, especially since you may not know the readers. He also explains that for many it becomes an idol in nit-picking the little things that annoy us as Christians.
So why can we be jerks online? Here are some of my thoughts in no particular order:
- Young in our Christian life – You’ve heard the saying, once a ____ always a _____ (fill in the blank with anything). Although, that may not necessarily be true, there are some habits that are harder to get rid of than others. I’d like to think that as a Christian, I am repenting of all my sins and bad habits, but in reality some are still lingering. Luckily I have people in my life to remind me of them.
- Not all christians are Christians – Many people in and not in church will claim they are Christian, yet know nothing of the Gospel, much less Grace. They may find themselves compelled to show the errors of others’ ways. So it’s not fair really to stereotype Christians and lump all christians together.
- One bad seed can damage a whole crop – All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This “all” includes Christians. There will be those who are prominent and well known Christians who will stick their foot in their mouth on occasion. How about giving them some grace too.
- Excited to share with others – As Christians we desire for everyone to realize God’s glory and are excited to share it with others. Blogging or chatting online gives an easy platform to share opinions. It allows us to be bolder and braver than what we would normally share face-to-face. But nonetheless, we want to share what we’ve come to learn about ourselves in hopes others don’t make the same mistakes.
- Truth hurts – What one persons sees as “jerky” may in actuality be the truth. Pointing out a flaw in an individual or a society is rarely ever politically correct.
- It’s not a Christian thing – So why are Christians singled out? Any time I have ever commented on a non-Christian blog or YouTube, I immediately get barraged with hateful emails and replies with so much vulgarity it would make George Carlin cringe. It is a challenge to maintain a nice attitude on a blog site when someone attacks you in such a way.
What are some of your thoughts?
Sapphire Sky 
2 replies on “Why are Christians bloggers jerks? – recent CNN post”
I read the CNN article and will submit my opinion (hopefully not being a jerk). Your points above are well said, and I would especially emphasize point 6 above: it’s not just a Christian thing. It is very easy to post to the Internet, and the result shows a lot of writers with poor language and communication skills. I have seen a lot of writers post what is on their mind with no thought for the consequences of their words.
We must also remember that there is a major difference in values between Evangelical Christians and popular American culture. Most Christians place a high value on being “right” while most secular Americans place a higher value on being “nice”. There is a lot related to the “truth hurts” point above.
It is easy to hide behind the anonymity of an Internet post, but we should always be on guard with what we say and do, and how it affects others.
Good points — though I was surprised by the topic. I didn’t realize online Christian jerks were a problem. I advise a few ministries and frequently review brand and copyright issues online by “secular” bloggers. Routinely, the comments about the Christian ministries are not just rude, they hare hate filled and vile. Christians are supposed to stand out, particularly in our love for one another. Anyway, it would have helped me to understand his point if he had been pointed out some specifics of Christians sounding like jerks online – our would such specifics be jerky?