I wonder how many Christian blogs are out there? The answer is 2.5 million. Actually, let me rephrase that - my answer is 2.5 million. The real answer may be something more or less than that. But 2.5 million sounds good and will support my case that there are a lot out there. My rubbery stats also illustrate the quality of their research and the kind of weight you should give to them. The way I am banging this out late is also evidence of the poor writing to expect on blog posts!
Sometimes I'm embarrassed by the flimsy quality of what I publish. But I'm comforted by the fact that I'm far from alone. The Christian web is awash with half thought out ideas. The conversational nature of blogs can partly excuse the quality when a provocative half thought out idea generates good comments and a useful conversation.
But a better starting place for thinking about ministry must be Scripture itself. I worry that sometimes I'm quicker to let my daily Twitter Feed devotions guide me to the newest fandangling ministry insight. Have you seen what is up at Resurgence? Gospel Coalition? Communicate Jesus? Sola Panel? ACL? Sydney Anglicans? There may be something useful in all this, but they're only useful in as much as they point us to the Gospel itself.
In Romans 15.14 - 16 Paul writes: "I myself am convinced my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge, and competent to instruct one another. I have written you boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again…"
It is striking that Paul boldly teaches a good church that they must be reminded of the Gospel. So the church in Rome gets a whole letter of the New Testament, and Paul's most extensive laying out of the Gospel - even though they are good, knowledgeable and competent.
I hear a lot of talk of a new day of ministry taking place in the diocese, of generational changes in leadership, and a hunger for something new. Our much bigger need is for us to be reminded of the Gospel, persuaded of it ourselves, and holding it out to others. The next big thing must be the same old thing. But being reminded of the same old thing can't take place in 140 characters or a banged out blog post. Romans has 52,116 characters (more or less) - that'd be a good place to start.
