Disciplines of a Godly Man
Disciplines of a Godly Woman
Disciplines of a Godly Family
They are immensely challenging, and helpfully highlight that true freedom and true discipline are companions rather than opponents.
As I embark on the blog, I thought it would be helpful to me to lay down some blogging disciplines, most of which are plain, Spirit-wrought Christian virtues (in no particular order).
- Aim to edify believers and/or evangelise unbelievers with every post.
- Assume everyone is reading. Tim Keller says of church services that they should speak to the Christian, assuming that the unbeliever is listening in. So a blog may address a particular audience, but with the awareness that anyone can and may read it.
- Avoid personal attacks. If they are justified on rare occasions, don't say what you wouldn't say to someone's face.
- Don't criticise someone or something you wouldn't criticise elsewhere.
- A blog post is not a journal article or doctoral thesis. Therefore, ideas which are not fully-researched are legitimate. However, speculative, uncertain thoughts should be flagged as such to the reader.
That'll do for now.
4 comments:
I'm not so sure about the "not what I wouldn't say elsewhere" rule. What's behind that? There's lots on my blog I wouldnt say to my wife at supper or in church on Sunday or.... ?
Why wouldn't you say those things to Yvonne? Because they're things she's not especially interested in, or because you don't want her to know them?
I think that's the point. Blogs shouldn't be anonymous places to hide and take potshots at whoever happens to be passing. If you wouldn't say stuff to someone's face, don't write it on the blog.
The blogosphere is an interesting area where I fear many of us can easily lapse into mindless chatter, gossip and all manner of ungodliness in the name of so-called 'thought'.
Messageboards are particularly unhelpful, I think. They are filled with quarrels and arguments in which no one ever listens to the other. Their minds are made up. "Have nothing to do with them" seems to be a good way of dealing with those messageboards.
It's also worth bearing in mind that our blog could be read by anyone - but almost certainly won't be (let's be honest). But it's read by God.
Marc, I think I meant what Ros says.
The question is, if there are certain places where or people to whom you wouldn't say something, how do you know your blog comment won't end up in the wrong place or with the wrong person?
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