I’ve been staring at my GooReader for 30 minutes, scanning the blogs that I’ve subscribed myself to.
Perhaps I did a little too much thinking, but if someone were to take a snapshot of what I have allowed myself to consume and took a look at who I’ve “invited” into my life in terms of their writing and rants, the vast majority are definitely not Kingdom-minded people.
But they are the most entertaining, most thoughtful, most “liberal” with their thoughts, most authentic, most helpful and useful blogs out there. They are real.
Why are the best blogs out there non-Christian?
I began to liken it to the movie industry, and how, without question, the “best” movies are definitely not Christian. If you looked at my DVD library, you’d know that (If you want a good read, go check out “Why Do Heathens Make the Best Christian Films“).
Now of course there are a few standouts (thank goodness Ragamuffinsoul is back) but it’s staggeringly apparent that, generally speaking (and in my humble, independent, and singular opinion) Christian Blogs Suck.
It’s like they just don’t “get it”… it’s like they are building a car with a hex wrench.
đŸ™‚
Let the flames begin.
[Image from Erik]
Ancoti says
I think too many of us are just afraid to let go and say what is really on our mind. I consider it God's grace that my blog has such a small readership, of the truly self-punishing.
Graham Brenna says
I agree that people are probably afraid to say what is really on their mind.
Dana_Byers says
Well said. No flame throwing from this corner of the world. I'm disillusioned lately by following so many Christians on twitter thereby reading recycled, retweeted Christian comments without making connections that are outward focused. It's easy to get tied up in this activity and *think* you know God more. But the fact remains that time spent alone with Him is more important than loads of time spent reading or listening to what others say about Him.
human3rror says
dana, great point about twitter… holy smokes, people need to recognize…
jonese says
suck is a harsh word. Kind of like saying you "hate" something. But i hear you man. Luckily there are many Christian blogs out there which are making a positive dent in the quality department. People like yourself are helping to better school new bloggers while give old hats like myself something new to chew on.
I think the reason most "suck" (your word, not mine) is because there is a large amount of blogs out there which are either trying to convert you with fire and brim stone, want to tell you why this amazing person is really the devil, or how they can save your soul if you'll just watch their YouTube videos.
Just like when blogs got started back in the day (remember your first "online journal" or Web Log aka weblog) there was a lot of "suckage" on the interenets. Over time though quality started to percolate to the surface and the "suckage" was left to the back alleys. It's still out there but the quality blogs have risen and taken over and even those blogs in the alleys are striving to BE quality because NOW they have a standard to shoot for.
The other thing to consider is where peoples hearts are and what their skill levels are as well. I love Los's blog and would kill to have 1% of his creativity but i don't and i'm cool with that. What i do have though is an encouraging heart and a willingness to drop bombs, and be real. My presentation might not be awesome but i feel my message has a place for those who NEED to hear it.
AdrianRodriguez says
Problem with saying what's really on our mind is that some people don't want to hear what's on our mind and decide that they just want to know that everything is wonderful and that God is taking care of everything. God is taking care of everything, but by sharing our experiences we can give a "true" insight to the life of a Christian, instead of watering everything down, but like I said, many people don't want to hear it.
Ancoti says
That is true, many do not want to hear that life even with God on your side. But if they would listen, and we would pour out our true thoughts, they would see how much harder it is without Him.
Matt Harrell says
Suck is a relative term right? I think this gets to the condition of the human heart. Sin lives in us and we are attracted to things like independence, pride, and self-righteousness. We look at folks like that and say "Wow, I wish I could be like them.". Who are we serving? Perhaps some of those people that have such great blogs are rather self-serving people that aren't interested in serving others…at the end of the day.
Sue says
Perhaps the blogs aren't really the problem! As @danabyers stated, even on Twitter Christans don't seem to have original thoughts…or at the least original ways of applying or interpreting un-original thought. Maybe the lack of quality writing and creativity comes from a lack of growth and stimulation among Christians! Bad blogs could be the symptom of a deeper issue…lack of passion, being stagnant in their relationship with God, not being around (or reading) people who will differ and challenge them. I think the most powerful blogs are those that are willing to expose themselves and admit they don't know everything, but this is a real challenge for people who think we need to have it all together to be some sort of example for Christ.
human3rror says
Sue, on a sidenote, your title of your blog is epic.
đŸ™‚
great thoughts, btw.
hehe.
Chris Sullivan says
I really haven't been reading Christian blogs for that long but I think Carlos, Pete Wilson, Shaun Groves and Mark Batterson are doing a great job. Shaun in particular (but really all of them do a great job in the authenticity department) is never scared to be authentic or say something controversial. Maybe they are the standouts and I haven't ventured out into all the "sucky" blogs but my experience with these guys has been that the quality of their stuff makes me crave more quantity.
human3rror says
yeah, for sure. those guys are legit…!
Chris Sullivan says
Anybody I'm missing?
