Much has been said about the potential spiritual dangers of blogging. Tony Kummer had a thoughtful post a little while ago asking: Is Blogging Bad For Your Soul: 5 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Post. I’ve even blogged about the possible pitfalls of blogging here and here. But very few posts explore the possible spiritual benefits of blogging and the blogosphere. Many people believe that there must be benefits or, I hope, not so many Christians would write, browse and/or read blogs.

One of the benefits of blogging for me has been an increased awareness and appreciation of viewpoints I might otherwise have little exposure to. It’s one thing to claim that we might read a book outside of our normal spectrum (while it’s sometimes another to actually read those books) and it’s another to have the opportunity to continually be challenged by those viewpoints and have the chance to interact with those who hold differing views. Though it’s clich�, in a very real sense, the internet does help to “make the world smaller,” brining together those who might not otherwise interact. Though this can be dangerous, for the sake of today’s post, we’re going to consider it a positive thing.

It’s very easy for all of us to fall into the trap of believing that we have the exclusive grip on the mysteries of God. The blogosphere can serve as a healthy reminder that the family of Christ is quite often much more of a colorful tapestry than our limited experiences might initially lead us to believe. This, of course, requires a level of discernment that many Christians have not yet attained, but that’s one of the upsides of blogging again; it encourages us to think through issues in ways that we might not otherwise be challenged to consider. It can help us develop discernment, provided we are continually returning to the Scriptures as the final filter of everything else (Acts 17:10-15, etc.).

The other aspect here concerning bringing together different viewpoints is that it promotes a sense of ecumenical fellowship (or at least it should) that is often missing. In our day of secluded denominations and increasingly isolated viewpoints, it is growing ever easier to exclude some believers based on doctrines Christ does not exclude over. Most of our day-to-day lives do not present us with a wide variety of viewpoints. While there is something to be said for this in maintaining a particular doctrine, it does seem to detract from the development of deeper critical thinking and in truth, it probably limits our view of the Church.

When done well, which it isn’t always here, and when all the participants are acting as they ought, which we don’t always do, blogging can teach us how to exchange those differing viewpoints in a civilized and edifying manner. Many of us lead quite sheltered theological lives and, honestly, we sometimes forget how to interact in civility with those we might disagree with, if we have those conversations at all.

Blogging can not only be a valuable place to exchange ideas, it is often a catalyst to come up with those ideas in the first place. This is one of the reasons I myself have been drawn to blogging. It provides an outlet for me to regularly challenge myself and possibly others to think biblically on a wide variety of issues that might not otherwise naturally come up in my daily routine. I don’t always succeed, but I try to write about a wide variety of issues that might not otherwise be covered in the normal Christian life.

Yet it’s easy to throw the proverbial baby out with the bad blogs, isn’t it? Yes, many blogs and bloggers mishandle themselves and breed contentious spirits and argumentative hearts, but there are also many bloggers actually furthering the name and purposes of Christ. We ought not simply focus on the downsides, but instead, seek ways to encourage ourselves and others to do it better.

• Read War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles by Paul David Tripp
• Read No One Cares What You Had For Lunch: 100 Ideas For Your Blog by Margaret Mason