Define Christian
Russ Mayes posted recently about blogs4God being less overtly Christian than he would like. Jordon Cooper responded, as did Bene Diction. I like blogs4God, it's run by decent human beings that answer email you send them, they get through far more blogs than I have time to find, not to mention finding new friends there. What got me thinking was this: what is the definition of a Christian blog or meta-blog? What are they for?
I have a section of Christian blogs in the sidebar of this page, and my definition is pretty broad. They are blogs written by people I know are Christians, either because I know them, because they told me, or because they say so on their site. Some of the people in the Miscellaneous category are probably Christians too, but if they asked to be shifted, I would move them. If you wanted to categorise my blog, it could come under any number of headings: journal, science, technology, history, mental health, news, programming, rants, opinions, whatever. By my definition, I'd fit in a Christian blogs category.
Christianity is something you are, and not something you do. I can be a physicist, a wife, a voracious reader, a geek, and also a Christian. It doesn't fit into a box. I'm a Christian physicist, wife, reader, and geek, which colours my interpretation of those roles. It didn't take long studying atomic structure of crystals, nuclear astrophysics, and quantum mechanics to come to the conclusion that my belief in God's existence was correct, and that he has a warped sense of humour. Belief leaks out into all areas of life. If you're commenting on blogs written by Christians, and you are a Christian, it will show.
What's the goal of writing a Christian blog? It's as varied as the reasons for writing an atheist blog, a Jewish blog, an agnostic blog, a Hindu blog, or a Wiccan blog. I've been in online communities where most people were Christian, and I didn't find the same sense of belonging and friendship I've found among bloggers who are Christians. Disagreements happen, but bloggers still form the best Christian online community I've been in since I landed on the internet in 1993. I don't want to be in a Christian-only zone. Like it or not, we're surrounded and we can't hide. I can't pretend to be some amazing evangelist online, because that's not what I am offline. The best I can do is be online what I am offline, just a bit louder. What I am offline is a Christian, wife, physicist, reader, geek...