Jamie Wilson in Washington
Monday October 17, 2005
The Guardian
What would Jesus blog? This was among the questions considered by a conference of God bloggers in California at the weekend, which heralded their growing numbers as potentially the most important development in the spread of Christianity since the Gutenberg printing press began churning out bibles in the 15th century.
The three-day gathering at Biola University brought together around 135 Christian bloggers to discuss topics ranging from their relationship with the traditional church to their growing influence on mainstream politics.
Blogs - online diaries or commentaries - are at the vanguard of a new personal publishing revolution outside the mainstream media. A recent Guardian/ICM poll showed that a third of all young people with access to the internet in Britain have launched their own blog or website.
Joe Carter, author of evangelicaloutpost.com and one of the delegates at the conference, compared Christian blogging to the 95 Theses said to have been posted by Martin Luther on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg nearly 500 years ago that launched the Protestant Reformation in Europe. "It's like putting 95 blogs out there," said Mr Carter, who added that God bloggers offer an "uncensored and unadulterated" view of contemporary Christian thought on politics and organised religion.
Some commentators believe the growth of religious blogs will have political ramifications in the US. Christian conservatives make up the Republican "base" that was primarily responsible for putting George Bush in the White House, and the God blogging phenomenon could make them an even more effective political force. It is "certainly going to be [of] more benefit to Republicans than Democrats", Carol Darr, director of George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet, told Fox News.
Matt Anderson, 23, the coordinator of the God Blog Convention, told the news channel's website that one of the goals of the conference was to see whether God, Christian-oriented blogging and politics were a good marriage, and if so, how they should match up.
"The advantage of blogging is that anyone can do it and you can reach a lot more people," Mr Anderson said. "What ends up happening is the level of dialogue about particular issues goes up."
At one workshop at the conference - "When Non-Christians Read Your Blog" - a Biola University professor, Timothy Muehlhoff, gave advice on writing about faith without alienating non-believers. He stressed that God blogging has the potential to be a "train wreck" because done wrong it can reinforce stereotypes of evangelical Christians as angry and closed-minded "pitbulls of the culture wars".
Gospel online
An extract from
www.texastommy.blogspot.com: Because of the specific language, skills, and mindset of bloggers, they can almost be considered a unique people group, many of whom have never been reached with the redemptive message of Christ crucified and risen. Thus, here is an opportunity for believers to engage the world for the Gospel of Christ ... First, pray. For wisdom, guidance, discernment, clear thinking, and good humour. Pray that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ. Pray we will proclaim it clearly ... Pray we will be wise in the way we act toward outsiders and make the most of every opportunity. This blog believes in:
· The conservative view of government and politics: limited government, individual freedom and responsibility, free market principles, traditional values;
· God: He is real, interested in the affairs of mankind and individuals, His Word is true and applicable today;
· Engaging people from other faiths but share many of my values;
· Pursuing the truth on items of interest to my readers with integrity, fairness, intellectual rigour, good humour, and high purpose.
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