Dhsheppard.com

Blogging has become an increasingly popular form of communication as people move online to share their ideas and thoughts about almost anything.  Cooking, vacations, jobs, Faith, Culture or family are all appropriate subjects to write about.  With the popularity of blogging growing exponentially, why should one consider jumping in now?  Is there some compelling reason everyone should consider blogging and if so, what do you blog about?

Yes there are compelling reasons to blog and certainly there are subjects which attract more interest than others.  Also the quality of writing plays a important role in a well read blog but those are all secondary issues to the real benefit and reason everyone should blog.  Everyone should blog because it helps us think and better develop ideas, concepts and solve problems.  The reality is that blogging contributes far more to the author than it does the reader.  The process of writing helps the writer think in ways that are difficult to produce or develop any other way.

The topics I write about usually begin as ideas or issues I’m interested in and many times confused about.  Only after going through the process of writing, do I develop a clearer perspective on a topic or a deeper understanding of an issue.  Many times my perspective shifts and greater clarity is gained as I work through the process of writing.  The number of people reading my blog or subscribing to it is independent of the greatest benefit.  I gain a richer and deeper appreciation for the subject because of my deliberate and sometimes painful efforts to study and write about a important issue.

The biggest obstacle that kept me from beginning a blog in the first place was the preoccupation with what to write about.  There wasn’t anything I had to say that people would be interested in.  Although this may be true, it was missing the bigger and more beneficial point of blogging.  The focus can’t be on what others are interested in as much as what I am passionate about.  When I write about the subjects I’m interested in, others are invariably interested in as well.  Two things happen.  First, I benefit from the process of learning about a issue or subject I’m focused on.  Second, I engage with others who happen to share similar interest.  Sharing ideas and engaging with people deepens the benefit and encourages greater dialogue and invariably better understanding.

Everyone should write a blog because the process of writing provides its own reward.  Hopefully I can follow my own advise and make contributions a regular occurrence.  Who knows, I may learn something.

I would love to hear from you about your challenges and successes with writing and blogging.

Francis Schaeffer’s book “How Should We Then Live” shares a brief history of western civilization to show the shaping and altering influences which have taken place over the centuries.   Our past has direct impact on the present and continues to influence our future.

A significant influence to shape our history was the distortion and subjugation of the Scriptures in the Middle Ages by the infusion of humanism.   The shifting of authority from God’s prescriptive Word to the narrow, and self serving rule of men and their institutions were damaging and costly shifts.  Obstacles developed through the intermingling of the Church with commerce and governmental power directly impacting one’s ability to live out an authentic Christian faith.  Unavoidable compromise and contradictory lifestyles where the result.  The Church became corrupted in large measure by the lure of power and authority.  Every time God’s Word is allowed to be supplanted by the passions and priorities of men, corruption ensues.

Today the same mistakes are seen in the prevailing  institutions of power which use their positions of authority to both overtly and inadvertently neutralize the teachings of Scripture with self serving policy and philosophy.  Scripture becomes nothing more than mold-able and subjective sources of truth.  It is argued that the modern world has produced answers to complexities never conceived of and advancements in science are being made which expose the uselessness of faith and the naivete of those who embrace it..

Evolutionary biologist and Atheist Richard Dawkins has suggested Oxford university consider banning admission to students of faith due to the anti-intellectual nature of subscribing to such belief.  Dominus illuminatio mea is the motto of Oxford University which is also the beginning of Psalm 27 which says “The Lord is my light.”  It is interesting how far things have come when a professor from such a prominent university could make such a claim in light of the University’s history and foundation.  Science and a narrow engagement of reason have supplanted the wisdom of Scripture in the eyes of many intellectuals and have led us to this precarious place we now find ourselves.

John Wesley identified the slippery slope of narrow perceptions when he described the  four perspectives which shape Man’s view and understanding of God.  Scripture, tradition, experience and reason all come to bear on an individual’s understanding of God each exercising weight and influence on a person’s perception of reality and the truth about God.  A proper weighting of each perspective directs us to Truth in the purest sense.  Scripture with the perspectives of reason, experience and tradition provide the necessary context, background and information by which to interpret Scripture accurately.  Consequently a preoccupation on reason or experience without the consideration of Scripture results in a inaccurate and flawed view of reality.

It is easy to see the imbalanced influence of experience and reason exerted by many academics over the past 100 years.  The dismissing of Scripture and the reckless preoccupation with limited perspectives of reason and experience have lead cultures to places previously thought unimaginable.  Human life becomes nothing more than a product of chance and thereby losing any priority or sacredness established by a higher authority.  Decisions to murder millions of people become reasonable solutions to immediate and pressing circumstances.  Relatively recent examples like Hitler and Pol Pot serve as excellent reminders to the cost of removing God from the human experience.

When the authority of Scripture is unequally weighted or ignored against the priority of experience, tradition and reason, God is subjugated to the whims and passion of man which invariably lead to tragedy and unimaginable evil.

How far down this road have we currently traveled?  Does Dawkins represent the majority and momentum of our day or is there a resurgence of Faith in the modern world?  I would love to hear other perspectives.

Herbert Schlossberg described a society marked by strife when he said:  “Greed is not incompatible with peace provided it coincides with prosperity so that it can, in the short-term, find satisfaction.  Economic decline is not incompatible with peace provided that it comes to a people who have not fallen into covetousness and are content to have less, even less than their neighbors.  But the moral failures that ensure a declining economy also ensure that people will not be content with less.”

I’m not sure our society and culture can be content with less and at the same time work harder.  Our culture demands the economy be fixed immediately and that prosperity return tomorrow.  What would happen if leaders challenged and encouraged Americans to adopt a pattern of savings and sacrifice? What if we were to adopt an attitude of contentment and service?  Might we see communities come together through mutual sacrifice and support of one another to meet the needs of the jobless through responsible support and encouragement?

Instead we have decided to promise the impossible.  The keys to success and continued prosperity are to be found in renewing consumer confidence and the irresponsible squandering of future assets and resources.  Contentment and sacrifice are antiquated values no longer viewed as compatible with modern definitions of success and achievement.  The American dream has been twisted to become much more than hard work, hope and the pursuit of happiness.  It has become the expectation of entitlement and guaranteed prosperity.

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians said “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Contentment and trust in God are true keys to success and prosperity.  Leadership is boldly communicating the truth regardless of public sentiment.  I’m ready for that kind of leadership and my guess is that many would follow.

C.S. Lewis once said that it would be best to always read an old book in between each new one and I think this is true. We have so many outstanding books written over the centuries but because they are no longer new we can sometimes think they have lost their relevance and value. It seems to me that the old books are really the ones we should be focused on.  At least with the old books we know which ones are good and worth reading.

I have enjoyed reading C.S. Lewis probably more than any contemporary writer of today and I’m excited about the prospect of discovering more by going back even further. I’ve been encouraged to read the works of Augustine, Aquinas, Wesley and others. I think I’m going to give it a try.  I doubt I’ll be disappointed.