Discernment Bloggers: Good or Bad?

I find myself contemplating the question in my title.  With the flurry of accusations about sexual and other abuses in church organizations, There are a number of bloggers who have taken to examining what is going on, digging up evidence for their claims and exposing the evils they see.

There are other well known Christians who do not appreciate this scrutiny and they have taken to denouncing these "discernment bloggers", admonishing their congregations or readers/listeners to not spend any time reading or listening to these people because they are spreading slander and gossip which is wrecking reputations of good men and impugning good Christian ministries and authors.

So what is a person supposed to do with all of this?  Who are we to believe?  What are we to believe?  I hope to bring some clarity to the topic.  It might be a bit challenging, but I would like to do this if for nobody else but myself since I have been admonished to be careful with what I read from these bloggers. The assertion was made that they have an agenda that is not in line with Christ’s agenda.  I intend to explore this in this blog.

There are a number of verses from the Bible that each side uses to show what they are doing is right. You can figure out which verses are being used for what side simply by reading them.

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light."

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:11-13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

http://bible.com/1/eph.5.11-13.kjv

"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure."

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭101:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/psa.101.5.nkjv

"And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not."

‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/1ti.5.13.nkjv

"You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD."

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/lev.19.16.nkjv

"The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body."

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/pro.18.8.nkjv

"Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases."

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭26:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/pro.26.20.nkjv

"Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.""

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/psa.105.15.nkjv

So what am I to make of all of this?  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  I am beginning to see where I need discernment as I read both types of blogs.  It seems to be the battle of the bloggers where each claims to be doing what is righteous and good.

I think to a certain degree both sides are right.  How is that for being non-committal to one side or the other?  Ha!  Hold on to your hat!  I am not done. Hear me out. 

I believe the discernment bloggers are right when they report facts and have documentation to back it up. For example, when they say that Don Linblad was being evasive and not telling the whole truth on the witness stand.  They are reporting factual information that is corroborated by the court record.  When they say that ARBCA leaders are trying to cover for Tom Chantry’s abuse of children, they are being factual and it is corroborated by the fact that the judge stated that if ARBCA were in court they would be charged as guilty of a cover-up. There are many, many things the discernment bloggers have posted that are true and have evidence to prove it.  Therefore, I believe what they have evidence and documentation for. I also believe those who have experience with ARBCA pastors who have deceived and manipulated them.

Are the discernment bloggers wrong to report on these things?  No!  Ephesians 5:11-13 says that we are to reprove the works of darkness.  We are to bring them out into the light. If people are being deceived they need to know it. 

So how are the opposition bloggers right? As I read the discernment bloggers, I often find and am guilty of going along with a caustic sarcasm toward those that are the topics of their posts. It is very easy to fall into this sarcastic mode especially when it is easy to see the deception some are using with impunity.  I can see how the opposition bloggers can be put off by this and return the attack.  

Another thing I have noticed with some of the discernment bloggers is that once in a while they descend into unfounded speculation, spouting off their opinion about what they think is going on in a certain instance when there is no concrete evidence to show their speculations are correct.  This fosters rumors and gossip and I believe this is another reason these opposition bloggers go on the attack.  Sometimes I think discernment bloggers are guilty of talebearing or gossip when they report their speculations in the absence of real evidence.

So this is what I am learning in all of this:

1. Read both sides with caution.  Weigh what they say and look for evidence and documentation. 

2. Avoid falling into the sarcasm that is so easy to pick up.  I know I have been guilty of participating, even today, in posting sarcastic things on Twitter about some of the subjects of the various topics.  I need to be careful.

3. Read both sides of the argument.  Don’t just take up one side or the other based on who you like better or if one of the people you hold in high regard is in the crosshairs. Search for and read all the documentation/evidence that you can find before you decide who to believe.

4. If a person is telling you to not read the discernment blogs, then maybe it’s time to read them and understand the issues at hand rather then just taking someone’s word for it that they are posting false information. God expects us to be informed and that requires responsibility on our part to dig and find the truth, not just take someone else’s word for it.

One thing that is so important and overlooked in all this controversy by those who are against the discernment bloggers is a glaring absence of concern for children who have been abused by Tom Chantry. We know this abuse has happened.  He was charged guilty of aggravated assault of a minor in his first trial.  He has many charges that will be tried in the next trial including assault, abuse, and molestation.  In many of the opposition blogger's arguments, it’s as if these victims do not exist.  Even if they think Chantry is being wrongfully accused, at least they could have some sympathy for these victims who have been abused by someone.  But there is usually no mention of them.  It’s as if they do not exist.

So now I come to the assertion that the discernment bloggers have an agenda that is not in line with Christ's agenda.  Is this true?  Can we know if this is true?  What was Christ's agenda?

Here is Christ's primary agenda:

Ezekiel 34:12
As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
Matthew 18:11
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
1 Timothy 1:15
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

Jesus had another agenda as well.  It was exposing the Scribes and Pharisees for who they really were:

1. Ye blind guides (Matt. 23:16).

2. Ye fools (Matt. 23:17).

3. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees…for ye are like whited supulchres…full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness (Matt. 23:27).

4. Ye serpents (Matt. 23:33).

5. Ye generation of vipers (Matt. 23:33).

6. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Luke 11:44).

7. Ye are as graves which appear not (Luke 11:44).

J. L. Meredith, Meredith’s Big Book of Bible Lists, (Inspirational Press, NY; 1980), p. 137

Jesus had no time for church leaders who claimed to be one thing but in reality were the opposite. He called them out. He called them out publicly. I do not see Jesus employing the Matthew 18 model when he was exposing corrupt leaders.

Paul said in Ephesians 5:11-13 that the unfruitful works of darkness should be reproved.  He also said that a bishop (elder, pastor) should be blameless.  

Jesus also did not have any time for those who would cause children to stumble.  He said in Matthew 18:6 6"If anyone causes one of these little ones-those who believe in me-to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Are the discernment blogger's agendas in line with Christ's agenda?  After reading all the police reports, hearing what happened in court, reading the elder's report from GCC, AZ, reading the letters between ARBCA leaders and the churches, leaders and individuals, reading the Informal Council's reports, both the sanitized copy and the secret copy and a host of other supporting evidence, I have to say these bloggers agenda lines up with Christ's agenda.  They may not do it perfectly and they may slip once in a while into unfounded speculation and unneeded sarcasm, but they are exposing evil in the church of God, which is what Jesus did and expects us to do when we see it.  It would irresponsible to see deception in the leadership of God's church and not warn the people.