The Revealer picked up the article from the Australian WarCry on blogging, and I think Kathryn Joyce nailed some differences between US god-blogs and non-US god-blogs.
While it’s hard to fathom where Vuk found such an apolitical church, we’re thrilled to see God-bloggers, including the excellent Bene Diction, getting the recognition they deserve. Unfortunately, Vuk’s piece focuses more on the method and novelty of blogging than on the varieties or substance of Christian blogs, and precious little attention is given to either the debates that certainly do exist on God blogs (a comic understatement, to say the least), or to the role religion and faith play on these blogs, both for writers and readers.
I’m going to think off the top of my head, feel free to disagree.
The article focuses on a UK blogger, who is identified as Salvation Army.
I don’t know what affiliation Australian Darren Rowse is, I think Martin Roth is Baptist.
Australia, Canada and the UK - perhaps what this article does is inadvertently point out that politics play a different role in our lives. Perhaps religious affliliation does do. And I think the Salvation Army all over the world is careful not to be partisan.
That is not to say that many denominations ie: Canadian Anglicans - are fight free. Disputes are bitter. Nor having seen Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Canada go through recent elections can one say that debate wasn’t lively.
I think I can say it’s different. Saying we debate and see differently is easy, it’s the how that is more illusive. We don’t think of ourselves as living in ‘Christian’ nations, as a middle players on the world stage the drive to uphold values, freedom and morality takes different form.
The WarCry article is written to Australians who may not be as familar with weblogs as their cousins in the US. Blogs are still a novelty to many of us.
Since traffic is a bit up from The Revealer plug, it’s a great opportunity to introduce a couple of smart and sassy god-blogs outside the US.
South Africa: Seeking Serenity
Philippines: Superblessed
Australia: DogsfightatBankstown
UK: John Heron Project
Malaysia: Irene Q
New Zealand: cre8d
And one of the granddaddies of Canadian blogs: Jordon Cooper
Ian’s Messy Desk(Canada) has a good list of Sally Ann bloggers.
Enjoy.
Published 3 years, 9 months ago
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Thanks for plugging jhp - Wood is back from India at the weekend I think. I’m sure he’ll be delighted.
I’m a baptist too.
Greetings,
Another question is, why does blogging work so well in the Anglo world, and is light years behind in other cultures.
This is something that a group of us here in Spain are trying to push forward, and itīs difficult. To date, most Spanish bloggers are young, computer-literate types, usually quite Left in politics, and the subject is about their sexual lives. Maybe it has something to do with lifestyle in Spain, “live, and let live,” and stay out all night partying (okay, Iīm exaggerating a bit).
Iīve had this debate with many people here, and they keep telling me that blogging wonīt work in Spain, as it does in the US for example.
I keep telling them, they donīt know what they are talking about…that itīs a matter of informing people. That said, I can tell you that in the past few months, there does appear to be a growing sense amongst Catholics here that their voice isnīt being heard (as a result of the current govtīs agenda), and many are at least beginning to think of the Internet … and I am hopeful that we could see a break-through.
Sorry for the rambling, which I know is a bit off subject, but it struck a cord.
Paz
Robert Duncan (the former “jesus gil”)
I don’t think it is off subject at all…notice I don’t have any European blogs that came to mind easily in the post?
Not that we don’t have our share of sex journals…:^)you are asking some important questions.
“We don’t think of ourselves as living in ‘Christian’ nations, as a middle players on the world stage the drive to uphold values, freedom and morality takes different form.”
I think you hit the nail on the head. Were the US much more secular, and devout folks had little chance of having an impact, then American evaneglicals and conservative Catholics would likely be a lot less political. In the rest of the Anglosphere (with the possible exception of Ireland and Australia), that “theocon” bloc is much smaller; without the ability to make political change, politics becomes a smaller priority.
Thanks, Bene, but credit for that Revealer post goes to my colleague, Kathryn Joyce.
Okay thanks Jeff. Fixed.
Oh my Bene - thanks for the mention! Now I’m probably going to come down with that lack-of-something-decent-to-say “virus” again…
Honored and thrilled, Bene! Now to go write something political to live up to the company I’m with!
Oh, I think culture obviously plays a huge role. Asian God-blogs (Oriental, not including Australia and New Zealand perhaps because of their Western orientation) also tend to avoid the political perhaps because by nature we tend to avoid conflict. Even with the freedom afforded us by the relative anonymity of the Internet, Asian god-blogs have a long way to go in terms of stirring up controversy.
Wow! Thanks for the plug, Bene!
I think too that having seen the hold the Catholic church held on Quebec and the resounding fallout from the cultural revolution for the French population, we Canadians, though vocal, recognize the dangers in wedding politics and religion. I think the UK could say the same about Northern Ireland.
Don’t you find though Ganns, that our choice not to wear our politics on our religious sleeve is seen by our American friends as a weakness, not a strength?
“We don’t think of ourselves as living in ‘Christian’ nations, as a middle players on the world stage the drive to uphold values, freedom and morality takes different form.”
I too, think you have nailed it there, Bene.
I don’t know enough about the U.S. scene but it may also be true that not wearing our politics on our religious sleeve is seen by our American friends as a weakness, not a strength.
From a distance, I get the impression Americans place a lot of faith in the political system to wield transformation, and have so much pride in their own, whereas many in other countries don’t have such faith, or have seen its failings - both in the US and in their own countries - more starkly. Hence the different outlooks. And that would also influence Christian outlooks outside the U.S. as well.
And then there are just cultural differences: in the case of us Australians, we tend not to venerate our leaders - be they politicians or otherwise.
And while Christians in Australia are a minority (most who self identify as Christians are nominal; we are a pretty secular society), we nevertheless had a taste of (nasty) sectarianism within politics with the Catholic church in the past. Which also makes some - Christians and non Christians - nervous about repeat performances.
The litmus test I guess, for Christians, is discernment: are we being human participants in the divine action or are we advocating human action to promulgate some so-called divine plan? My understanding is that God calls us to the former. And He may call you to a different way than me.
Even so, I personally chose to ’sit lightly to it’ when it comes to politics. I can work within the political system, through it, even despite it. Sometimes the wise response is not controversy but silence, not seeking power but embodying weakness, so that where our power ends, His begins. Not to make politics your god and not to try and appropriate God to your political views just as some politicans do (an Aussie pundit living in Washington recently called it ‘wag-the-god’ politics)
And above all, don’t get despondent. Either God is sovereign or He is not.
Me thinks He has all things under control.
Hmm, I’ve drivelled on. Why am I writing this?
I really should just say, thanks for your encouragement and example. And thanks for the plug.
More weakness than strength regardless of culture, Bene, but in Asia, silence is also seen as a sign of discipline and inner strength.
It’s a paradox I’d love to change, because I think there should be times when we at least make our positions clear, albeit in fora and in ways that communicate a certain mutual respect between opposing parties. The few times I’ve tried to be political on my blog, for instance, I’ve found myself backing down pretty easily, perhaps because I hesitate to bat the bee’s hive more than I should.
It’s an attitude I’m working on changing, especially with LIVEtheLIFE. If we don’t speak up, especially from our Christian perspective, the tendency is for us to let the wrongs go unpunished.