If you haven't read the AP story about GodBlogCon, here is a link.
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I've had a few days now to think about GodBlogCon and reflect on some of the powerful themes that emerged from the meeting.
I'll start with a short list of blogs with good coverage of the event. There is more out there; this is only a short list of blogs that I've managed to read over yesterday and today. The complete list of registrants is here -- that's your best source for blog coverage. You might also want to check out the official event blog, which has an extensive roundup of blogging.
Runalong With Pastor Mark
LaShawn Barber's Corner
DJChuang.com
Voice In The Wilderness
The A-Team Blog
Writing Right
Another Think
The Informed Christian
Sharper Iron
Reasoned Audacity (vanity link - thanks Charmaine!)
Sarcasmagorical
And a few more photos:
Stacy Harp and Aaron Pina
- both wonderful, dynamic people. Stacy sarcastically reminded us during
her training session that although she hasn't made a lot of money
blogging, she made it, not us. Thanks. Actually Stacy had a
lot of worthwhile things to say ... maybe I'll be blogging from my
luxury yacht some day if Stacy's ideas were really good.
A perfect combination of blogging, beauty, and brains -- Lores Rizkalla of Just A Woman.
It was refreshing to see the number of women at the conference. And
after Stacy Harp shamed the plenary panel about the fact that no women
were involved any of the conference's main discussion sessions it's probably a sure bet that
we'll be seeing more women next year. My picks? The Anchoress, and
Dawn Eden.
LaShawn Barber held a blogging roundtable Saturday. The spirituality in
the discussion was deep and challenging, and LaShawn shared her
personal testimony with us. I also had a terrific lunchtime
discussion with LaShawn on Friday about writing and getting published.
We are all grateful that she took the time to come to LA and share her
knowledge and love for Christ with all of us.
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Probably the most satisfying element of the conference was the spirit of ecumenism among Christians of so many denominations. We may quibble about doctrine, but we are called to embody one true Gospel and to serve one sovereign Lord, who is "over all and through all and in all." Being from a Wesleyan background, I was in a minority among fellow evangelicals, most of whom were from a reformed/Calvinist tradition. I also met Catholics, emerging church proponents, and non-denominational Christians, as well as Christian pro-life Democrats. But we were all there for one reason, which was to come together as a community of believers and increase our effectiveness not only as writers, but as ambassadors of Christ.
The most common theme throughout the conference seminars and roundtables was the importance that blogs bring to dynamic reasoned discussion. Blogs bridge the gap between live and permanent forms of expression because they allow us to discuss events and ideas with each other in real time, yet they also provide a permanent record of the discussions. Blogging was also compared numerous times to the Protestant Reformation, in the sense that it was the dialog and conflicts that arose from Luther's 95 Theses which started the Reformation, and not just the Theses themselves. It was also noted that Luther and other reformers immediately seized the best new technology at their disposal (the printing press) in order to advance their ideas. Blogs will do likewise.
But with the freedom of blogging comes responsibility. Oftentimes, blogs (and especially blogs like this one, which covers current events and receives the majority of its traffic from search engines) are a primary and substantial point of contact between Christians and non-believers. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus told his disciples, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." While it is sometimes tempting to angrily vent our frustrations at the outrageous things happening around us every day, or to pummel drive-by commenters or emailers who leave nasty remarks, we must remember that as Christians we are called to speak the truth in love.
We also have to be mindful of the fact that the Internet blogosphere keeps a permanent record of all our online posts. I don't expect to ever run for political office or to be appointed to a high-stakes government position, but if I do, this blog and its contents will be scrutinized in an effort to create a picture of who I am. It's pretty sobering to realize that something I post online today can come back to haunt me in fifteen years. If you've never tried Googling your name (and for me it's easy because I have a unique last name) then try it some time -- you'll be amazed at what you find.
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A big thanks to Matt Anderson, who organized and planned the conference and who, by his own confession, became a stranger to his wife during the last three months. And another thank you to Dr. John Mark Reynolds, who graciously opened the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University for the conference. At this point, only hell or high water will keep me away next year.
Finally, I'll be adding a blogroll of friends I made at the conference, as well as a series of posts about them. Make sure you read their blogs whenever you happen to read mine.
ADDED: I've gone back and made two or three grammatical changes above. Also, I forgot to mention the food at the Biola cafeteria, which was outstanding. I ate a lot of frozen fries and cardboard pizza when I was in college, but these kids have a pizzeria that makes honest-to-goodness delicious fresh pizza, a chef's table, a home-cooking station, a hamburger and hot dog station, and very good salad and dessert bars all included in their campus cafeteria. I actually wanted to go back and eat the food on Saturday.
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