Holy Trinity Doncaster
01/31/10
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To Snark Or Not To Snark II
A couple of weeks ago I asked if snark had any place in the Christian faith. Since then one of my favorite bloggers Matthew Paul Turner has stirred up quite a bit of controversy with his brand of humor.
Last week Turner wrote a hilarious parody of Joel Osteen’s latest book It’s Your Time. While most of the comments agreed that Osteen was full of baloney, some wondered if Turner was being judgmental. I personally saw nothing wrong with the post, but then again I have a pretty cynical sense of humor.
However, Turner might have gone a little too far this past Sunday when he mocked John Piper. It all started Saturday when Piper wrote on his Twitter, “Is anyone really addicted to porn? Put a blow torch in their face; they will turn off the computer. IF they believe its real.” In response, Turner wrote a response asking him to explain himself. Excerpt:
Now, if that Tweet had come from somebody like Glen Beck or Bill O’Reilly, most people would probably giggle and wait for the truth to get released on TMZ.com. But it’s you, John–the Optimus Prime of the Christformers–TMZ.com doesn’t care about you. Only America’s ELECT care about you, and they are waiting for an answer. Well, some of them are waiting for an answer, the ones who have been predestined before the foundations of the earth to be waiting for an answer. They can’t help that they’re waiting for your answer, John. It’s not their choice.
Comments were mixed. Some thought it was dead-on, while others considered it “mean-spirited” and “flippant.” Turner responded to the criticism by saying, “Perhaps you’re correct. There’s certainly a fine line between harsh/whiny and truth. But the difference is this: Piper’s often harsh/whiny statements are about God or mass amounts of people. My post is just about Piper.”
Which brings us back to my original question: when are snarky comments okay? Is it alright to point out a fellow believer’s baloney in a satirical manner? When does it become holier-than-thou judgment?
I ask this in light of the recent Carrie Prejean news. First, it was revealed that she made a sex tape when she was 17 for her then-boyfriend. Then last night on Larry King she accused him of asking “inappropriate” questions, and then took off her microphone. Prejean is great for giving a satirical guy like me plenty of material. However, with the controversy surrounding Turner’s latest blog entries, I’m afraid I might go too far. That I might cross the line, and fall into holier-than-thou judgment.
What do you think?
Tags: Carrie Prejean, John Piper, Matthew Paul Turner, snark
Carrie Prejean is just frustrating for me to watch in general. I just feel like she either doesn’t live in or understand reality. As far as snarking goes, use your internal spiritual guide. If you conscience is like “dude that’s to far” regardless of how funny and right it is perhaps it should stay off the page.
It seems that people who consciously set themselves up on a pedestal deserve what they get when they fall down and shatter. Those who are humble enough to refuse to get up there, even when everyone wants them to, don’t have to worry about “the truth coming out” about them, because they were probably already pretty honest about their shortcomings.
Let the truth be told, we all go too far. Either we go too far by being silent or we go to far like my boy MPT and say too much. Those of us with quick wit, sharp minds, and an understanding of the liberty that Christ has granted us through His sacrifice and grace have to be careful. A soft word turns away wrath and grievous words stir up anger, even when they are sprinkled with humor, sarcasm, or snark. The Holy Spirit will be our guide.
Now here’s the kicker for you and Matt, T, and I believe Matt made this point earlier: Some of the same people that were guffawing over Matt’s Joel Osteen parody, got their panties in a bunch when he directed it toward John Piper. Jesus was no respecter of persons. Either a person is out of line or they aren’t. I do remember Jesus publicly telling a certain group of religious folks that they were painted sepulchers. Ouch.
Call a spade a spade and sin by its right name. Keep it up Matt and try to stay out of trouble. T, don’t be afraid to say what needs to be said. It’s easier to pull someone back and put them on a right course (Paul for example) than it is to get them to speak out.
i just want to know if piper answered the charge
Amen to that Lauree.
What I continually see is people who ridicule others do not like when they are called upon the carpet and say …come on have a sense of humor….i enjoy funny stuff…MPT has made me laugh often…..but if we are called to “be Holy cause I am Holy” I think many satirists are not only crossing the line but erasing the lines….
p.s. I do not claim to BE HOLY !!!
Good job, showing maturity in your response. I never comment on those blogs, even when the content is great
[...] guess it’s like what we talked about with snarkiness: don’t let it be a [...]