“Why Baptists become Bloggers”

The New

S C


Everyone attending the convention this year could feel the tension between some Southern Baptist leaders and Southern Baptist bloggers. I believe there is a misunderstanding among many Southern Baptist as to the purpose of blogs and there has been a misuse of blogs by some bloggers. I want to give a defense of Southern Baptist blogs while suggesting some rules for blogging.

My Defense:

1. Blogs are a tool for sharing Southern Baptist information with Southern Baptist members. The secular media people aren’t going to print great stories about the work and mission of Southern Baptists. The Baptist press doesn’t have the ability or time to print everything that is needed. I believe every Southern Baptist has a right to know as much about the Southern Baptist Convention and its work as possible. This is why I blog as a Southern Baptist. I believe every Southern Baptist Convention leader needs to have a blog so that we as Southern Baptists can stay informed of the work going on and the needs for which to pray.

2. Blogs are a great way of sharing the truth of Christ. There is more interest in Christ and Christian blogs than ever before. There are people who everyday visit my blog that aren’t Christians and they can read about how Christ the Lord loves them. If they will believe in Him and trust Him with their lives they can be transformed. My prayer is that my blog may be a useful tool in leading others to Christ or to a greater walk with Christ. I blog for the gospel.

3. I kept hearing the word accountability at the convention when it came to the subject of blogs. Southern Baptist leaders want bloggers to be more accountable for what they write. In actuality, it is the bloggers that have brought greater accountability to every area of Southern Baptist life. If a group of people are doing something wrong in the convention it will be brought to light on a blog. Blogs are a great tool for accountability and authenticity. I blog because I believe in accountability for the Southern Baptist Convention.

Since I’m a pastor I will stop with my three points that blogs provide greater information, witness, and accountability for the SBC.

My Rules:

1. Be motivated to blog for the building up of Christians and the Southern Baptist Convention. It is nice to have a lot of people visit your blog and usually the more critical you are the more people come to your site. Be careful to abstain from being critical just so you get more readers. Sometimes we must blog about something that is controversial, but only when we are bringing to light to something that needs to be dealt with so that greater glory may be given to Christ. So my first rule is don’t be critical to gain readers.

2. Be Christian in all that you blog. Just because you don’t have your name on your blog, doesn’t mean that your blog doesn’t represent you. If you are a Christian be careful to keep your blog Christian. I have heard that at one Christian college campus they are trying to stop blogging because so many of the students were either using dirty language or posting dirty pictures. So rule number two is as a Christian blogger, I keep my blog Christian.

3. Be accountable for what you write. Since I believe that the SBC Convention needs to be accountable to its members so a blogger needs to be accountable as well. How can a blogger be held accountable? There are two ways. First use the comment section of the blog to list what you don’t like about the blog or where the blogger has over stepped their bounds. You can also email them with the same information. As a blogger, I’m willing to be accountable to anyone who shows me that I have written something that isn’t for the glory of Christ or that isn’t Christian and I will change it immediately. Rule number three is for every blogger to be accountable for what they write.

In closing I want to give a word of thanks to those in SBC leadership positions that blog. Al Mohler, Morris Chapman, Wade Burleson, Ronnie Floyd, Rich Thompson, Dr. Corbaley, and others, thank you for taking the time to blog.