Power Blogging

I don't know if you know it, but Machiavelli was never able to use the strategies he wrote in his book, The Prince, to get back into office. After the people read his book, there was no way they wanted someone like him in power. He should have written a later addendum entitled: Don't Publish a Book Revealing Your Strategy. His power trip was short lived and mainly in his mind, like a whole lot of other people. They do power lunches wearing power ties to discuss power plays and forget all about gravity. Yes, gravity. Gravity is where the real power is, and it isn't even noticed during most power meals. Gravity was what kept their power corned beef on rye with bean sprouts fastened to their power plates. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that He personally possesses all power in heaven and in earth. Then He transferred all of that power to His institution, the church. He authenticated that power just a short time later on the Day of Pentecost. The church still has that authority and will until He raptures the saints.

When I was in college, I travelled with a choir through New York City and we stopped in to look at the United Nations building. A friend of mine and I proceeded to act like ambassadors from a foreign nation. We had as much authority in that building as most bloggers on the world wide web. I think most people already know this, but does it matter? Having a keyboard and an above average vocabulary doesn't equal Divine approval. The blog becomes a shortcut for them. With their new blog, they've landed on 'skip eleven spaces.' They missed the faithful study and obedience in the local church, the spiritual mentoring from the Godly man of God, and at least some kind of concurrence that they are ready to go. They've gotten their theological decoder ring and official blog certificate from Texarkana and now they are ready to tell people who is wrong, what everyone should believe, and how people should live the Christian life. They develop a hugely inflated sense of who they are from comments from people who don't know them. They get the attention of quasi-legitimate authorities with whom they agree, and think that this stands for authentication. They have had cyber-hands laid on them. They have opinion, will travel. On top of this, on the internet you would not know if your latest blog guru was a genuine church-sent believer, a legitimate pastor, a warlock in the Church of Solar Subconsciousness, or a teenager typing during a break from playstation.

No doubt a certain amount of fellowship and sharpening can occur between believers isolated from substantive theological conversation. However, it shouldn't circumvent a very important institution, which just happens to be the pillar and ground of the truth. The comments and ideas and streams of consciousness often avoid the important grid of local church agreement. In many cases this proceeds from an extrapolation of Christian liberty. 'No verse says: Thou Shalt Not Blog; the absence of this command equals permission.' No, it doesn't. A person speaking without authority, speaks without God's approval. No approval might equal disobedience. It certainly equals danger. False teaching bouncing around the universe at the speed of light. "And how shall they preach unless they be sent?"

But how can all of this matter when I've got a decoder ring and a laser printed certificate that says Brussels, Belgium? "I'm ready to change the world from behind this keyboard. I'm Microsoft called and Blogger sent."