Graham Brenna says
Yes… some people are afraid to say what they actually think. They are afraid for their job, their reputation… etc. Christians know what they are supposed to say. They know what their congregations want to hear. So they skirt around the issues. This was the case yesterday in my worship planning meeting.
I was allowed to develop a "brain teaser" to kick the meeting off. Took it from one of my pastor's sermons last weekend. He spoke about trusting God. There was a tight-rope walker that asked for a volunteer to ride in a wheel barrel across Niagara Falls with him. There was quite a crowd but only one man volunteered. This man trusted the tight-rope walker. I asked the question, "what wheel barrel are you hesitant to jump in?" I got a few honest answers but one of my church leaders just gave the answer that he knew the congregation would want to hear. There was nobody in the room but us staff members. I was hoping for him to be a little more open and honest. It saddened me a little…
Ron_Tuffin says
I so got into trouble the other day for using the word 'suck' in an evaluation of a Christian thing…
I hear what you are saying. I identify with what you are saying. I have even made my blog a 'blog by a Christian guy' rather than a 'Christian blog'.
I'm not sure what the solution is.
The world holds Christians to higher standards than we hold ourselves to, so there is pressure to "not give Christians a bad name". But then on the other hand we are accused of being hypocritical.
human3rror says
one of my admins hates that word… i have to be careful.
Jay Caruso says
Transparency is key in my view. Non-Christians seem to think Christians place themselves on a pedestal above others. Some do, but most do not. We have the same problems, struggle with the same sins, etc. Dysfunction in the lives if Christians does exist. The only difference is, we have the Christ in our lives to deal with all of that. Christian bloggers need to remember that. James MacDonald said people need to be authentic in their lives. If all Christian bloggers do is come off sounding like a lite version of Joel Osteen in every blog entry, people are going to tune out. Christian bloggers too often write for their audience instead of for themselves. That's what a blog is supposed to be about. The more authentic you are, the more people will be interested in reading what you have to say, both Christian and non-Christian.
jonese says
Dude you nailed it….
J. LeMaster-Smith says
Ahhh…but if people are authentic then that frightens those close to them…while you may be in another state or on another continent reading this, perhaps I have a church member who reads this this and is upset with what I said because it was "inappropriate" whatever that means, because it showed weakness or opinion that differs from theirs. I am working harder on this now in my blog…but there is that bit of fear there, since some of the people who read my blog influence the treasurer of the church.
T says
I would agree. But suckiness is also in the mind of the viewer. What are you looking for? What makes a good blog? ya know?
T
jonese says
And you sir bring up a VERY important point. We all need to exercise some restraint and discernment in our posts. Just because we think the spirit is moving us in one direction NOW doesn't mean that NOW is the right time for the topic…This idea of wait before you post has been huge on me this year…
Adam_S says
I think a very real point is that lots of blogs suck, not just Christian one. Any group, tends to think that its group is more important than other groups. But the reality is that most non-Christian blogs suck too. Sure we want better blogs because we believe that we have something that is more important than everyone else. But if we just put in the same amount of effort as everyone else that isn't a Christian we will get about the same amount of results. Being a Christian doesn't solve problems of creativity and effort, it just makes you a Christian.
As many people have said before, when you tell an illiterate person about Christ and the become a Christ follower, you still have to teach them to read.
Steve Bradley says
Christian Blogs Suck? No, YOU SUCK…[ed] me into reading this post with a catchy & controversial title! (rather lame flame, but I tried…)
Think there's a puritanical streak within many Christians (myself included) that makes them pull back from statements that may "offend" others? Reflecting on Jesus's own words in the gospels (e.g., whitewashed tombs, brood of vipers, blind leading the blind, etc.) causes me to rethink how "Christian" polite speak really is versus telling it like it is…
Ron Edmondson says
Hey, check me out. I don't suck. (Well, maybe you think I do, but I don't.) Check me out anyway.
Ron Edmondson says
I should have given my direct link
http://www.ronedmondson.com
Jim says
sigh…
dgsinclair says
Exactly. What percentage of any subgroup has worthy blogs?
Other commenters ARE also correct that the conservative, religious culture can suppress dissent and profanity, and with it, personality and genuine expressions of anger, doubt, and criticism. In general, though, most modern ideologues, including us evangelicals, have forgotten excellence in logic and argument, and substituted superficial polemics and logical fallacies. Human nature. We need to work harder to be excellent. I do think some of these are excellent xian blogs – although most are magazines, so perhaps they are more aware that they need good layout AND content:
<a href=”http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/” target=”_blank”>http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/
<a href=”http://www.collidemagazine.com/” target=”_blank”>http://www.collidemagazine.com/
<a href=”http://theresurgence.com/” target=”_blank”>http://theresurgence.com/
<a href=”http://www.relevantmagazine.com/” target=”_blank”>http://www.relevantmagazine.com/
<a href=”http://www.salvomag.com/” target=”_blank”>http://www.salvomag.com/
<a href=”http://www.summit.org/” target=”_blank”>http://www.summit.org/
<a href=”http://sacredsandwich.com/” target=”_blank”>http://sacredsandwich.com/
<a href=”http://larknews.com/” target=”_blank”>http://larknews.com/
Phillip Gibb says
I am still trying to 'get it'
just don't have the time.
