The missio Dei, or the mission of God, is the context in which every other theological event takes place. Creation, the fall, the Cross, the calling of Israel and the Church and the new heavens and new earth all have their place as moments along the timeline of God’s mission. As important as this topic is, the Church today can be fuzzy on the definition of missions, and especially the mission of God. As Schell says, “When an important word like mission becomes so elastic that its meaning is cloudy, significant questions arise.” In the first pages of this excellent book, he offers this working definition that sets the stage for the rest of the material. Mission, Schell says, is “…God’s revelatory work intended to establish a divine-human communion within creation.”
The missio Dei is not a peripheral theological topic, it is central to understanding God’s actions at every point to reveal Himself to creation in such a way as to gather a people for Himself and so to have a perfect, blessed communion with them for eternity. Schell has done a magnificent job of distilling this enormous topic down to an approachable form that pastors, theologians or laymen alike can come away with a more than sufficient understanding that contributes to their thinking and worship.
Each of the eight chapters is concise but packed with the necessary scriptural references for the reader to construct a biblical understanding of the mission. Schell leans heavily on the Old Testament as understanding the events of creation, the Garden and the Fall, and the calling of Israel form the background to understand the blessing of the incarnation and the cross and the assignment of the Church. This background is often missing from the thinking of many in the Church who form their understanding by starting at the Christmas narrative.
One of the finest features of this book is its size. I have numerous volumes of several hundred to over a thousand pages that require immense dedication to engage. By the time I have finished these books, the point or topic can be lost in the countless details and arguments. This series by Crossway contributes immensely to the craft of theology by concisely presenting the enormous things of God in a form approachable by any reader at nearly any level.
In my 2023 reading review, I mentioned I purchased many of my books from the used marketplace. When I do so, I always try to purchase the best condition possible, balancing the used price against the purchase of a new volume. When the book arrives in my mailbox, many times I cut open the vinyl package to find a book in better condition than expected; in several instances, the book has never been opened and is clearly unread. This is exciting for sure, but always makes me wonder why the original owner purchased the book but never found the time or the interest to read it. In some cases, the book may have passed through multiple owners before arriving in my office, no one having opened it along the way. In the picture that accompanies this essay, you see the cover of Tim Keller’s book “Jesus the King” adorned with a small orange Goodwill sticker. The excellent book was unopened when I received it and folded back of the covers for the first time, but before that it had touched down in at least two places. Someone had someone had originally purchased it, I presume interested in the content, but for whatever reason they had never got around to reading the book, eventually piling it in with a number of other books and donating it to Goodwill, where it was priced and put out for purchase. Drawing no interest in the store, the volume was scooped up by Thriftbooks and, listed in excellent condition, I purchased it for a price less than the new equivalent, opened it, read it and entered it into my library.
Because I’ve read the book, I know the value of the content beyond the little information offered in the back–cover blurb. As I handle the book, I wonder, why did someone purchase the volume only to relegate it to the “to-be-read” pile long enough to later discard it, all of its insight unrealized. Looking at my own piles of books waiting to be enjoyed, it makes me wonder if the topic was no longer of interest. Perhaps a more insightful book had come into the owner’s possession. It might’ve been a time constraint, something all readers are familiar with. To gain the most from a book, new or used, demands intentional reading. It requires that we mull over the author’s ideas. It demands that we consider the notes and references, in many cases, we need to add our own marginalia, footnotes and summaries. Maybe life had made demands on the first owner that made the challenge of this book impossible to surmount. Whatever the reason or cause, I benefit from discovering what others have missed.
