It has taken considerable convincing for me to start a weblog. We’re all busy, so a blog needs to do something worthwhile. What would this one do?

First, it would provide a safe place for people to raise questions about my main area of professional and personal interest: the intersection of faith and culture. By “safe” I mean a place where religious and spiritual and philosophical questions are welcome and taken seriously, and where people respond with civility, concern, and intelligence. No orthodoxy is required to participate in this conversation, just goodwill, kindness, and the perseverance necessary to state something carefully, listen to responses just as carefully, and respond in kind.

There are other places to discuss such matters seriously, of course, but they tend to press one to a particular conclusion: notably such places as churches, synagogues, temples, and the like, or families of believers. Not everyone feels welcome to raise awkward or challenging questions therein.

Yay! Dr. John Stackhouse is giving blogging a go. He is one of the clearer communicators in academia and someone I’ve found challenging, gracious and a joy to read elsewhere. Blog on!
via: Jordon Cooper