the blogosphere and where I fit

Blogs are a fairly recent invention, gaining most of their public attention from political buzz, and most of their practical application from college students. These two types of blogs are in fact very different. They do represent a democratic impulse, a flattening of communication, to borrow Tom Friedman's phrase. Anyone with access to the web can, with a little effort, start a blog.

I like to read a few of the blogs that are linked to the right of this message. St. Phransus is funny and extremely creative. Shane Raynor is more conservative than I am (Wesley Blog), but I like what he is doing. Some others are more liberal than I am as well. At Locusts and Honey you will find profiles of bloggers and a summary of the weekly Methodist blogosphere. I also read Titus One Nine because the author, Kendall Harmon, is writing about the present crisis in the Episcopal Church, which has some relevance for our denominational addiction to infighting.

If you notice, the links tend toward the traditional/conservative regarding the religious and spiritual, and the non-conservative related to political and social action in the world (although there are exceptions on both counts). This is in fact a tension that I carry within myself. I long for a Christianity that is very traditional in doctrine and very compassionate and justice-oriented in daily life. I fail in appropriating the best of these two streams, and life would be simpler if I lived in only one---if I were more liberal in my faith, for example, or more conservative in my politics. But I am not wired that way. I await some kind of renewing of the mind (Romans 12).

I cope with this division, within myself, by trying to have fun in life, and some of the links reflect that: ACC basketball, barbecue, country music, The New Yorker, Monk, festivals. I suppose I am giving folks permission to have some fun, to experience a little joy in life. It really is okay to do that.

Along those lines, this summer I have read, again, a superb book by John McPhee entitled Encounters With The Archdruid, which is about David Brower, former president of the Sierra Club, and his travels in the wilderness with a geologist, a developer, and a government official. It if funny, insightful, and instructive in bringing people together who see the world in very different ways.

Thanks for reading this blog. I know that if I got into some of the more controversial junk that floats along this river of life, the number of hits would go into the ten thousands, but I can actually withstand that temptation. Not that there aren't others that I am working on.

Enjoy your time visiting here, and come back soon.

Peace!