There's something terribly ironic about this post...

What is terribly ironic about it?  Simply that I am posting it on a blog.  You'll get what I mean if you read what I have pasted below.  The following is an excerpt of Carl Trueman's excellent reflections on the subtle dangers of blogs, Facebook, and online communities.

"I have been asked by several people over recent years whether Christians should respond if they are criticized or defamed on the web.  The answer is simple:  for myself, I do not believe that it is appropriate that I spend my time defending my name.  My name is nothing - who really cares about it? And I am not called to waste precious hours and energy in fighting off every person with a laptop who wants to have a pop at me.  As a Christian, I am not meant to engage in self-justification any more than self-promotion; I am called rather to defend the name of Christ; and, to be honest, I have yet to see a criticism of me, true or untrue, to which I could justifiably respond on the grounds that it was Christ's honour, and not simply my ego, which was being damaged.  I am called to spend my time in being a husband, a father, a minister in my denomination, a member of my church, a good friend to those around me, and a conscientious employee.  These things, these people, these locations and contexts, are to shape my priorities and my allocation of time.  Hitting back in anger at those who, justly or unjustly, do not like me and for some reason think the world needs to know what they think of me is no part of my God-given vocation.  God will look after my reputation if needs be; He has given me other work to do.

This realization that the Lord has called me - and I am guessing, most of us - to serve first and foremost wherever we actually are - our families, our congregations, our denominations, and our workplaces -- is surely a sobering one. It lacks so much ambition, and shows such a limited vision, after all.  Yet in this regard, I think the church is best served by those with such limited ambitions and myopia. I am not much of a web-wanderer but on the odd occasion I do a bit of websurfing, I am struck by how many Christians, pastors, professors, and laity, have blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitters going.  How many millions of Christian hours are wasted writing this stuff, engaging in mindless blogthreads, and telling the world about personal trivia? And what does it tell us about the expansive visions and ambitions out there?  Apparently the world is now everyone's birthright.  

Now, I find myself very uncomfortable with this. I do believe that some professors, pastors, and laypeople are called to have regular ministries outside their immediate geographical locations; but I also believe that there are precious few thus called.  Certainly, mere possession of hi-speed internet is not a divinely given sign of such a worldwide calling.  When I see Christians blogging so much, I wonder how many sermons are being prepared on the fly because of lack of time, how many parishioners go unvisited, how many prayers remain unprayed, how many words of love and affection to spouses and children are never said, how many books - let alone the Bible - are left unread, and how many fellowships atrophy through lack of any real, meaningful social and spiritual intercourse.  Indeed, to summarize: how many online `communities' (sic) prosper to the detriment of the real, physical communities into which the Lord has placed each and every one of us?  How many complain of insufficient time to do the boring routines of the Christian life - worship services, Sunday School, visiting the sick and the aged, fellowship, Bible reading, prayer - and yet always somehow manage to fit in a quick twitter or blog or podcast or change to their Facebook status?"

Here is a link to the complete article