What I find interesting is the sheer number of US bloggers that didn't comment, didn't post about this conference, didn't say anything.
I find that oddly encouraging, for if nothing else it shows me that a political party is front and centre to a few, not the many. People may have their priorities a bit straighter than I originally thought.
I have no problem with US church leaders or US political media leaders attempting to organize a group to affect culture that started before a regional conference. I agree with Joel Thomas, I don't think there will be the organization some hope for.
I can only speak for myself. I'm not in a culture war, that concept is literally foreign to me. I'm in it, I engage.
Blogging is something we do, like you, I don't need to make a list of whys, and I know some people feel a need to outline a world view.
I look at pictures of the earth from NASA sometimes, for the sheer joy of doing so. It's a great worldview.:^) What an amazing planet! I look at it and think for God so loved...
I think we can keep trying to talk to each other past borders, past labels one by one by one, and that kind of listening takes work. I've really enjoyed your posts dj, thankyou. Blog on!
Justin Baeder
· 4 years ago
I didn't go or even look into it because I didn't hear much buzz about it. If I had, I probably would have thought it sounded too introductory. I've been blogging since early 2003, not nearly as long as you, but still long enough that none of the "how to blog for Christian purposes" isn't interesting to me. I also lack the time and money to go to conventions of any kind, and the Emergent Convention would have been higher on my list.
I also didn't like the blogs of a lot of the people named as major presenters. If I'm going to spend time and money to hear from people being held up as examples, they'd better be more credible than GodBlogCon 1's big names.
Andy Jackson, for example, seemed to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of blogging when he:
a) Sent me a bulk, unsolicited, out-of-the blue email asking me to link to his blog shortly after he launched it. Exact text of his email: "I enjoy your site. Please link". That's it, along with the subject line "FYI - New Resource Site & Blog - www.SmartChristian.com" (email 11/13/04)
b) Sub-titled SmartChristian.com "Your Christian Provider of Essential & Relevant Information". I don't think that's the purpose of a blog, but rather of a big media outlet. I got the impression that if I read Andy's blog, he would tell me what to think so I didn't have to go to the trouble of thinking for myself.
Hugh Hewitt, another big name at GodBlogCon, has ridiculous ads in the sidebar of his blog. George W. Bush's Omega-3 supplement? Three powerful exercises for combat conditioning? I'm supposed to trust this guy's advice?
Now, if Rudy C. had been a presenter, along with Andrew Jones, that would have been something else entirely.
Thank you for covering GodBlogCon for the EC crowd. I wish I could have been at your breakout session.
Bumble
· 4 years ago
Good to see you tonight. Is my group "emerging"? You travel enough to tell me
The Dane
· 4 years ago
Hey there, I attended the Saturday sessions and during your time slot I was tossed up between the emergent blogging session and the theology blogging session. Ultimately, I attended the theology blogging session because I have had some great interaction in the past with its presenter, David Wayne from Jollyblogger.
In any case, I was definitely interested in what you had to say. I have mixed feelings about what I see going on in emergent circles. Some things are wonderful while other things seem potentially dangerous. In a lot of ways, the emergent movement reminds me in many ways of the Jesus people movement of the late 60s/early 70s (through which both my parents grew to faith). I think its something I'll reserve judgment on until we can see where its going to end up. Anyway, sorry to miss it!
rudy
· 4 years ago
DJ, from reading your post and these comments, there appears to be a positive, unintended consequence: the "emerging church" conversation is being broadened
Justin Baeder
· 4 years ago
Andy emailed me, and I realize now that I was a bit uncharitable toward him in my earlier comment. I want to say publicly that I don't have anything against him or Hugh, just that I was not initially impressed with their blogs when I encountered them. Most of this is probably worldview difference, since I'm coming at blogging from a postmodern & EC rather than evangelical angle.
Obviously, they have attracted huge followings, probably much larger than my blog's, and I wish them the best.
Anthony
· 4 years ago
dj,
sounds like you guys had a great time. is there going to be a similar meetup in the near future?
All Comments
I find that oddly encouraging, for if nothing else it shows me that a political party is front and centre to a few, not the many.
People may have their priorities a bit straighter than I originally thought.
I have no problem with US church leaders or US political media leaders attempting to organize a group to affect culture that started before a regional conference. I agree with Joel Thomas, I don't think there will be the organization some hope for.
I can only speak for myself. I'm not in a culture war, that concept is literally foreign to me. I'm in it, I engage.
Blogging is something we do, like you, I don't need to make a list of whys, and I know some people feel a need to outline a world view.
I look at pictures of the earth from NASA sometimes, for the sheer joy of doing so.
It's a great worldview.:^) What an amazing planet! I look at it and think for God so loved...
I think we can keep trying to talk to each other past borders, past labels one by one by one, and that kind of listening takes work.
I've really enjoyed your posts dj, thankyou.
Blog on!
I also didn't like the blogs of a lot of the people named as major presenters. If I'm going to spend time and money to hear from people being held up as examples, they'd better be more credible than GodBlogCon 1's big names.
Andy Jackson, for example, seemed to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of blogging when he:
a) Sent me a bulk, unsolicited, out-of-the blue email asking me to link to his blog shortly after he launched it. Exact text of his email: "I enjoy your site. Please link". That's it, along with the subject line "FYI - New Resource Site & Blog - www.SmartChristian.com" (email 11/13/04)
b) Sub-titled SmartChristian.com "Your Christian Provider of Essential & Relevant Information". I don't think that's the purpose of a blog, but rather of a big media outlet. I got the impression that if I read Andy's blog, he would tell me what to think so I didn't have to go to the trouble of thinking for myself.
Hugh Hewitt, another big name at GodBlogCon, has ridiculous ads in the sidebar of his blog. George W. Bush's Omega-3 supplement? Three powerful exercises for combat conditioning? I'm supposed to trust this guy's advice?
Now, if Rudy C. had been a presenter, along with Andrew Jones, that would have been something else entirely.
Thank you for covering GodBlogCon for the EC crowd. I wish I could have been at your breakout session.
In any case, I was definitely interested in what you had to say. I have mixed feelings about what I see going on in emergent circles. Some things are wonderful while other things seem potentially dangerous. In a lot of ways, the emergent movement reminds me in many ways of the Jesus people movement of the late 60s/early 70s (through which both my parents grew to faith). I think its something I'll reserve judgment on until we can see where its going to end up. Anyway, sorry to miss it!
Obviously, they have attracted huge followings, probably much larger than my blog's, and I wish them the best.
sounds like you guys had a great time. is there going to be a similar meetup in the near future?
ant