Per Christum Catholic Blog

With Anglican matters on my mind (see last post), Fr. Jake Stops the World, a liberal Episcopal blog, has just closed up. Fr. Jake (actually Fr. Terry Martin) has decided to step down in part because the toxic rhetoric of the Anglican wars has had a negative impact on his spiritual life. I didn’t visit his blog that often, but I admit when I wanted to see what the far left in the Episcopal church was up to, and remind myself why the left is no more “inclusive” than the right, I would visit Fr. Jake’s blog to read some of the comments there. In fairness, Fr. Martin himself tended to keep to higher standards of discourse than his often vitriolic commenters. Some of the commenters were especially critical of the Catholic Church, which has stood firm against the type of sexual innovations that are now widely accepted in the Episcopal church.

This got me thinking about blogging and internet discussion in general. I agree with Fr. Martin about how the internet and internet discussions can become toxic, especially Anglican and general religious discussions. I believe strongly in free expression over the internet, and in 2003 and 2004 when the Anglican Communion was starting to break apart it was Anglican blogs, left and right, that kept me informed of what was going on (despite efforts of some Episcopal leaders who would have preferred their actions have stayed under the radar). Nonetheless, when you have two groups (or even more) battling for the soul of their denomination, both fully convinced they are right, a long and difficult battle is bound to happen. Personally, as a confessed conservative on sexual issues, I was tired of being outraged all the time as an Episcopalian, and I knew that if I stayed within the fray myself, I was just going to be constantly frustrated. However…I also know the importance of staying and fighting, and shining light on what is happening, so I also admire the bloggers who stand up for what they believe. Even as a Catholic, I know that I have to keep the balance between being involved in pointless and toxic debates, and being a constructive and Christlike blogger, helping to inform and educate internet readers.

I often have wondered if the time a lot of us spend online couldn’t be spent more fruitfully elsewhere. I especially felt this way around 2000 when I discovered internet forums and chats. Many of the chats I observed (and participated in) were just Christians slinging proof-texts at one another, with many getting angry, and people rarely changing their minds. I eventually scaled back my time on these types of chats, and instead decided to only chat with those who are friendly and looking for some type of fellowship along with the discussion. This doesn’t mean I am only going to engage those who agree with me, but I just don’t have time to become embroiled in heated debates that leave everybody angry, and actually hinder what really matters: my relationship with Christ. Of course, I am only speaking for myself. Some people might grow spiritually through heated debates, but I admit that I do not. From my time online, I have never seen someone’s heart and mind opened through a heated, sarcastic, debate, but I have seen people open up after calm, loving, and firm discussion. Notice I mentioned “firm,” because I am not implying we should get together, hold hands, sing camp songs and pretend we don’t disagree with others; what I am saying is that we should hold our discussions to a charitable and mature level of discourse.

Despite these possible weaknesses of online discussion, I think the internet serves a very important purpose, even if sometimes it can bring out the worst in us. The internet is the new way to communicate. It is the way a lot of people (especially young people) learn and network. Whenever I want information, I go online first. I pay all my bills online, and order most of my books, vitamins, and other things online. The Church needs people to embrace this new media, and to use it effectively, because it is going to advance in importance whether the Church embraces it or not.

So I guess my perspective on blogging (and other internet activity, like our informational site ChurchYear.Net) is that it is a legitimate calling, but one that must not become detached from reality as a blogger. If we wouldn’t be sarcastic and overbearing with someone in real life, we shouldn’t do it online. If we would be loving to someone in real life when discussing our faith, we should be loving online. If we are accurate about our faith in person, we should not sugar-coat online. Our online personas should match who we are in reality, or, who we should become in reality in Christ.