The Probabilist has released the 10 Most Misspelled Words on blogs:

1. Your – You’re
2. Then – Than
3. Its – it’s
4. To – Too – Two
5. Were – Where – We’re
6. There – Their – They’re
7. A – An – And
8. Off – Of
9. Here – Hear
10. Lose – Loose

Three weeks ago, I posted ”A Call for Humble Bloggers“ where I claimed that we bloggers overestimate our importance. Case in point: last summer’s SBC election of Frank Page. This week, I came across Nathan Finn‘s “possible solutions” to problems ailing the SBC. Problem #9 on Nathan’s list is blogger arrogance. You need to check out the whole post. I’ll give you a few samples here.

“(I sometimes wish I weren’t Southern Baptist…) when I see the arrogance of some bloggers who assume that because they have a high speed internet connection and strong opinions, they are God’s chose instrument to bring renewal to the SBC (what better way to break up a power base than replace it with a new power base)”

Here’s the condensed version of Finn’s advice to bloggers:

A. Bloggers need to regularly pray about their blogs. Pray that God will help them to blog with integrity. Pray that God will bring sinful motives to light. Pray that God will use blogs for his glory.

B. Bloggers need not assume they are smarter or godlier because they are more tech-savvy.

C. Bloggers need to guard against negativity.

D. Bloggers need to admit that Bobby Welch is right… Bloggers need to not let their hobby take the place of things that really matter, which includes evangelism.

E. Bloggers need to remember that sometimes the better part of wisdom is not posting about everything you know.

F. Bloggers need to remember that if this little revolution ever becomes about SBC political power, they will become the very thing they gripe about the most: a power base.

G. Bloggers need to remember that blogging communities are only pseudo-communities; as fun as it is to dialog in the comments, real community can only exist in real, face-to-face relationships.

H. Bloggers need to remember that change will only come to the convention as local churches change. Even the most influential blogs ultimately play a small role in convention life.

I. Bloggers need to be willing to quit.

In the Southern Baptist Convention, the blogosphere is both promising and threatening. To have a voice in Convention life ten or fifteen years ago, you had to climb a ladder of committees, be in a prominent parachurch ministry, pastor a growing church, or be a seminary professor or author. Not today. Any Baptist with internet access can start a blog, publish their thoughts, cause controversy, and gather a following.

Blogs feed egos. The more brash, bold, arrogant you can be – the better. Of course, there are some really great, growing blogs that haven’t followed this path. But generally, arrogance and pride is the way to get a base of readers.

After visiting some different Baptist blogs and reading the self-righteous rhetoric and outright mockery of other believers, I feel compelled to ask: And who are you? What have you done for the Kingdom that gives you the right to criticize so heartlessly your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Furthermore, bloggers overestimate their importance. Last year, the SBC elected Frank Page as president, instead of Ronnie Floyd (the candidate endorsed by Paige Patterson and some of the other leaders of the Conservative Resurgence). The media reported that bloggers were crucial in the election.

But were we really that influential? I think not. Ultimately, Page was elected over Floyd because his church was more supportive of the Cooperative Program. The Southern Baptist pastors I have spoken with all said they voted for Page because they wanted to make a statement about the importance of the Cooperative Program. Not one mentioned blogs as influential in their decision.

So, did Baptists make a statement about the Cooperative Program? Yes. But no one was listening. Instead, bloggers let the media attention go to their head and then started assuming that they were responsible for Page’s election. So, instead of Baptists making a statement about the importance of the Cooperative Program, bloggers turned the election into an affirmation of their own grandeur.

I encourage bloggers who disagree with me to go out and ask pastors outside their circle why they voted for Page. Let’s let their answers deflate our egos. As the Rich Mullins song goes… “We are not as strong as we think we are.”

The missing ingredient in the blogosphere today is humility. We need a good dose of reality. Just because see ourselves as hip and technologically savvy does not mean we automatically deserve a platform for whatever ideas we have or pronouncements we make. Godly influence cannot be manufactured. It comes with maturity and wisdom. And usually, the people who most deserve to be heard are the ones who refuse to participate in biting criticism and attacks on other believers.

The blogosphere is here to stay. Now let’s hope humility makes a comeback.

I’m going to be starting some new features on this blog over the next few weeks. Here is what you can expect to see:

Red Letter monDay
Every Monday, I will be posting one of my Red Letters Devotionals. Red Letters is a short devotional series based on the words of Jesus.

Top Tuesday
On Tuesdays, I will be posting a Top Five or Ten “something.” Sometimes, there will be funny Top Ten lists; other times I’ll be listing top books on a subject, top CDs, top thinkers, top TV shows… etc.

Quote of the Week
On weekends, I will be posting a “Quote of the Week.” It might be a current quote, a funny joke, a deep theological insight, or just something I read this week that I think is worth sharing.

I hope the features will give this blog a little more structure than my previous one. I’ll also be posting often on current events, theology, and current church issues.

I’m not a stranger to the blogosphere, but I’m fed up with the host of my old blog and am finally making the switch to wordpress. Eventually, I’ll close down my old blog and move permanently to this location. Hope you’ll make the move along with me! Visit the old blog here.