Blogs Becoming More Popular Outlet for Christian Voice
Believers say Christian blog sites are encouraging and a good place for evangelizing, according to a recent survey.
Amid an explosion of Christians in the blogosphere and religious alternatives to online social networks, ChristiaNet.com - a popular Christian web portal – found that more than half of Christians find Christian blogs useful.
"They allow Christians to come together to share their ideas with one another without feeling judged and under pressure," said one reader, according to the survey report.
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Christian blogs are also a popular outreach tool, especially for believers fearful of witnessing to people face-to-face on the street.
"You just never know what seed you might sow on a Christian site," stated another survey respondent. "As people read your comments, it might just be what they needed that day. Never underestimate the power of the written word."
The survey drew responses from 310 people, many of whom found that Christian blogs provide comfort, fellowship and some valuable learning information.
More pastors and youth leaders have taken up blogging, informing their readers on the latest issues with a Christian perspective or on the latest updates on events.
The Rev. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and one of America's pre-eminent Evangelical leaders, regularly discusses moral issues such as abortion, influential figures including his recent post on the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, and criticisms against liberal church trends. Mohler is one of many Southern Baptist bloggers who have drawn wide media attention.
Elsewhere, Dare 2 Share head Greg Stier blogs on issues and events that relate to his large youth audience, often drawing comments from teens who express gratitude and a desire to take up challenges that Dare 2 Share offers such as witnessing to friends.
OurChurch.com recently wrapped up blogs month in February and provided some essential blogging tips for its readers, including writing what they are passionate about, writing regularly, interacting with their readers and commenting on other blogs.
Blogs in video form have also picked up steam as Christian youth and young adults use YouTube.com to share life-changing experiences with fellow believers. Posted cell phone and video footage of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Urbana Missions Conference in December and more recently of Teen Mania' BattleCry stadium events in San Francisco, Detroit and Bristow, Va., have kept Christian youth pumped for Jesus and eager to spread their faith testimonies on the worldwide Web.
Overall, many Christians are finding blogs and other online communications with fellow believers encouraging.
"I learn a lot from different people across the world," said one respondent. "I enjoy laughing at some of the comments. I learn things about the Bible that I did not know before and have fellowship with other Christians when feeling lonely or isolated."
Following the success of web sites like MySpace.com, Christians have released a slew of alternatives including: current front-runner Xianz.com, DittyTalk.com, YourChristianSpace.com, Oaktree.org, ChristUnion.com, MyPraize.com, and newcomer DreamWebSpace.com, to name a few.