I don’t remember what prompted me to purchase Keller’s book, whether it was a serendipitous search result as I looked for another specific book, or, as is most often the case, it was added to my reading list through a footnote or endnote in another book. Whether the condition had been like-new as I received, or well-loved, as many other books I’ve purchased have been, I am enriched because I opened the cover and read and considered the words and spent the time to think about where the ideas fit in my life, what previous knowledge hook they attach to. Not every volume will be a treasure. Some of our own books, that we purchased new, excited to read them, don’t hold up past the first couple of chapters. They find their way to the ARC or Goodwill, and later perhaps to Thriftbooks as a part of a volume purchase. In those cases, someone may pick up your book, look at the unfolded spine or the stiffness of the hardcover binding and wonder why you didn’t read the book, why you lost interest, what interrupted your reading time. Whatever the reason we pass the book on, it’s good to know that someone else may get the chance to discover what we missed.
National and international missions are an inseparable part of the revitalization of the church. If you read that sentence aloud, it’ll sound, sound counterintuitive. Mission support and outreach are budget line items slashed early and often when a body finds itself on the decline. The prevailing attitude is that missions is something we are generous with when healthy, and if the church returns to a measure of vigor, well, then we might be able to entertain that discussion again. The renewal of spiritual life to a church demands a different belief. First, the Bible commands us to be goers into all the world with no escape clause for congregational size or budget. Obedience is important, but the second reason is the real motivator. When a church commits to missions, it connects us to the faithful outside of our parish; it strengthens our faith in the provision of God; it expands our vision of what God can do. It reminds us that we’re alive in Christ and serving the same world-spanning God.
Missions is a natural fit with revitalization. The renewal of a troubled church begins with an expansion of vision. One of the most common symptoms of the troubled church is an inward focus to an extreme. The church can think of little else beyond survival. The initial steps of the revitalizationist are to lift the corporate vision, first to the neighborhood outside the sanctuary walls, and then further. Some might say this is a step too far, that a missional perspective on the immediate neighbors is sufficient. And it is, to light the flame, but the benefits of connecting to international missions through support or active involvement fuels the growth of the church’s vision of Jesus. The Messiah and the gospel he preached are the same in our town and on the other side of the world. What the Holy Spirit can do to bring salvation and shalom to those on another continent, he can do with the neighbors across the street. The question is (hopefully) asked, “should we be on a missionary footing to the those neighbors?”
Seeing God at work through a missionary might remind us of the proclamation in Habakkuk 3:2 “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known…” What God can do in the mission field, God can do in our neighborhood, and what God can provide to the missionary far from home, God can also provide here in our treasury. The faith and trust in God’s provision shown by all missionaries can spark a motivating dream for the discouraged church. Revitalization is encouraging the hesitant to step out in faith, both spiritually and financially [Matthew 6:26]. The church becomes motivated to pray with greater faith, to seek out God’s provision for a greater missional presence in the community.
Being that missional presence can feel close to impossible for the declining body trying to keep its head above the waves. But, when the church bobs up at the crest and catches a breath, the view of the missionary far from home, with no building, with no disciples, with nothing but a calling and gospel faith, the troubled church might find the blessings that they do have have far exceed the deficits. The renewal leader can seed the life of the church with this idea, reminding the body that God can use all the things he has provided them with in the past to prepare the ground for an exciting new future. Perhaps a future where the revitalized church supports more missions, maybe even sending some of their own into the field. Who knows, these missionaries might be the catalyst for new life in another church.
The North American Baptist Conference has four principles that guide ministry throughout their churches. These principles [called End Goals by the NAB] are interwoven and intended to be understood as a whole. Ministry flows through each of the principles to form a holistic, missional philosophy of the Church in the world. The thoughts above are an interaction with End Goal 4: NAB Churches will send and support international missionaries. In an article written by Executive Director Harry Kelm, the following appears:
We are committed to going to the nations globally, seeking to reach those who have not yet been reached. We are also committed to partnering with and working alongside the Christians and the churches of many nations. We believe the most effective way to share the message of Jesus is to equip the people of a nation to reach those within their own culture, to have Jesus flow in and through the culture to which they belong. |Onward Spring 2023
Besides church planting, these principles should also guide revitalization efforts. As with the church plant, the legacy church has a place in being and proclaiming the gospel to their community. Use the principles to evaluate the alignment of your church’s ministry and leadership with the vision embedded in the Goals. Teach them and shape your efforts to reach your community and the world with the love of Christ and the hope of shalom.
