Just how "Christian" is it to engage in liberal/conservative battling and bashing? Just how sensible is it? Just how intellectually engaging?

In my view, the battles and the namecalling have degenerated to meanspiritedness and chop-logic in all too many cases. Hypocrisy lies in wait for the Christian who gives in to temptations to be defensive, to lash out at different thinking. Discern we must, but to judge is often to take a step too far. So, I decided to experiment: I'm touring blogs that might self-refer as conservative, and I'm reading, and reaching out with comments designed to avoid defensiveness and spark discussion.

Here's what I'm finding: some blogs feature an exchange of hostilities, like the one I visited where a Christian blogger and her nameless opponent spend words regrettably, calling each other "stupid" and "crazy" and "damned". Some blogs encourage a balanced, amicable discussion: hurrah! Some blogs evince a cautious testing of the waters. I'm intrigued, so I'm going to continue my experiment.

Then I found a link to a convention of Christian bloggers: GodBlogCon. That's intriguing. I might attend, if the schedule is workable. But whether I attend or not, I'm thinking that it's absolutely vital for Christians to start walking their talk by reaching out to one another. How can I avoid being a hypocrite? by practicing the love that the gospel advises.