Googling a substantial chunk of any suspect text will usually provide links that will sort out what’s true or not.
(Seemingly most usually not)

Couldn’t agree more with you. I wrote an article about this same topic a few years ago. Seems like nothing has really changed.

http://emergingpastor.com/2008/06/27/IHateChristianSpam.aspx

Thanks for your feedback. I think we are singing to the choir here.

By the way, as a church pastor, I operate a church email group.

It operates on an opt-in basis. A definite request to join has to be made.

I use the group facility on my email program, and select the ‘hide email’ option, so no one sees anyone else’s email, except mine, to minimise privacy and accidental spam issues.

It includes:
* relevant prayer points for the parish and wider;
* reminders of coming events (very useful in this age where people often take so long to commit and then forget to use a diary);
* responses to questions and comments received on comment cards about the sermon, where the issue is appropriate for a wide audience (if one person asked, generally others will have thought the same thing);
* links to what I consider worthwhile, interesting relevant articles on the web.

Many church members say they really value it (although different people value different parts) and that it helps them stay in touch etc.

So there’s an obvious positive use of email.

Mind you, I have heard of some church members forwarding the church email to other people, and I have wondered whether I should discourage the act, except with permission (both of author - me - and recipient).

Hi Sandy,

Well said. One day I hope somebody will invent a “Snopes filter” for emails: i.e. something which operates in a similar way to a “SPAM filter”, but which automatically checks the text of incoming emails against a database of claims listed as “False” in Snopes.com, and sticks suspect emails in a “Snopes inbox”.

If anybody knows of one, I’d love to hear of it.

Speaking of skepticism, I’ve recently started listening to the Skeptoid podcast (http://skeptoid.com/), operated by an entrepreneurial US skeptic called Steve Dunning. I don’t always find what he says entirely convincing; in fact I often find his wild generalisations about Christianity irritating and patronising. But his strong commitment to proper research and critical thinking helps, by way of example, to keep me honest in my conversations and in my use of sermon illustrations!

I will never forward an email that suggests it should be forwarded.  I usually only see the email once, and most of my email contacts know that I don’t appreciate these emails, unless there is truth behind them.

Basically I have adopted the principle of letting someone know that I don’t wish to receive these “spam” emails unless there is truth behind them.