Why Christians Should Blog

Where We Are Today

A good starting point of why Christians should blog is plain stats. According to World Bank (Google Public Data), in 2010, 30.48% of the world population were Internet users. Today, in the United States alone, the percentage of Internet users is probably well over 80% of the country's population.

If you read an article from New York Times two years ago, you'd be floored- 

"The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a half that youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cellphones. 

And because so many of them are multitasking — say, surfing the Internet while listening to music — they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours." 


Whether we like it or not, the estate that the next generation is in has become an indicator of how the world is progressing in general, don't you think? 

The Generation Gap

A survey done in 2009 reported that the US was facing the largest generation gap since the 60's where the older and younger generations differed mostly in social values and morality. Well, this gap has grown larger and larger everyday.

One key factor widening this gap is the fact that the younger generation is plugged in online 24/7

While you're thinking that your children are safe by being physically at home, they are constantly exposed to potential dangers in their bedroom, in front of the computer. I don't think I need to elaborate myself on this point. You know how detrimental the Internet could become to your child, even to yourself.

The Least We Can Do

Learning such a hard fact, our immediate response is to cut ties with the online world, but the truth is as Christians, we bear the responsibility to not only save ourselves

Soon we realize that we can't practically displace our children and even ourselves from the Internet. The education systems require us to be online. Our jobs require us to be online.

Young and old, people are continually bombarded with all kinds of online information- constructive and destructive. So why not give them a chance to stumble upon the good news, the gospel of the kingdom?

Romans 1:14-16 say, 
"I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
The easiest way to populate the Internet with gospel materials is by blogging. These days you can set up a blog, with no cost, in less than 5 minutes. All you need to do is write a little something about your faith, your journey with the Lord, once a week. You can even write about how normal it is to need God, how normal it is to be a Christian.

We shouldn't be ashamed of sharing our genuine experiences of Christ online. So what if our friends see the big Christian "signboard" on our blog or Facebook wall? Our confession of being a Christian online may very well be the only gospel opportunity a friend or a relative has in his/her lifetime. We are debtors to them with regards to the gospel.

Have you ever shared with someone about your faith online? What are the greatest hurdles you encounter in blogging about your faith, or in writing a Facebook post about your Christian experience?

Comments

  1. wow, it's amazing how much time people spend on the internet these days. I'm not quite at that level yet, and I haven't been motivated yet at this point to start my own blog because I don't want to drop it once I start. But I do like to occasionally share something I enjoyed on my facebook wall for a testimony to all my friends. I also enjoy reading the updates from your blog. Thanks for keeping it up :)

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    1. Thank you, P. I'm glad that you also get to share something about the Lord on Facebook. It's definitely a start.

      About blogging, you're right. It definitely requires some time commitment to consistently blog, but I'd say it's a good practice to be able to consider our experiences of the Lord in a deeper and more thorough way.

      Many times I think of it as "cooking." :)

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  2. Agreed! Again I've gotta say, faithful AND prudent. It just makes sense. Gone are the days to write off social media like Facebook as silly time-wasters for high school kids. We can't blame them for being a product of their own generation. Baby boomers have their own set of distinctives that everyone caters to. An opportunity is an opportunity, and this one is too big to miss.

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely. I included your post as well Kyle on "Blogging What Really Matter."

      Link: http://lifeandbuilding.com/2011/08/06/what-matters/

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  3. 11 hours of social media every day! I'm not sure if I should be impressed or horrified. I guess we can make the best of our time online by blogging. :)

    Thanks for the encouragement!

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    Replies
    1. It's both, isn't it? Impressed and horrified at the same time. Do you have a blog that you'd like to share with us, Vania? How's your experience blogging so far?

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  4. wow, the stats are scary!
    so much time..wasted D: Lord Jesus!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm repenting daily for how much I've wasted my time, Raquel. But it's encouraging to realize this now than never, isn't it? So that we can learn how to redeem our time unto the Lord.

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    2. that's right, amen! -raquel

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  5. Very interesting! My church is starting a blogging ministry. God willing, on Tuesday night, I am taking a class about it. It should be interesting! Feel free to c heck out my blog as well: http://poetforjesus1977.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for visiting my blog and dropping me a comment. I'm sorry to hear your aunt passing away, but I appreciate the way you weaved Christ into your experience. It's so precious to be able to find Christ and gain Him (Phil. 3:8) in the hardest situations.

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  6. wow, very informative and interesting, thanks katherine!

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