The mosh pit has a cardinal rule, a never-to-be-breached rule:
If someone goes down, you pick them up.
In the swirling morass that is a concert mosh pit, where the energy of arms and legs propels the aggressive, circular path, one iron-clad rule is followed; if someone should fall, you will stop, reach down, and lift that person to safety, ushering them to the outer edge to catch their breath, to dance again another day.
What if the Church made that a similarly sacred rule? That in the chaos of life, where challenges and trouble come at the Christian in rapid-fire volleys, what if we made it an unbreakable rule that we reach down, lift up our brother or sister and guide them to security and peace no matter the sacrifice it demands of us?
One of the most disappointing aspects of 21st century evangelical Christianity is the individualization that characterizes of our faith and practice. Each person holds to their own faith—just you and Jesus—and the fragility or strength of that relationship is no one else’s business. The koinonia (fellowship) that is to mark our lives together in The Christ diminishes to the social realm only. This voluntary-association-only idea robs us spiritually and danger lurks there. This individualism-in-the-vicinity-of-others makes us more vulnerable than we realize.
Deconstruction has become a buzzword and a reality in the Church today. You and I are witness to brothers and sisters in various states of unraveling all the time. Western individualism prompts us to make a polite inquiry into a brother’s spiritual well-being, but when we receive the “I’m fine”—when they’re clearly not—response, we back away. As the unraveling of belief spirals, we step further away, not wanting to elicit an angrier rebuff. Sometimes this spiritual struggle works out, but not without scars. Occasionally, the spiral goes so deep that the sister or brother walks away from their faith and the Church, the misguided choruses of “they never belonged to us” [1 John 2:19] whispered behind their backs. Man down. Woman down. These are not exclusively matters of perseverance but more so matters of our common brokenness.
We, and you are free to expand that category as far as you’d like, are eternally united in the Image we share. Those of us who have been enjoined in the category of God’s people by our loyalty to the Christ are united by our new common experience of bearing images-in-transition. Bearing both the Image and the Spirit, we are a part of a Koinonia, a fellowship that brings with it added concerns and responsibilities. We’re in this together, the ‘I’ condescends to the ‘We.’ The disciple’s sacrificial love is to be vigilant and concerned for the mental, spiritual and physical well-being of brothers and sisters. “I’m fine,” can be challenged with an observation of not-fineness only when the bond of these brothers and sisters is strong, when we as the Church refuse to go the way of the culture of individualism. We leave no sister behind. There are no men down while we sing Hallelujah.
Revitalization leaders may not be the leaders of the renewed church. Read that sentence a second time. The pastor who leads a church through the process of revitalization to new life, may not be the leader that God chooses to lead that now stable and flourishing church into the future. The unique gifting and pastoral heart needed to bring a church from decline to health may not always be the same gift set and disposition needed to serve a church in healthy times. For this reason, the Revitalizationist should commit to two principles in their renewal ministry. First, commit to building leaders for the future and second, commit to leadership development and discipleship as an integral part of your renewal work.
The pastor who leads a church through the process of revitalization to new life, may not be the leader that God chooses to lead that now stable and flourishing church into the future.
Both of these principles should apply to every leader in every ministry. Every leader in every level of God’s church should commit to naming and training the next generation of leaders, and do so with a self-sacrificial attitude. The overarching principle that should guide this commitment is to always do what’s best for the objectives of the church. Even in a healthy and flourishing body, there should be a plan in place for a pastoral transition to ensure that the church continues to be a blessing to its community going forward. Church renewal requires a special pastoral temperament and a different gift mix. In your commitment to doing what’s best for Christ’s church, a vision of that congregation in a healthy state may reveal that a different leader would be a greater blessing for the future. During the stresses of revitalization, it is also tempting to set this aside and worry about new leadership after the church has returned to health. You might say that there’s too much work to do, that there is not time to be training someone under fire, but, in reality, there’s no better time to raise up leaders for the future.
