The True Weight of “Christian” Authorship

Yesterday, I sat down with my blog again for the first time in over a year.

My creative energies come and go, so while I was working to finish my undergraduate degree and cooking/birthing baby number 5, I didn’t find much mental margin for putting words on screen. Now I find myself in a quieter season (as quiet as things can get with five children and a husband), so the “author-think” has kicked in once again.

If you’re a creative type of any kind, you know what I’m talking about. Some subconscious part of me is analyzing every situation or listening extra-intently to every conversation, looking for inspiration, topics, and titles. I can’t help it. It’s in me to think this way.

As I’ve been storing up things to write about in my “later” brain file, I’ve been putting down some drafts, trying (as always) to figure out what I am hoping to accomplish with my writing.

I don’t want to add “noise” to the interwebs for the sake of “hearing” my own voice.

I asked God to give me direction, so I do not find it a coincidence that as I pondered and honed my personal mission statement, I came across these two articles in the same day:

  1. This Post by Ann Voskamp (Link opens in a new window)

This is a heartrendingly honest post by Ann Voskamp at “A Holy Experience” about the trivialization and monetization of the Gospel. There are things in this article that bumped me and made me uncomfortable (I happen to enjoy adult coloring books with Bible verses), but the heart of her message holds a deep truth, I think. Her words cut deeply, but they are not untrue.

We cannot live the “cheap” version of a grace that was paid for in literal blood. 

Lord, don’t let me ever turn a platform like a stage/blog/Facebook wall/book into a trivialized space where I spew words without the penetrating awareness of my complete dependence upon You. Don’t let me post Scripture without the time spent mining the Word for Your heart in it. Help me to hold the gravity of Your Truth with the reverence it deserves. And teach me how to live with integrity and love before I speak to any “issue” in a public setting.

Hear me: I’m definitely not pointing fingers at anyone. I’m asking myself the tough questions and asking the Lord to search my heart before I add a single note to this Internet cacophony.

   2. This post from Donald Miller (Link opens in a new window)

I came across this post from Donald Miller within the same hour that I read Ann’s post. He writes about the power of a quiet faith. Donald Miller is a Christian author who has been criticized for not being “public” enough about his faith.  He argues against public displays of “faith” merely for the sake of the display itself. His perspective is interesting and thought provoking, and the commonality between his and Ann’s posts was not lost on me.

Again, I’m not pointing fingers, and I’m definitely not saying I agree with every word in each post. For me, these articles were food-for-thought. I think that God is alerting me to the true weight of “Christian” authorship.

If we are going to publicly profess anything in the name of the King of Kings – especially on the street-corners of the Internet – we have a deep responsibility to understand the gravity of that profession. Whether it’s a Bible verse on our Facebook wall, leading a worship song in a weekend service, or writing a post on a little-known blog, we must represent Christ with real integrity. I’ve been blessed with amazing leaders who understand this and live it well. I am so grateful for their examples.

God is so merciful and forgiving. He extends so much grace to me, even when I am flippant or ignorant or in too much of a hurry to care. He LOVES me. And for that reason above all, I want to make sure that I am honoring Him with every public profession of my faith.

Thanks for holding me accountable, friends. ❤