Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Watchdog blogs

I offer up this insightful post by Tim Challies: Evil as Entertainment

Last summer, I had some friends who, unfortunately, fell hook, line, and sinker over the "revival" happening down in Lakeland. I'm not here to debate that topic, although if you're curious I would by more than happy to show you where, scripturally, we need not lend it any credence. My thoughts here are based around my reaction and search for help with discernment. There were many websites online, some Biblical, some not, that were more than willing to offer their opinion on the matter. Most were critical, and most sites were more than happy to drag Todd Bentley through the mud as much as possible, as well as anyone else who, in their view, they saw stepping out of line.

In Challies book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, he makes the point about how we shouldn't trust others for our discernment, but must look to the Bible ourselves. A good point. The main problem with these "watchdog blogs" is their tendency to be incredible critical in their efforts to point out error and expose it. This desire, in of itself, is a good thing. Discernment is, in my opinion, at far too low a level in the churches I have been too, in an age where Biblical confidence is looked upon as arrogance, and acceptance of alternate viewpoints (even if they are wrong) is looked upon as humility as opposed to naivete.

Allowing these sites viewpoints to become my own was a terrible mistake, as my own attitude grew more and more critical by the day without me realizing what was happening. Take the article's points with my own testimony in mind, and trust God, and take your problems and disagreements to Him and His Word.

No comments:

Post a Comment