What worries me is that bloggers are believed to be those guys who enjoy destroying the well-being of fellow believers, especially church leaders through their unreasonable criticism and exposure of their “ministry scandals”. Since I am a blogger myself, I get really uneasy when I hear this outcry from Pastors, who think it necessary to put their sermons on hold so as to address and warn their flock about the danger of us bloggers; because we are out to fight the body of Christ and to defame the characters of the servants of God. Therefore, don’t you think it’s only fair if we are also given a chance to speak for ourselves about this issue? Are we, as the so-called “discernment bloggers” on a mission to cause damage to the Church and to discourage the faith of Christ’s sheep?
Before I go far, let me admit that indeed there are many so-called bloggers and vloggers whose motive is to earn money at the expense of the problems of the Church. These would very much prefer it if pastors fell into more scandals so that they can get something to gossip about, while boosting their viewership online. However, I still contend that it’s not healthy to categorize all “bloggers” into one bad pile. Because in doing so, the Church is in danger of shutting its ears against legitimate voices that God has called to add value to the Church world through blog content. Ultimately, those who are genuinely called to this ministry get discouraged when the Body they are called to serve turns and becomes vicious against them. You see, we must all accept that we are not all called to be Pastors; some are called to infiltrate this internet sphere through this video and written content; for the salvation of souls and the glory of the Lord.
Bloggers are not the enemy of the church
The more Christ’s sheep are told that bloggers are bad, the more they believe that these people are real enemies that must be fought, in the meantime, the real enemy of the Church goes scot-free. Who then is that real enemy? It is the devil working through fake ministers, false prophets and lying apostles whose ministry is to embarrass the Body of Christ through false prophecies, financial abuses and sexual scandals. Therefore, it does little good when believers turn their guns against bloggers, the only voices that are laboring hard to sound the alarm about the wolves that are destroying the lives of God’s people while pretending to be ministers of the Gospel. Instead, as God’s people, church members and leaders, we must labour to clean our own house and purge it of corruption until it becomes the Holy house of prayer that it was once known for, then we can challenge those who criticize to dare us if they can. Yet today, it seems like we are more worried, and certainly more offended by those who rebuke sin in the church, than the sin itself. It should not be! It is like we prefer it if our Pastors live without accountability; doing as they please; bringing the name of Christ to public shame, then when they are exposed for their corruption, it’s us who run to defend them. Allow me to repeat this point: being quiet about the falsehood in the Church is not protecting the Church, and speaking out against such falsehoods is not fighting against the body of Christ. Moreso, if such falsehoods are propagated publicly, they must also be confronted on public platforms. To solve all of this, we must ask ourselves, what can we do to reduce and even eradicate these scandals that bloggers find time to report about. Surely, the evidence of flies must mean there is rotten meat somewhere, somehow. Well, let’s get read of all the rot among us and the flies will find no place to dwell in. It is that simple!
My appeal to fellow bloggers
To my fellow foot soldiers in this internet world, I appeal, that we must labour to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And one thing we are notorious for, my dear friends, is false news. That is, some of us are quick to hear and post about the latest scandals we have heard from the air. That is the most unchristian thing we can be accused of because we have a direct Scriptural warning about being “busybodies” (gossipers &liars). You see, anything that we do must always be for the glory of the Redeemer and the edification of God’s people. Hence, upon reporting a certain scandalous minister, the main issue should be to give genuine lessons to believers lest they fall into the same sin, while also aiming to restore the fallen brother into the path of truth (unless he has refused correction, and failed to repent). Under no circumstances should we as bloggers, delight in the fall of anyone, especially because such scandals bring public shame to the Name of our Savior. Secondly, it’s not enough that we expose error without doing anything to enlighten with Truth. I am severely concerned that most bloggers claim to expose falsehood yet they do nothing to teach people what is right according to Scripture. That is why I encourage, please, never try to expose anything in the body of Christ, unless you are mature enough to open the Bible and exposit the truth, otherwise, you will take people from error and lead them across to another heresy of your false gospel. My final advice is this: let’s all do our blogging ministries while being committed members of our local churches. You cannot neglect and despise the gathering of the Saints and still hope to add value to the same people through the internet platform.
Conclusion
My plea to all of us is: as much there are false Pastors, there are also genuine ones that must be appreciated and supported by the Body. In the same way, as much as there are evil bloggers that delight in the fall of believers, there are also genuine ones, God sent and doing a great job in keeping the Church accountable through constructive criticism, while also teaching Biblical truth for the growth of God’s people. These must also be appreciated and supported by the Church, not discouraged and demonized. I end with that point.
Sinothi Ncube
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