Your Christian Blog Experience

[Lisa Robinson]

Saw this question here and thought I'd throw it out.  

 

So what are you weary of reading about on Christian blogs?

 

But why stop there

 

1) What are things bloggers do that you love? What topics do you love bloggers to cover?

 

2) What about things bloggers do that you hate, and which they wouldn't do that?

[Lisa Robinson]

And yes, I confess to using this as a shameless R&D product.  But that's besides the point

[Rey Reynoso]

So what are you weary of reading about on Christian blogs?

• A defense of Calvinism especially with poor textual support and dated philosophical support.
• Deep, deep posts about how if X doesn't agree with Me The Blogger it is because they don't fully understand their own complete and total depravity.
• Book reviews which are horrendously poor.
• A site totally devoted to exposing error and they'll do anything in their power to show that the error is evil.
• How stupid Young Earth Creationism is--and I'm an Old Earth Creationist!

 

What are things bloggers do that you love?

• Philosophy on ethics which are theologically grounded.
• Philosophy on metaphysical things like time, existence of the mind, etc.
• A real examination of a text within its context.
• Real commentary coverage. Not so much a review as a breakdown of what's inside.

What about things bloggers do that you hate, and which they wouldn't do that?

• Have a blog without an RSS feed.
• Horrid formating (so that there are no paragraph breaks).
• White text on a black background. POSTS THAT ARE WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS.
• Quote without interaction--don't mind posts that do it like once a week, but don't like it if it's just a blog of quotes and the words "I agree!" tacked on.
• Video Blogs.
• Write long series on defending Calvinism that go on for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks never honestly dealing with criticisms, horrendously layered on with out-of-context-prooftexts, quoting from this or that confession as support, appealing to our lack of understanding total depravity which stops us from wholeheartedly agreeing with the system, justifies defending limited atonement with nothing but wishful thinking.
• Write posts that are over 1500 words (a personal problem of mine). So-called "challenging" posts where the only thing being challenged is what the blogger thinks is the traditional view. 
• Copying Scott McKnight, Ken Hamm, James White or Biologos.
• Stupidly proud grand-standing as if X position destroys the Gospel. I abhor posts on how YEC utterly destroys the Gospel. I abhor posts on how OEC utterly destroys the Gospel. It's retarded. Please stop.

 

But in all honesty, none of this matters. I'm a minority with blog-reading I think. I think most people love posts on Calvinism because then they can froth in the comments section. I think most people love posts on Creationism for the same reason. I'm not sure anyone reads those posts, but they love them anyway.

[Lisa Robinson]

Rey, sooo what do you really think about Calvinism? LOL

 

I actually was thinking about writing about this

 

"A site totally devoted to exposing error and they'll do anything in their power to show that the error is evil."

 

Good use of time and resources?  I think not

 

I totally agree about the black background, video blogs and creating short posts with links.  If you're going to take the time to highlight what someone else wrote, at least provide some kind of commentary on it.

[mem]

Necessities in blogging: economy, clarity. After the fact, you should always ask: what can I take out and retain the meaning? What is unclear? Hack off the first three paragraphs about how you feel unless they really are necessary to the content—no one wants to eat your word salad.

Edit. If it's something you want presented well, get honest proofreaders.

Do your homework. Unsubstantiated junk should be clearly marked "Unsubstantiated junk" in your posts.

Rhetoric and polemics are sometimes needed. Emphasis on sometimes. If all you're doing is polemics, make sure you're funny, too.

People who blog well: Ray Ortlund. He never wastes your time—if the text does, the art usually makes up for it. He isn't a narcissist: almost every post he writes is externally focused. He often simply quotes things (but doesn't add "me, too") that are profound and short. He has nearly perfected the two-minutes-and-you're-done post: it takes longer to smoke a cigarette than to read anything he's written, and it's healthier for you, too.

[mem]

I also have to add that simply quoting things isn't bad form—Ortlund is my reading filter. He finds things that I want to read and saves me from having to search for them.

[E. A. Johnston]

I thought Ray Ortlund was dead.

[mem]

His father, yes. But RO, Jr. is alive and well and blogging well.

[Michael Ballai]

If a blogger really cares about his reader, they will always stop and ask themselves why they are posting something in the first place. Doesn't matter about validity. Far too much is a "me too" posting about something jawed to pulp (if I never hear about Rob Bell again I will rejoice). I have lots of stuff I've written but haven't bothered to post because I don't have a clear reason for posting it or it's still not up to snuff.

 

I get lots of RSS feeds on Google Reader. Only maybe about 1% gets a mouse click. Best answer to the glut of blogs. 

[Alexander M Jordan]

Well, I've just started a new blog --ReformingChristianity.com-- that will focus on Calvinistic (reformed) issues.  I hope to write on this subject in a way that is irenic and thoughtful.  I do have a tendency to write very long posts-- I'm really working on that (joined an Long-Winded Bloggers 12steps group :) 

 

I like the way Michael Patton's blog, Parchment and Pen, encourages discussion, though he writes from a strong Calvinistic position.  I'd like to aim for that atmosphere in my blog too.

 

Why another blog on this topic?  Well, I know there are many blogs already writing on Calvinism, reformed theology, etc, but I'm really convinced that reformed thinking is necessary to counter bad theological trends, and I want to be part of that.  On the other hand, I hope I can do so while still be able to see something good (whenever possible) in opposing positions.

 

Personally I tend to like blogs that have well-written and original content, but agree that reading blog articles that are concise and well-organized is probably ideal for a blog (though personally I don't mind reading a longer article).

 

I also think it's good when bloggers can write theologically but also in way that is personal, showing how doctrine plays out in their actual lives.

[Chad Gibbons]

So what are you weary of reading about on Christian blogs?

• People who don't understand any viewpoint except their own
• Bad, horrendous, embarrassing attempts at apologetics
• Rob Bell
• Osama bin Laden

What are things bloggers do that you love?

• Write intelligently
• Write about things honestly
• Actually trying to EXPLAIN something
• Lots of links to original sources concerning whatever it is they are writing about
• Summarizing various positions, overviews, charts, and graphics

What about things bloggers do that you hate?

• Bad, horrendous, embarrassing attempts at apologetics (see above)
• Going off topic pontificating on things you know nothing about. Hey, guess what: People who actually do understand know right away that you just don't get it.
• Long-windedness
• Waiting more than two weeks between posts (PrimeTime Jesus could have been a great blog, but they waited way too long between posts)
• Offering no links (I love Roger Olson, but he never links to anything he's talking about)
• Using URL shorteners (Apologetics315 is a good blog, but his use of URL shorteners messes me up.)

[Daniel]

I'm weary of Rob Bell.  I love blogs that are rational, reasonable, and irenic and are not entirely focused on one pet doctrine.  I avoid those that belong to those that feel that have the duty to correct everyone else that they find as being wrong.  I don't see God appointing chastisement ministries.

[Alex Guggenheim]

Dislikes:

1. Mutual Admiration Society Gestapo Moderated John Piper Sycophant blogs...such as Pyromaniacs (If I am allowed to be that specific).

2. KJVO blogs: No matter what other views you hold to that may reflect Protestant/Baptist/Evangelical orthodoxy, the degree of irrationality necessary for you to embrace in order to be KJVO will subsequently flow over into other topics and I simply do not have the time to invest in the high degree of detox necessary to benefit from such.

3. My own blog: too infrequent (though I do post a warning that this is likely to occur) and too much use of color at times for literary emphasis.

Likes:

1. Blogs that demonstrate they have done their homework. 

2. A genuine sense of humor.