The War of Online Words
There's nothing virtual about e-conflict.
By Chad Hall
October 1, 2004
The e-mail seemed a simple request. In a sermon I'd mentioned seeing Matrix: Reloaded. That had piqued the curiosity of this member, who'd read a review of the movie on a Christian family-values website and now wanted to know if I thought it was appropriate for Christians to see R-rated movies. I shot off a quick reply—something about there being nothing wrong with seeing R-rated movies if you can handle it, and many mature Christians find such "real-life" exposure helps rather than harms their spiritual walk by getting them out of the Christian "bubble." I hit the send button without another thought. By the end of the day, however, things had flared into a B-grade horror flick. Her reply charged me with condoning pornography, violence, and perversity. I was the one "in the bubble," she said, and I needed to consider what the Holy Spirit inside me was thinking while I watched such filth. She ended: "Obviously I'm at the wrong church. You cannot be my pastor. I have no respect for you. You'll never see me at church again." Ouch. Did I mention she was 13 years old (double ouch) and often babysat my daughter (triple ouch)? Then her mother and brothers dove in. The whole family e-agreed: I was an arrogant jerk with questionable commitment to Christ who needed to repent of viewing such seedy segments of the culture. What I'd thought to be solid relationships deteriorated instantly. The whole thing left me stunned. I came to some tough conclusions. Re-examine. I sought sympathy from some trusted friends until my courageous wife slid in the whoopee-cushion comment, "Maybe you were wrong." I started to refute her obviously malicious foray. But she understood e-mail better than I. She suggested I re-read my initial answer through the ...
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