Trying to focus on the positive

A Pilgrim's Progress: It's Easier to Blog About the Negative: Eric wrote a post this morning that directly addresses something I have been mulling over.

It's a sad comment on human nature, but blogging negatively is much easier than blogging positively.

It often takes little effort to put together a post blasting something that we don't like, don't approve of, or don't think is right. In my case, for example, it is simple to target various things related to the institutional church such as large buildings, salaried pastors, planned meetings, etc.

I spent a fair amount of time last weekend going back and forth with someone on Facebook over the whole tithing/professional clergy thing and in the end the guy I was debating just ended up deleting all of his comments so mine are just posted in a vacuum and make very little sense. Now he has started resorting to flat out insults. An utter waste of my time.

Why do we focus on the negative? I guess like Eric wrote it is just easier. It appeals to our nature to show someone else that they are wrong and that we are right. It is more interesting to be controversial. If I write a post about something controversial I will, like Eric, get a lot of comments about it. Posts about what God is doing as we are seeking fellowship with other believers, in other words positive posts, garner few hits and few comments. I have considered disabling comments and sitemeter for that very reason but I enjoy interacting with those stalwart few who read this blog.

Being pointed and controversial can have its uses. It stirs some people to think (and others to just get angry). Certainly the apostles and Christ Himself were not ones to pull punches. Having said that, there is much more going on in the church than just the negatives and there is more to blogging than just picking fights. The issues I blog about are important, otherwise I wouldn't blog about them and would just write about sports or politics. I do want to focus more on the positive things God is doing than just the negatives I see around me. I am going to try, I really am! Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of pointed and controversial posts as well!