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I’ve been operating this blog for approximately ten years. At times, it has been hard to navigate what it looks like to be a Christian and a blogger. While the landscape of blogging changes, God’s character doesn’t and it’s been my desire to emulate Him in the content I produce. One resource that has really inspired me to want to use blogging to show off Christ’s beauty is Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World. I initially discovered this title through the Gospel-Centered Discipleship Writer’s Guild which the book’s authors Benjamin Vrbicek and John Beeson are members of. The authors are both pastors and bloggers which I’m grateful for because I felt that the insight they shared was truly helpful.
In the book’s Introduction, Vrbicek shared this helpful advice, “John and I believe the only way Christian bloggers will have the stamina to do the kind of slogging that most bloggers do each week—the kind of blogging that honors God and serves a small number of mostly overlooked readers who rarely say thank you—is when we blog for God’s glory, not our own. But here’s the best thing. Blogging for God’s glory, in fact, doing anything for God’s glory is actually the way we get the most joy in life,” (pg. 12).
A few pages later, he wrote that blogging for God’s glory, “. . . means . . . first, to have our motivations aligned with God’s, and second, to pursue excellence in the craft, including theological precision, beautiful prose, visual appeal, and the edification of readers, all drawing from the best industry practices,” (pg. 14). The world of blogging can be tricky, especially for Christians who hope to turn their blog into a sort of side hustle. For me, there is often a battle of motivations in my heart. I believe my purpose as a blogger is to create content that reflects God’s glory and makes Christ look beautiful. I am often quick to forget my purpose as desires for success financially and metrically take root in my heart. Vrbicek and Beeson’s definition of blogging for God’s glory was helpful for me as it addressed the struggles I often experience as a blogger.
One of the most refreshing aspects of this book is that it reminds readers that blogging, for the Christian, is about serving others the way God served us in Christ. On page 19 Beeson provided this helpful advice, “Don’t ignore your true audience for the audience you want, however noble your desire is to engage the imaginary audience ‘out there.’ Your blog isn’t the field of dreams. ‘If you build it, they will come’ is unlikely to work with your blog. Build your blog for those who are already there. Serve them.”
On page 23 he asked these helpful questions, “Where can you offer yourself to your audience for the sake of proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord? How can your life become a bridge for the gospel to travel? What work has God done (or is doing) in you that will encourage other?” Reading these questions excited me as I think about the answers to them often.
Another refreshing aspect of Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World is the attention the authors give to the growing trend of discernment blogging. On page 39, they make the helpful distinction between writing truth and writing that adorns truth. Regarding this they wrote, “In a post about the aim of Christian writing, Cody Cunningham notes that ‘too many Christian blogs–often self-identified as ‘truth-tellers’–are merely cheap imitations of American culture’s response du jour: outrage and snark.’ There are consequences of this cultural discipleship among Christian writers, not the least of which is God’s name being blasphemed among the Gentiles on account of those who claim to be writing on God’s behalf. The pervasiveness of sinful speech on the internet is so bad, it can cause some Christians to wonder if it would be better if we abandoned it all together because the medium is too tainted.”
Overall, I really enjoyed Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World and firmly believe it to be a necessary contribution to the conversation about blogging as a believer.
Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World is an excellent resource for anyone who is hoping to use their platform for God’s glory and I’m pleased to give it my highest recommendation.
