Thread by @bartbarber

I’m about to offer my opinion about how we should conduct online discussions. Before I do so, I want to acknowledge what you surely already know: Every wrong way to carry on an online discussion, I’ve done it. I’ve made every mistake you can make online.

What’s worse—when I sinned with my Twitter-tongue, I ENJOYED it. Sometimes I felt that I had a knack for it. It’s not just “I’ve made mistakes once or twice.” I’ve seen things about who I am that are not pretty. So I speak today as a sinner.

Now, that having been said, whatever handwringing we’ve had over our complementarianism-egalitarianism debate this week, let it be over the manner of the conversation, not over the existence of it. I have not given up on Twitter as a place to have healthy conversation.

I’m a stricter complementarian than @BethMooreLPM, but I want to read her thoughts on the matter. If this were an area in which I could gain a better grasp of the truth, how else would I grasp it but by prayer, Bible study, and dialogue with the saints?

To dialogue with those holding different views is an opportunity either to be corrected and become more who Christ would have me to be or to have the joyful knowledge that having encountered the strongest representative of another view, my view stood the test.

So I for one hope that we have not all just retreated to our corners to be silent or to fire volleys at one another by less public means. It is no more holy to excoriate one another by phone call, email, and private message than by tweet. Rather, if I got my wish…

We would represent one another’s view so accurately that our interlocutors would agree themselves that what we have said that they believe is what they believe.

We would be as willing to ask questions as to make pronouncements.

We would State our own convictions with courage and clarity, even when others may take offense at them. For example, it is my conviction that my phone shouldn’t randomly capitalize words in the middle of my sentences. What are we, German?

We would assume the best possible motivation of people who hold the opposite view.

More than we mistrust fellow believers, we would mistrust the emotions that arise out of increasing like-counts, retweet-counts, attaboys (-girls), or rejoinders either on our part or on the part of others. These are the path to the dark side.

The result will not be that our conversations will not hurt or will not offend anyone. I’ve been helped by being hurt before. Sometimes just the content does that. For my part, I think we are sometimes too afraid of honest public communication.

The result I desire, rather, is that our worst and most difficult conversations be conducted in ways that make it clear that we have been with Jesus.

That’s all. Happy Lord’s Day. May you encounter the living Christ today and be blessed.

Wait. One last thing. Here’s when I mess up—When I go into Twitter thinking Christ wins by my winning. Christ wins by making us His disciples and changing us. So, let’s go into Twitter to make disciples, not to vanquish.