The Hate Heartbreak
I've started to write this several times, but I never could really decide exactly what I wanted to say. It's hard to write when you are broken and tender in all the places of your heart. So...
It all started last week. Tuesday night. I was laying in bed, and my mind wasn't quite ready to wind down, so I went to Twitter to see what was going in the Twitter-verse. That proved to be a bad idea. First, science says some gibberish about blue light making it harder for your brain to sleep or go to sleep or some junk like that. Second, and most importantly, it sparked something that shook me. As I was scrolling, I saw a tweet that took me by surprise, so I investigated. I wanted to see what had sparked the response that was so seemingly out-of-character. I stumbled upon a scathing article by a Christian blogger who was attacking another Christian writer. I read the entire article, and put my phone away to process what I had just read. I was astounded. My heart was broken, and somewhere in the processing I drifted off to sleep.
The next day, as I scrolled through Facebook, I noticed several posts in defense of the victim of the article. I noticed several posts in support of the author of the scathing article. I decided to investigate further. (I can't help but to research as a former debater). I came across the original source that sparked the article. I read that in its entirety. I read the defenses. I read the oppositions. And I scrolled through to see if there was any response from the author the article was about. As I did this, I noticed a couple of things that devastated my heart:
1. There was SO. MUCH. HATE. Did you catch the part where I said the article was written by a Christian blogger about a Christian author? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Christians supposed to be united? While there may have been some truth in article, there was a tone of condescension and hate. I realize there is controversy over some Biblical issues...even within the body, but the body is supposed to be a safe place where we can point one another to the truth that is uncovered in the Word and love each other as we process, sort, and wrestle with the Scriptures. There are many prominent Christian speakers and authors that I don't agree with everything they say and the way that they interpret the Word of God, but instead of attacking them, I'm going to try to understand where they are coming from. It's going to be a discussion and time to seek truth. I can correct someone and disagree with someone in love...as a matter of fact, that's what I'm supposed to do! So as I read each response, comment, post, and new article, I was astounded at the hate that was being thrown back and forth between the people of God.
I will say that not every single post was hateful. There were some that, while there was disagreement on the issue, responded in a loving way. That was an encouraging breath of fresh air.
2. I watched the victim of the article closely to see a response. Until yesterday, there was not a word issued in response. Anywhere. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, all were quiet. When a post finally broke yesterday, it was not defensive or hateful. It explained the perspective, issued a few thoughts, and that was it. The response of this author earned my great respect. See, I find that so often as humans, we are quick to respond - usually in anger - and it comes back to bite us on the rump. So, to that author, kudos. Thank you for setting an example.
It's been a week now since all of this started. I've had thoughts tossing and turning and trying to determine how I wanted to approach this issue. I am still seeing many articles and responses emerge, and while they are softer now, it still devastates me how much hate has saturated the issue rather than trying to understand. I get passion, and being passionate about truth coming out of the mouths of those we are listening to, but be careful that passion doesn't cause us to stumble further. Let's be loving even in the midst of disagreement.
*I have legitimately left out names and articles. This specific instance led me to write this, but it's not the only one that it applies to.*