Your commitment to identifying, recruiting, and discipling young leaders during a revitalization blesses those people with a unique experience. These leaders will have opportunity to be in the thick of the ups and downs of the renewal process and they will be experience ministry that they may never see anyplace else. Developing leaders can be exposed to those things that brought about the decline in the church, learning to differentiate between internal causes and external demographic changes. In being exposed to these things, the leader will have opportunity to look critically at the ministry direction and efforts in the years before revitalization started, and learn how to avoid any of the pitfalls in the ministry they will lead in the years ahead. Young leaders can be discipled in biblical church structure, worship and discipling people on their own. The revitalization pastor needs to look at this as a unique opportunity to shape the leadership for flourishing.
Committing to working yourself out of your current call is a test of your faith. If you have discerned that God called you to revitalize, won’t you also trust that God has plans for your future as well? It might be mildly disconcerting to consider that eventuality after all the love, labor and heartbreak devoted to renewing the church, but we remember who we serve and who that renewed church belongs to. The relationship between Apollos, St. Paul and God is a useful meditation [1 Corinthians 3:6-7]. The Revitalizationist pastor is not alone in this either; these principles should guide every level of leadership within the church. Wartime elders and ministry leaders in the trenches of the renewal process should also commit themselves to discerning and raising up the elders and ministry leaders of the future. For all involved, could there be a greater blessing than being used by the Lord to bring new life into his church and then, if called to do so, to step back and simply be a part of the chorus that praises him for what he’s done?
The North American Baptist Conference has four principles that guide ministry throughout their churches. These principles [called End Goals by the NAB] are interwoven and intended to be understood as a whole. Ministry flows through each of the principles to form a holistic, missional philosophy of the Church in the world. The thoughts above are an interaction with End Goal 3: NAB Churches will develop spiritual leaders. In an article written by Executive Director Harry Kelm, the following appears:
As a conference, we must be committed to identifying, encouraging, equipping, and engaging the emerging spiritual leaders God is raising up. We invest in these emerging leaders by encouraging the growth of their abilities and the godly use of their giftedness. |Onward Spring 2023
Besides church planting, these principles should also guide revitalization efforts. As with the church plant, the legacy church has a place in being and proclaiming the gospel to their community. Use the principles to evaluate the alignment of your church’s ministry and leadership with the vision embedded in the Goals. Teach them and shape your efforts to reach your community and the world with the love of Christ and the hope of shalom.
So, your church is missional. Your pastor talks about it. The website says it; you know it; we’re on mission! Great, but what mission? Is everyone on the same mission? Our tendency within the Church is to assume that everyone is speaking the same language, that we all understand what we mean when referring to mission. From that assumption we believe that our commonly held definition leads to mutual participation and that we’re all seeking the same goals. But how often do we stop to check this?
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. | Ephesians 4:3
Sorry, I may have misled you. I’ve broken every rule of ‘Smart Brevity™’ because this post is less about the missional church than it is the unity within that church. In one form or another, every church is living out their interpretation of the mission of God and there’s danger there. Two or more ideas of what defines the mission can create two or more factions within the body that compete with each other. Those factions will have different ideas of prioritization and practice and those differences might sow division as either side decides that their interpretation is truer and worthier of allegiance. God rarely (never) blesses division of this sort.
Building unity around a mission begins with defining terms. The foundation of unity begins with a definition that views God as missional in His character; as Missiologist David Bosch writes, “mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God.” When we locate mission as a defining characteristic of God, it orients the church to view it as a movement from God toward creation, with the church functioning as a participant in that mission. Our theology of mission (the missio dei) sees God having a desire to engage with creation, and this shapes our interpretation of the biblical narratives about the intervention of God into human history. To say that another way, we see the mission of God in the calling of Abraham, in the sending of Jesus, in His atoning death on the cross, and in his installment as king. The church’s understanding of how our missional God has already been at work answers the question of how we are to define mission within the body.
