The norm in society is to be absolutely right, while considering those that disagree with you to be absolutely wrong/stupid/fake/heathen/whatever other demeaning insult you feel like using. This trend is never more prevalent than during political elections, although our current congress has blessed many with the opportunity to keep up the caustic speech. What is sad to me is that this sort of speaking has infiltrated the church, and it is on full display today, and it will stay there through the end of the year.
Holidays are a time of joy and laughter, decorations, celebrations, anger, and judgment. Somehow they all get thrown in the same bag. Today kicks off the holiday/argumentative season, with Christians disagreeing with what position to hold on Halloween. We'll move into Christmas, and we'll be given the opportunity to be upset with how someone wishes us well. Happy holidays (which means happy holy days, incidentally) seems to be the most offensive phrase in America today. So that'll be setting people off soon, too. And people will take to the safest venues for saying the most offensive things without fear of getting smacked: Facebook and Twitter. Hard positions will be taken, back-and-forth jabbing will take place, friends will become enemies, and Christ will be ashamed.
But if you are right, and you are just refusing to bend on the truth, how could Christ ever be offended with you? Well. I think we're doing the right things the wrong way a lot of times, and we use the wrong venues. Facebook probably isn't the best place to try to convert people to your way of thinking, because it lacks context, tone of voice, and non-verbal cues that let people know you're not attacking them. And when you speak the truth, but you do not speak the truth in love (as Ephesians 4:15 suggests), what you say is utterly useless. You could be saying the greatest things on this earth, but without love, you're just making noise. Want to have meaning and credibility? Go love some people before you try to pick their decisions apart. Look them in the eyes. It will probably change the way you speak to them.
