We are good at beating up our own.

I guess I’m a little upset about all the words being slung around at Rob Bell after a controversial post about him on the Internet this week. If you don’t know about it, you’re probably better off. Regardless of what you have or haven’t heard… grace: let’s show some to one another.

A friend of mine messaged me and said, “I’m fairly disgusted reading the tweets about Rob Bell. I guess that makes me as bad as they are.” Ouch! That kind of hit me where it hurt. I had to start thinking about my own response to the stream of harsh comments and status updates I was reading.

It takes me back to a peer in student ministry that went through a terrible ordearl a few years ago. I was hearing all sorts of crazy talk – I mean off-the-wall stuff – about the ways his student ministry had treated a couple of their students. I tried calling my fiend a couple times, but didn’t get through for a few weeks. I think he was probably screening the calls. I may have, too. I mean, the stuff people were saying was insane! A lot of words being spouted out were hurtful – plain and simple – flat out mean!

When I finally got to sit down, face-to-face, and talk about what really happened from his perspective, most of what I had been hearing was blown way out of proportion. That is my opinion, of course, but that’s how I perceived it. Regardless, I wanted to tell him “sorry” – to somehow provide some sort of relief and tell him that all those things being said about him weren’t necessary. That even if there was a failure that the way it was being handled by some was wrong.

There were tears.

Seems like there are better things for us to do than tear people apart. Even if their opinion is different than ours. Even if their theology is different than ours. Even if their was a moral failure. Even if they messed up.

I was reading what musician, Michael Gungor, wrote about the whole “Rob Bell ordeal.” His finishing thought? “Don’t be so mean; it’s embarrassing.”

Sigh… Why do we do this to each other? What is it about us that makes us so angry? So judgemental? So ready to throw rocks?

One caveot to this whole thing… My wife asked me, “Why are you so judgmental of judgmental people?” and “Why are you so angry with these angry people?”

Hmmmm… Maybe it’s best to examine our OWN hearts before worrying about someone else’s.

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“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 NLV