I want to share some of my personal thoughts concerning the direction of this blog. As my blog description says, my intent is to provoke "constructive discussion related to our theology and mission, within broad contexts". As a result I will engage in a number of topics, with the hope that you will leave comments as part of the dialogue.
Blogging is a a relatively new medium, and most people do not even understand it, let alone make effective use of them. In the evolution (can I use that word?) of this technology it is emerging as an powerful means for disseminating information and for creating decentralized networks of discussion.
This blog is devoted to Church of God issues, and the only one that I know of that has this precise focus. Certainly, as my blogroll reveals, there are many other Church of God bloggers, but many of these blogs are more personal or have a very narrow purpose. From time to time I will reference those postings that seem to contribute to the Church of God discussion that I am leading here.
One of the areas that I have struggled with is passing along Church of God news items that may not be passed on through the normal and "official" channels. I don't want to bore anyone with the details of every WCG bake sale, etc. but occasionally I mine news stories that may be of general interest to this readership. This is a new, powerful role that blogs are doing to fill the gap not met by traditional media or communications.
My goal, however, is not only to avoid trivia, but also to refrain from gossip. In the interests of the privacy and dignity of individuals it is important to exercise discretion. There are times, however, when news stories are of interest to Church of God members and leaders, even if their content is less than inspiring or positive. I may pass some of these on, if only to remind us of the realities that exist within our movement (and that some of them are not pretty). Hopefully, we will respond with prayer and reflection, and with the intent of restoring people and relationships.
For example, last week I provided an update of a settlement in the Church Extension fiasco.
Today, I learned of a court resolution regarding Forrest Robinson, a former president of Mid-America Christian University. For those interested you can read more at the Lexington Herald-Leader.
As always, your feedback on these issues and how I handle them are always welcome.
4 comments:
It is sad that such a thing would happen. We do not know the details of this transaction or of his intentions. It is obvious that he did break the law and is held liable for his actions. This is a just action.
We would all do well to keep all of our dealings open and honest. With todays technology (this blog giving evidence) we cannot do something in one area of the country and have it hid from others. It is very important that we keep integrity high on our priority list.
I think your right Lloydn we need to be careful what we say, this is publishing, albeit amatur. I think its fine to talk about things that Anderson doesn't want to address. You haven't come across as gossipy to me. I think you've maintained that value. has blogging traffic seemed slow for you the last couple months? It has for me on the Thinktank.
Randy,
It appears that traffic has actually increased, at least according to the number of people who appear to be subscribing, etc. Commenting is not robust, but I'm not surprised with that as the increasing in blogging in general will probably lead to fewer comments. The ones that are left will probably be of greater significance.
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