Christian Blogging

You may have heard about a column in Forbes that ran before Christmas called “If I Were a Poor Black Kid.”  If you didn’t read it, you can read it here.

This column has created a lot of buzz, for obvious reasons. One commentator I heard said the author probably wrote it because the title was sure to boost the number of hits the site received. In other words, bloggers who use shocking titles attract more attention.

Maybe, but I’ m not going to try that with my blog just to find out.

There’s another possibility too. Maybe the man who wrote the article had no clue that what he was saying would offend so many people. Maybe he sincerely thought he was being helpful. Maybe his insensitivity was an accident. I don’t know and I can’t and won’t judge him.

Whatever his intentions were his article is a good reminder to the rest of the bloggy world. We are what we write. Once our words are out there, once we hit the “publish” button then our words come to life and are subject to the reader’s interpretation. Good, bad, offensive, that’s up to the person who reads them.

As a Christian blogger I answer to a very high standard. I have to think and write responsibly BEFORE I publish, not after.

I learned this lesson the hard way. Years ago a local politician did something wrong. I wrote a letter to the editor and blasted them. I got some phone calls saying “way to go” and felt pretty good about myself until I ran into the man I had blasted.

He knew he had messed up. Did he really need me to remind him? Nope. I did it to make myself feel better and it did, until I realized what I had done.

After that experience I vowed to stay on the positive side of the fence. There are enough negative words in the media without me adding to them.

God, help me to use the words you give me for good. Help them to be a reflection of your love. Amen