should blogs be banned by church?
Text books of the faith…
Dave Cartoon-Church Walker noted a while back that some institutions within the Church of England have placed pretty severe bans on their members blogging. I quite appreciate that bloggers have to have a sense of responsibility towards their employers, colleges, parishes etc., and this should be encouraged in every way. But banning everyone from blogging? Bad idea.
Several people have noticed this week that Bishop Mike (of Bristol) has started blogging. Someone set up a blog for him as a kind of newsletter/prayer request when he and his wife were involved in a car accident. Now that the crisis of that is over (Deo gracias) he has come to apreciate the potential of the blog, and has begun to use the blog as a place to post summaries of sermons, thoughts about Church related stuff (including a category on Emerging Church), mixed in with his own enthusiasm for football. That’s what makes blogging good I think – unilke a website which is purely official information, a blog gives the capacity for the person giveng the sermon and the information also to be able to give you a bit of their humanity – like adding the coffee time chat to the lecture. And of course the comments, which make the whole thing a dialogue, not a sermon.
Anyway, Stefan noted in my comments a blog from Westminster Cathedral, the flagship of English Catholic worship. The writer describes Cathedrals as "text books of the faith" and writes about how the building needs to go about its life and its presentation in order to draw tourists in to become worshippers. Who would have thought that a blogpost about such a humdrum thing as signage could become a theological/missiological reflection?
The fact that some bloggers have been a bit thoughtless about what they tell to the whole wide world shouldn’t stop the church from blogging. It should make us think carefully about what we put on the blog, of course. But the Blog can be a kind of text book of faith in its own way.
7 Responses to “should blogs be banned by church?”
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
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Interesting post as ever Maggi. I suppose the worry comes from the usual factional nature of religion means a very public airing of dirty laundry. Yet, on the flipside, it would appear that by th every act of blogging the true humanity of both those in positions of leadership, and the faith it’self is extolled in a way few other mediums allow.
I mean, imagine if (in retirement) R.Williams kept a theological blog – it would be outstanding and allow real grappling with the issues to go beyond pontificating from the front.
Roll on the CofE blogroll!
Regards Ever
John
I think they would be missing a trick there. If it weren’t for blogs like yours, Maggi, I would never have considered Christianity, and my lasting impression of Christians would probably be what you read on the BBCs “Christian messageboard”. Although there were a few marvelous souls on there, there were a few too many of “fires of hell” type.
I am collecting the urls of Bishop blogs. I agree they are a way of connecting on a more personal level. I posted my list on Dave Walker’s site. Hope to hear of more.
thanks john and tony… tony i’m gratly encouraged by your words, and hope that when bishops start writing in black on white they’ll add to your interest! W H Vanstone once described the Church of England as being like a swimming pool – all the noise is in the shallow end. Maybe the blog could be a place for some reflections from the deep?…
And I’m getting other people into your blog as well. Hello Mary
hello to mary from me too! welcome to the blog.
Hello tony and maggie!
Yes, my ‘real’ name is indeed Mary. I don’t somehow think that’ll lead you to track me down and stalk me though, seeing as there are quite a few of us ‘Marys’ in the western world.
I LOVED the W H Vanstone quote! I can see that being useful in all sorts of areas!