That’s not Christianity, that’s voodoo, or magic, or just plain silliness.

I’m guessing that if you’re a Christian and you’ve got email, you’ve received dozens—if not hundreds—of those chain-letter emails that seem to make the rounds.

Many of them contain pleasant messages, some have beautiful pictures, and most include a prayer or two. If that were all they contained, I wouldn’t mind getting them. But they almost all also include an instruction to “send to 12 people in the next two minutes or your prayer won’t be answered!” Or something to that effect.

That’s not Christianity, that’s voodoo, or magic, or just plain silliness. That said, I absolutely believe that the people who send me these emails mean well. And I often do salvage some inspiration from the contents, after I’ve weeded out the foolishness.

I received one recently that was called a “Jesus Test.” I hate tests. And I especially hate it when anyone purports to tell me whether I am a true Christian, or whether I truly love God, or that if I don’t pass on this email it means I’m ashamed of God.

And yet, there were lines of hope and inspiration in it, too. “When God takes something from your grasp, He’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.”

Read More: http://online.worldmag.com/2010/10/01/christian-chain-letter-emails/