Blogging is a funny business. The original unspoken definition of a blog used to be simply an “online journal.” But in this world of fast paced technology, everything nuances itself on its own. We really just sit back and watch things morph into what they are going to inevitably become on their own. Over the last decade, blogging morphed into a new genre. The blog has become a combination of a personal journal, on demand latest news column, a publishing industry, a networking avenue, and a promotion industry all in one.

Of course this does not apply to all blogs. There are nearly 57 million blogs with an estimated three million starting every month (HT: CT). But there are also millions of bloggers calling it quits every month. Some because of the failed high hopes of large audiences, others because of the realization of the amount of time that it takes to keep a blog. I also assume that many are tired of their inability or unwillingness to properly (and carefully) navigate the public relations that suddenly becomes a drain of mental time and often creates deep wounds.

Nevertheless, blogging is in and the Christian world has jumped on this train in encouraging and alarming numbers.

Below are my thoughts concerning the current state of Christian blogging. I am not speaking as a jedi of Christian blogging, but as one who contributes and receives from this genre and one who is still learning.

Things that encourage me:

  • People are articulating their beliefs. There is something about writing your thoughts, beliefs, and arguments that solidifies the intellectual component of your faith.  As Francis Bacon once said, “Reading maketh a full man, conference (talking) a ready man, and writing an exact man.” We certainly need more “exact” people in the church.
  • There are some contacts being made to great scholars. Can you imagine if C.S. Lewis were alive today? I guarantee he would have a blog, and what a blog it would be. Think of the possibility of being able to converse with Lewis. This is happening. There are many of the brightest scholars in Christianity who are blogging. Daniel Wallace, Scot McKnight, Mark Roberts, John Stackhouse, J.P. Moreland, Sam Storms, and many others whom would only be accessible behind the often cold and distant wall of the black and white pages of a book.
  • There is more allowance in blogs for intellectual honesty. Since the genre of a blog is still closely connected to a personal journal, there is a high degree of tolerance for authors. Authors can show their true colors with less hesitation.
  • You can have instant access to millions of people all over the world. Who knows what the next morph in the Internet world looks like, but for now blogging is the way to go. If you do things right, you can have immediate access to the willing ears of millions of people. One right link or plug can instantly put you in an chapel service with more in attendance than at a Joel Osteen positive thinking motivation seminar . . . ahem . . . I mean church service.
  • It can create a highly accessible avenue of review and accountability. Whether it is popular smiling preachers or best selling books about a 90 minute near death pit-stop in an unrecognizable heaven, you can quickly find thorough reviews and valuable critiques on just about everything. Today, people have to think about the blog world before they publish.
  • You may not ever write a book, but blogging may be for you. There are many bloggers who are very good at what they do. There are many book writers who are very good at what they do. Because of the difference in genre, the two (writing blogs and writing books) don’t have as much overlap as you might think. Some know how to blog well and this is where they communicate best. I think of people like Michael Spencer. I don’t know if he will ever write a book, but he knows how to blog. He does not ever need to write a book. Why? Because his contribution to Christianity through his blogging is not only valuable, but has deeply impacted thousands of people in a very positive way. It is a different genre with a different barometer of success.
  • Blogging is a ministry. This is the most important. This is something that I have discovered over the last eight months of blogging. It has surprised me how much real ministry can be accomplished through a blog that is done right. I meet people all the time who tell me that they read my blog and inform me that it has deeply impacted their relationship with Christ (most of the time, it is for the better :) ). While it is great to get a blog to help prepare for the publishing of a book or the starting of a church, bloggers need to understand that blogging can be much more than simply a prelude to something better.

Next, I will continue by listing some of the things that discourage me about the current state of Christian blogging.

Please add your comments. List the things that encourage you and list those that discourage you.

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