It’s a crime that we have not linked to John Schroeder of Blogotional more here at Mere O. John has been one of the main supporters of Mere O since our inception and has never hesitated to link to us when we actually have something to say.
His latest offering on the misplaced priorities of Christian bloggers is the sort of post that reminds me why I read his blog every day. John’s analysis smacks of the sort of common-sense wisdom and insight that is obviously uncommon.
Obviously not everyone can sustain hard arguments or discussions with people over long periods of time. One of the things I’ve learned in discussions with Jim is that researching information and thinking of arguments can be incredibly time consuming–much easier to simply rehash everything I already know.
But if Christian bloggers are to have any significant impact on anyone outside the tight-knit community, then we must overcome this tendency, take on issues beyond us, and become learners. Is it possible that the Christian blogging community could actually be a community of scholar-activists? The problem with discussing the cursing of Mark Driscoll is that compared to other issues, it’s flat-out uninteresting. Who cares? There’s real thoughts left to be learned about Catholicism, or naturalism, or anything, and in a world with only so much time, it seems more beneficial and productive to start with larger thoughts than with trivialities.
Yes, this is an extended “Amen!” to John’s brilliant post. That’s what I do best: say what other people say, except longer, more confusing, and more boring.
Matthew Lee Anderson
Matthew Lee Anderson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology in Baylor University's Honors College. He has a D.Phil. in Christian Ethics from Oxford University, and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University's Torrey Honors College. In 2005, he founded Mere Orthodoxy.