Aaron says
So this blog sucks?
human3rror says
yes. yes it does.
Aaron says
It's not *that* bad!
Scott Fillmer says
I would say it's the same reason why a lot of Christian music sucks when you compare it to the historically great musicians of our day like The Doors, Led Zepplin, or perhaps The Beatles and the like… they wrote lyrics about real life, about things that everyone struggles with where Christian music writes lyrics that only Christian people can understand but still only pertains to the ones living out the most purist of lives.
That is why you and so many like Carol's blog, it's real. I try to stay away from the stereotypical "Christian" blog lingo on my own blog to appeal to regular readers, but mine probably still sucks too đŸ™‚
human3rror says
pauha.
human3rror says
đŸ˜‰
normanhorn says
I'm pretty sure my blog doesn't suck. At least, my readers don't think so…
http://libertarianchristians.com
Honestly, the only thing I do NOT like about ChurchCrunch is the IntenseDebate comment system. It wouldn't accept my openid and took forever to work. Blech. Sorry, but no likee.
human3rror says
What do you think is the greatest “needs” in terms of blogs out there?
Stuart says
I've taken to eliminating what I consider the dross in my twitter crowd. I really don't want to know every intimate detail of someones life. I want meaningful comments, I want pointers to interesting blogs or articles … I started following some of these because of their bios but they fail to live up to them so bye bye buddy!
Bryan says
I don't know if mine sucks or not. I don't know if anyone has really read it or not, actually..but give it some time. I'm trying to place a big emphasis on authenticity (in my real life, as well). I brought up the point a few days ago in a small group that most churches suck, at least to me. I just can never get the feeling that the motives are pure.
30tocure30 says
My question is what makes something a "Christian" blog? Is it because the person mentioned God or Jesus a thousand and one times? Is it that they quote scripture? Is it that they stay to the appropriately agreed language or topics?
It seems Christians are the only group so concerned about labeling something or themselves Christian. You often don't hear that's a Jewish blog, a Hindu blog, or even a "guy who could care less about God" or "spiritually indifferent" blog.
I have often wondered if people would consider my blog project "Christian" because God and scripture are only brought up on occasion with the focus primarily being on personal struggles, insecurities and ways that I drop the ball (my struggle to walk w/ God) . Granted, I could use terms like I am dealing with my sinfulness, engaging in the process of sanctification or developing my spiritual walk (which is true), but it would alienate a decent part of my audience. Sometimes I feel it isn't "Churchy" or "Christian" enough for my twitter folks and they looks down upon it even though it is an honest attempt to engage people in focusing on where they are in life and how God fits in the picture. Just my 2 cents….
sam says
we go to concerts all the time and enjoy the music. our tour group with mike, gloria , bruce, yvonne, nick, henry, gladys, barry and the attorney support team at sears. for the anaheim concert we go with lee, vern, tran, steven, jack and the asset protection staff from irvine. leave from bazan soho in SF Ca.
human3rror says
đŸ˜‰ mine doesn't.
human3rror says
đŸ˜‰ you don't you're awesome!
human3rror says
hmm.
human3rror says
thanks for this!
there are certainly a lot of dependencies… that's for sure.
Mikes@YourDailyWord says
hmm i agree the best out there are not Kingdom related. maybe in the content but a lot were made, writted and created by Christian themselves. let's not declare that Christian Blogs suck. I think Christian Blogs are gifts to mankind. Let's take it, not everyone attend churches but almost everyone browse the net. God is using Christian Blogs to spread his word and so because of that great mission, these kind of blogs don't and will never suck. My prayer is for all Christian Blogs or blogs made and maintained by Christians penetrate the World. God bless us all!
human3rror says
đŸ˜‰ yes. this was a bit tongue-in-cheek.
đŸ˜‰
jasonthebaldguy says
Yea I can't really get into a lot of christian blogs… its like everything is hidden except the "christian" part of their life… there is no perspective of reality in most…I tend to keep up with stuffchristianslike.com and internetmonk.com is pretty good too.. but I can only take it in small doses… I sometimes think I am being original and going against the flow…with my blog.. (I have like 30 regular readers) but mostly … I just need therapy.. and my blog provides a needed place to empty my thoughts… or a place for my empty thoughts… or whatever đŸ™‚ I don't really have a goal except just to talk about stuff… and I mostly end up talking to myself! đŸ™‚
human3rror says
dude. love it. that was my intent for my personal blog as well… and still is.
therapy is awesome.
jasonthebaldguy says
hey thanks… yep I keep up with you pretty regularly… good light hearted stuff easy to read stuff
Rahul says
Christians, at least in the US, are afraid of being politically incorrect. Try posting a Youtube video condemning homosexuality and see the types of comments you get.
John Saddington says
controversy brings traffic (and comments).. that’s for sure!