In the comments to the below post, Keith argues that what prevents people from hearing the Word of God is the content of the Word of God and not the delivery.
He writes:
English readers can read books about Christianity and about the gospel in any bookstore in the country. Blogs are merely a context. A newly popular context, yes, so we should propound the truth in it, but it should be said: it is not the language, or even the style and form that prevents American non-believers from hearing the word of truth. It is the content. The wisdom of the Lord is foolishness to those who are perishing. His sheep hear his voice and recognize it.
I would contend that content is not the only obstacle to hearing the Word–the content can only be received by those who have ears to hear, and my argument below is simply that blogging, by virtue of its medium, has the inherent danger of dulling our ears to the text. The simple reason is that while books and blogs both contain words, the presentation of those words represents a significant difference between the medium. If the only thing a reader ever reads is blog posts, then it seems unlikely that they would develop the habits of reading that would be necessary to read a sustained, developed, intricate argument such as Romans. Why divorce the medium from the message?
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.
