Accountability in Love

I confess that I don't read every comment left on this site. For that matter, we've grown so big that it is tough to weed through the posts from all of you that pass through these electronic walls on the way to the broader MethoWorld. There simply isn't enough time to police everything (unless y'all start wanting to make large donations to turn this into a full time gig! ), so I trust folks to help police our conversations here along the way.

Luckily y'all do a good job of keeping on top of things, so I learned today of a comment thread that had nothing to do with the original post which made some unfounded comments about a Bishop in the United Methodist Church. These accusations were unsubstantiated and inflammatory, and after reading through them I have deleted them as outside the proper conduct for this site.

Certainly, the need for accountability is always present in our church, and is in fact part of our Wesleyan heritage. The early Methodists gathered for mutual accountability, and the conferencing of Christians about faith and practice is a means of grace.

However, Methodist accountability is always offered with love and gentleness. Yes, someone may have sinned against us and they need to be held accountable. But we have to ask if our conduct in responding to those issues above reproach. Are our attempts at accountability tempered by the fruits of the Spirit? Are we seeking unity and reconciliation, or are we simply lashing out wildly with little concern for the soul of the other?

We must always keep those questions in mind as we talk together here at the MethoBlog. There is little doubt that we will have differences of opinion over theology and practice, with differing interpretations of scripture, tradition, and experience. However our belief in the "rightness" of our opinions doesn't absolve us from the call to sacrificial love that is at the center of Christian faith.

To paraphrase Thumper in Bambi, "If you can't say it with the love of Christ, then don't say it at all..."

That is the guiding principle for conversations here. So the next time you feel inclined to flame someone (and yes, I have been guilty of this in the past as well) know that you will likely have your comment removed.