Jesus’ church is sent into the world with a mandate to continue HIS mission in the power of the Holy Spirit. His commission to those who are “in Him” is well known [Mt 28:18-20], but less well known is what it means to be “in Him.” More than just a ticket to salvation, to be united with Christ is to take part in His role, reflecting the glory of God [Rom 8:29; 1 Jn 3:2]. Our mission is to be a visible sign of the Kingdom by our proclamation of the gospel in word and deed. These deeds, the practical outworking of our understanding of mission, include our habits of discipleship in the ways of Jesus and extending that discipleship to our community. When the church’s missional objectives are structured with this theological framework in view, we become single-minded in bringing Kingdom life to the community, and our definition of mission is focused and, in that clarified missional definition, there is freedom. As the missional church proclaims and lives out the meaning of God’s redemptive activity in any number of context particular ways, our neighbors are blessed by the example we provide, and are invited into their own participation in redemptive kingdom.
If we anchor our theology and praxis of mission to the bible’s definition, we can avert most instances of division between good-hearted Christians. The ministry choices and direction of a church can all be evaluated fairly by looking to see if they align with the story of the Bible and the ultimate redemptive aim that it reveals. Does this mean that there’s only one way that a missional church can proceed? Not at all. As the church comes around to a shared definition, our question of application shifts from what we want to do to what God wants to do through us. Go and be.
A missional life begins in the spiritual depth of a Christian soul. Like the rings in a pond, it springs from the gratitude of a disciple, and it seeks the flourishing of community in radiating rings. The growing Christlikeness of the soul first seeks the shalom of those closest, family and the fellowship of other believers. As maturity develops, the desire to bless extends outward to the well-being of the community at large and then the world. Sadly, though, the missional life of a church is often one of the first things to contract when decline sets in and hearts turn inward toward survival. Programs replace prayer, the world shapes worship, and growth in the inner life falls out of favor. Restoring the missional soul of the church is the first significant challenge that any revitalization pastor must address, and it begins with the spiritual life of God’s people.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. Ephesians 5:1
The intention of all formational ministries is a growing Christ-likeness in the life of a disciple. The growing likeness of the Savior in the life of a Christian does two things; it gives us assurance that we belong to him and in him [1 John 2:6], and it shapes our outer life, the way we interact with our world [Romans 12:2]. Building, or rebuilding, that foundation of assurance creates a springboard for hope, and turns the declining church’s vision toward a new future. Tempering the urge to “do something” and instead focusing on “being something” pays much bigger dividends. If there’s been a lack of prayer or a shaken confidence within the church, lead the saints into a new practice of prayer. Commit your prayer leadership to a less petitionary communion with God, aim for spiritual strengthening and shaping. Lead with scripture, guide those who will join you to see what Christ’s heart and mission is for the Church, for your church. Pray for the well-being and salvation of the community and increase the sensitivity of those praying to the leading of the Spirit in their lives. Commit to the long road as the Lord works in His time to form the souls of His people.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14
It will seem counterintuitive to do the work of spiritual development while the external signs of health in the church continue to point in the wrong direction. Depending on the state of spiritual maturity within the church, the Lord may take a considerable amount of time to reshape the hearts of the devoted remnant. During this time take heart, you as the revitalizer have time to teach again and again on the mission of God for His church. This teaching, from the pulpit and one-on-one, can take the saints back to scripture to come to know once again how important the inner life is to the empowering of the outer life. Put before whoever will listen the truth that they cannot not go unless the Spirit leads them [John 16:13], that they cannot make disciples unless they themselves are shaped by the truths of the faith [Philippians 2:1-3], and that all the world begins on the streets of the surrounding community.
