by Mike Andrews

Mike Andrews was an engineer at John Fluke Manufacturing in Everett, Washington. By January 1986, the net.religion.christian newsgroup had been grinding through months of heated theological debate — the same names exchanging the same arguments, week after week, with no end in sight. This post is Andrews stepping back from the debate to address his fellow Christians directly. It starts as a plea for charitable discourse, but it opens into something deeper: a reflection on why God uses us to spread His love at all, and what it means that He gave us the freedom — genuinely, completely — to reject Him. "Maybe He wouldn't Love a robot." That single sentence carries the whole thing.

What's important for Christians to remember when posting on the net? To speak God's truth in Love. Where is God's Love shown by a Christian arguing endlessly with someone who isn't listening? Some of the recent Christian postings in these endless arguments give as much of God's Love as do the postings of the people who call God blasphemous names, and put down others for their beliefs. No Love at all. Who is served when no Love is given? Not God. Not other Christians. Not non-Christians. If a Christian on this net wants to serve God, then think carefully before you post. Don't serve yourself. Continuing these endless arguments only bring others down, they don't lift you or anyone, especially God, up. Valid questions and arguments are one thing; endless arguments, which never reach a conclusion, and only give hurting people another opportunity to swing at and hurt others again and again, or another opportunity to blaspheme God, must stop.

God doesn't need us to defend Him. He can do it better than any of us. Why He chooses to use us to spread His Love is a mystery to me. But He does, so we better get used to the idea and do something about it; asking Him for Guidance, insite, the Love to give, and the Love not to strike back. Hard — yes it's hard. So what! God wants us to learn to choose His Good over everything else, over our pride, egotism, intellectualism, station in life, situation, health, finances, hurts, pains, joys and happinesses. But He gave us the opportunity to choose. Interesting to think about the fact that He even gave us the opportunity to reject Him. Why, I don't know. Maybe He wouldn't Love a robot.

And pray right now for everyone on the net, yourself included. God answers prayers. He loves you, that's why He died for you as Jesus on the Cross. His body died, but His Spirit didn't, as known through our belief in the Truth that He raised Himself from the dead. And He loves everyone the same, no favorites. He says He died for all of us.

God, bless us and protect us,

Mike Andrews

Colophon

Written by Mike Andrews (John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA) and posted to net.religion.christian on January 13, 1986. Andrews had been a consistent contributor to the group since at least October 1985; his colleagues John Emery also posted regularly from the same employer. This post appeared in the same week as his explanation of Real Presence (Message-ID: <[email protected]>), the two together forming a pastoral turn from theological debate to witness.

Preserved from the Usenet archive (UTZOO tape b57, net.religion.christian/1662) for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Original Message-ID: <[email protected]>.

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