Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Blogging Thoughts
Much has been made of the new Together For The Gospel blog. Even more has been made of Mark Dever's post "The Unbearable Lightness of Blogs". Some of the most interesting comments on the topic I found were by Tim Challies.
Spiritually, things I read, learn, or discover in prayer do not now just sit there. I share them, and through sharing them they become part of me. You might retort - hey a small group does that. Yes and no. I have never been in a small group that ranged as far or as deeply as one can in the bloosphere.
As with most things - blogging can be a blessing or a curse. It's how we do it, not the thing itself that is at issue.
Related Tags: blogging, bloggers, Together For The Gospel, spiritual, reading, value
Then again, perhaps not. I have yet to find a blog environment that models any genuine sense of fellowship, the likes of which can be compared to face-to-face conversation. It seems that the medium does not lend itself very well to that type of communication. I could be wrong, of course, but I have yet to see a really strong example. There are many blogs that allow and encourage interaction between participants, but few that create an atmosphere that approaches real conversation and fellowship.I both agree and disagree. Blogs in a vacuum, Tim is absolutely correct, but blogs, when bloggers at least ocassionally get together face-to-face, then you are on to something. But Tim's best comments are these
What I think Dever misses is that for some, blogging is uniquely connected to spiritual health. It is an extension to or an outpouring of a person's walk with God. I speak out of personal experience here. The times I spend blogging are almost always connected to times of spiritual edification. I read the Bible and pray in the morning and then turn to my keyboard to reflect on what God has been teaching me. I read a good book and then write about what I have learned through the pages of that book.I am the kind of person that learns best through teaching. I organize new information by passing it on. Blogging has openend up so much for me both spritually and generally. I read stuff I would not have previosuly read, because before blogging would just have been useless information -- now it's a post!
Spiritually, things I read, learn, or discover in prayer do not now just sit there. I share them, and through sharing them they become part of me. You might retort - hey a small group does that. Yes and no. I have never been in a small group that ranged as far or as deeply as one can in the bloosphere.
As with most things - blogging can be a blessing or a curse. It's how we do it, not the thing itself that is at issue.
Related Tags: blogging, bloggers, Together For The Gospel, spiritual, reading, value