The North American Baptist Conference has four principles that guide ministry throughout their churches. These principles [called End Goals by the NAB] are interconnected and intended to be understood as a whole. Ministry flows through each of the principles to form a holistic, missional philosophy of the Church in the world. The thoughts above are an interaction with End Goal 1: NAB Churches will be trained for missional and formational ministries. In an article written by Executive Director Harry Kelm, the following paragraph appears:
Missionally and formationally multiplying is why the NAB plants churches, which has always been a commitment of the NAB. We plant churches with the intention of reaching people with the Love (of) God in Jesus. Missionally and formationally ministering is embedded in all our End Goals and in who God is calling us to be.
Onward – Spring 2023
In addition to church planting, these principles should also guide revitalization efforts. As with the church plant, the legacy church has a place in being and proclaiming the gospel to their community. Use the principles to evaluate the alignment of your church’s ministry and leadership with the vision embedded in the Goals. Teach them and shape your efforts to reach your community and the world with the love of Christ and the hope of shalom.
Cancel your prayer ministry. Do away with scheduled prayer meetings and seasons of special prayer focus. End the prayer chain and your email list.
Blasphemy? Unchristian advice? Neither! Each of these activities is an important part of the life of the Church, the ‘House of Prayer’ our Lord and the Bible command us to be. It’s the granularity that damages the whole. A prayer ministry, for example, is a segmentation of that spiritual practice within the holistic life of the Christian. The result is that prayer becomes just one among many activities that the believer can choose from in their life of discipleship. In our hurried, over-scheduled lives, prayer becomes a choice on the schedule.
One that often loses out to other choices.
When the Apostle Paul commended continual prayer to the believers in Thessalonica, he placed this emphasis within the spectrum of a complete life. While 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (pray without ceasing) often finds its way onto throw pillows and coffee cups, the Apostle was much more intentional in emphasizing that prayer is an irreducible part of life. The complete passage reads, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18] Do we schedule “rejoicing” meetings? Do you need to receive an email reminder to be thankful? Most likely ‘no’ on both, so why prayer? The answer is hard to type and harder to hear: because many churches and Christians have not made prayer central to their identity.
Prayer should be as natural a part of our lives as is breathing. The culture identified with Christ’s Church should be a culture of prayer. The Lord modeled continual, natural prayer with the Father during his time in the world. While he set off times of quiet communion, Jesus did not schedule prayer time with his disciples separate from the ongoing ministry they pursued. It was a natural part of the life of discipleship. If we study the relationship between Jesus and his guys, we come to recognize how our separation of spiritual activities has affected the church. Prayer should not be a separate ministry; it must be the air that we breathe as we become more Christlike. Prayer should define our culture.
It is better to let the work go by default than to let the praying go by neglect. Whatever affects the intensity of our praying affects the value of our work…Nothing is well done without prayer for the simple reason that it leaves God out of the account.
E.M. Bounds
This is easier said than done. A culture of prayer for an individual or a church requires extraordinary commitment, from yourself personally or from the leadership within the body of believers. It will feel unnatural at first and this will cause hesitation, grumbling and questions of motivation, but you must persevere to find the blessing. We must model spontaneous prayer at every opportunity. A good place to start is the Sunday gathering, where everyone can use their gifts and seek an audience with the Lord on behalf of the body. Prayer as a regular part of Christian fellowship can strengthen those relationships. Pray for your brother aloud as he confides his struggle to you. Pray immediately–not say you will pray–for the family in crisis. As prayer becomes second nature over time, it will also become more comfortable and natural. We won’t see prayer as a separate part of the whole where participation is subject to the whims of choice. Prayer will not be a ministry, we will rightfully see it as ‘the’ ministry. The culture will change. Your church will change. You will change… and be blessed for it.
Christian blogs fail, not in attracting readers, but rather, to affect the world for the better. There is a vast difference between a theological blog and a blog whose author is incidentally a Christian. Nothing wrong with either position until one attempts to present themselves as the other. Here are three reasons that Christian blogs fail to connect with the uncountable readership of the interwebs.
