Last Tuesday I posted a link to a quick article I wrote. It was a simple, “Top 10 Worship Songs Sung by Modern Churches” article. Then I got a comment.
This is offensive quite honestly…modern churches as opposed to old fashioned????
Hmmm. I’ve written potentially offensive articles before. Didn’t think this one would have such an impact on someone.
I questioned what my responsibility in this sort of situation was. I know it’s useless to get into an argument with someone online. So I didn’t necessarily want to defend myself. But I also knew I shouldn’t just dismiss this person. What should I do.
This is how I approached it.
- Personalized it – showed I’m a real person. I answered from my personal account instead of my magazine’s account.
- Established common ground – showed that I valued traditional churches and the valid ministry they’re doing.
- Spoke to their concerns.
- Showed my heart.
And then they didn’t respond.
Not sure if they just lost interest? Or maybe I removed the fuel for their fire so they found another article they could put on blast?
I’m not sure.
But I did my best to extend an olive branch to this individual. I think that’s all we can do. Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I think that even extends to people who are mad at you online.
The truth is, you’ll probably never win someone over to your side once they’ve launched into an angry online rant. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. I believe God honors our attempts to obey His Word.
And here’s the thing…at the very least…it might turn into a good blog post…