1. Don’t Hold on to One Sided Arguments
There are many things that mainline Christians accept as settled fact. Google a handful of statements of faith, line them up next to one another and you will see what I mean. Outside of those things however, theology within the centuries old Christian faith ranges far and wide. Writers who fail to avail themselves of the depth and breadth of this theological history usually end up camping on one position without understanding why they are against the other positions that challenge their belief. Take Modalism for example. You read somewhere that it is wrong and your fellow theo-bloggers are not hesitant to throw the heresy flag when mentioning it but, do you know why they consider it a heresy? Simply saying something is wrong is not an argument. Before you go on the offensive or even just take a stand against a particular belief, educate yourself. Understand why the belief arose and why people believe(d) it. Study the proof texts offered in the context of the whole Bible, not just your theological framework. Be able to enter a discussion with something more than “because I said so.”
Oh, and Wikipedia is not to be considered a definitive source.
2. Don’t Be the Possessor of an Uninformed Theology
Discussing Christian theology and ecclesiology are immensely complex undertakings. It is an undertaking that requires study and meditation and no small amount of time seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit before you can be effective in your presentation. When you find yourself simply regurgitating the work of others (who have put in the blood, sweat, and tears to arrive at their conclusions) you are doing little more than diminishing the possible impact your post might have. If each of your posts contains the reference “so and so” says “this or that” as the basis for your theological position, I may as well simply go directly to the original thinker’s/author’s website and read the words directly. Any authority that you hope to embed in your writing comes from the reader’s trust in your knowledge. If, when a comment challenges your theological position, you cannot demonstrate an understanding of the challenger’s position you will lose the trust of not only that reader, but others who survey the whole conversation from a distance.
Oh, and John Piper, John Wesley, and James White are not always right.
3. Don’t be Self Serving
If your entire reason for blogging to promote yourself, do it in a different format. We have all seen blogs that have a thin veneer of Christianity that peels away to find every post being an exposition of how wonderful/altruistic/sacrificial the blogger himself is. Readers will soon discover that the faith is simply a jacket worn to give the blogger a reason to talk about themselves. Ask yourself how this affects the kingdom. Is it glorified or expanded or masked and diminished by the monumental ego that attempts to supersede it? This is not to say that personal entries, off topic asides, and the pride of sharing some accomplishment are out of place. Each is a part of the life we lead while still a part of this world. The ratio that the reader sees between personal and thematic posts will put on full display what is most important in the eyes of the blogger.
There are probably many more topics that could make this list but these are my top three. Then again, I could be wrong.
Google, in both its noun and verb form has brought a less rigorous form to the state of discussion. In academic and general conversation, the ability to search Google based on a keyword pertinent to your studies or a thread you are participating grants you the ability to expand your knowledge on that topic. The creation of the hyperlink opens up whole new worlds with regard to pointing readers to your source or support for a point you’re making. The trouble comes in the uncritical use of this facility.
In the largely self-edited environment of the interweb it is incumbent upon you to search further than the page that you want to reference to determine the underlying character of the site before naming it a reliable source of credible support for your point. For example, if I say that we cannot know something about the nature of the world, adding the link that I did leads you to a web site that supports my statement. Obviously, the majority will find the beliefs espoused here to be quite contrary to reality.
Another class of web sites that is often linked to are those in the advocacy category. The site you are reading could be considered an advocate for the truth of Christ. The troublesome links are those that take a completely one sided position on some topic, so much so that they are not to be considered as a single source point of information. The advocacy position should either be revealed or an argument from another source that balances the first should be offered. In a recent discussion a link was offered that was to be considered representative of all Jewish thought on a subject. Unfortunately, just a few moments of searching revealed the extremely narrow theological and philosophical viewpoint of the writers making the opinion worthless in the larger scope of the discussion. Unless the original poster meant to use this opinion to bolster his argument deceitfully, the viewpoint should have been considered and revealed.
If we’re going to discuss anything of importance, it’s crucial that we maintain a standard of credibility. Consider both sides rather than simply rattling off your talking points. Be balanced in the sources you cite. Be nice.
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 