Packer Slams the Blog Culture…But does he have a point?

J.I. Packer has been right about a lot of things and he has be wrong about a few things. Here he gives a somewhat scathing rebuke to the culture of blogging and even the ever emerging culture of Twitter. My question is, in this case is he right or wrong. What do you think?

“I’m amazed at the amount of time people spend on the internet. I’m not against technology, but all tools should be used to their best advantage. We should be spending our time on things that have staying power, instead of on the latest thought of the latest blogger—and then moving on quickly to the next blogger. That makes us more superficial, not more thoughtful.” (From World Magazine article on Packer, Patriarch).

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18 Responses to “Packer Slams the Blog Culture…But does he have a point?”

1. Tweets that mention Packer Slams the Blog Culture…But does he have a point?- Irish Calvinist -- Topsy.com says:

   December 21, 2009 at 4:32 am

   [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Erik Raymond, The Reformed Hub. The Reformed Hub said: IRISH CALVINIST: Packer Slams the Blog Culture…But does he have a point? http://bit.ly/8eGKSo [...]
2. doug says:

   December 21, 2009 at 6:13 am

   I can see what he means in some context b/c I find that I read a lot more blogs than books of late. Which means I’m missing out on some very good words.

   On the flip side I wouldn’t say that blogs don’t have staying power. I actually think they’re going to save the culture of letter-writing that has died out in the last couple of decades. I know personally, I’m glad my blog can be exported and archived for my children & grand-children to read after I’m gone.
3. Lori says:

   December 21, 2009 at 6:52 am

   Having blog for several years, I think the key is balance. If you tip the scale one way or another then it is wrong. If you lose touch with the people around you, with the friends around you, then that is wrong. BUT having blogged for several years, I have seen hurting people comforted, I have been able to share the word of God to someone seeking, and I have seen others grown in their faith (with offered encouragement) to see them step out of their comfort zone and serve in their own community.

   There are evils of the Internet, but I have seen so much good!

   Balance is Key and staying in God’s word.
4. Michael says:

   December 21, 2009 at 8:05 am

   As someone who runs an internet business, I think he is right on. Christians spend way too much time on the internet. (For some it’s true also of watching TV.) Twitter is really a waste of time if you’re doing more than 1-2 tweets a day, and 99% of people using Twitter are doing it to promote their business.

   Reading certain blogs have really helped my faith and spiritual maturity this year, but rarely do they reach the level of a good theology book.
5. Reg Schofield says:

   December 21, 2009 at 8:21 am

   I have the greatest respect for Packer . His classic Knowing God should be in the hands of every new christian and used by all for grounding and growth.

   I do think he has a point to a degree. If a blog doesn’t edify , or try to challenge and encourage Christian growth then its a waste . Plus how much time is one using. That being said I have greatly been blessed by many blogs and web sites that have offered excellent articles , video clips etc.. I see the internet as another tool . So I agree with what was said earlier , a balance is required.
6. Janet says:

   December 21, 2009 at 8:23 am

   The internet can be an atrocious waste of time, yet it can be used as a force for good. I know people who have been members of churches that don’t teach sound doctrine, yet have grown in theological knowledge, then in grace and wisdom, due to spending time on blogs of the spiritually mature.

   I limit myself to reading a few good blogs. That didn’t stop me from buying a bunch of great books from Sola Scriptura the other day.

   What I find frustrating is that we as a family waste more time on the internet than we should. I’d like to curb that in the future.
7. Rob Peck says:

   December 21, 2009 at 10:25 am

   I think I sit in the balance camp as well. I have been blessed by tweets and blogs alike. It has been a tool helpfull to me in my journey to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, what the gospel is, and who I am in regards to both of the above. Facebook on the other hand…
8. Rob Hess says:

   December 21, 2009 at 4:11 pm

   I agree with him. I get on to my kids all the time to turn the computers off and read a good book.
   Technology is good, but it seems that the average person can’t keep the proper balance. How much time are people spending in prayer, Bible study or just good old one on one conversation…….
9. Erik says:

   December 21, 2009 at 4:13 pm

   I agree w balance & the spirit of what he says. However- the same could be said for books, new or old. The is not the medium but culture that lacks concreteness, profundity, & depth. Some blogs help this and some do not. The same could be said for books or other mediums. At the end of the day, the culture reflects its people. We are shallow and easily amused; and very rarely amazed.
10. Jon says:

    December 21, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    It’s all about variety. Books versus magazines might be a good comparison. Blogs and magazines tend to be short attention span, more entertaining, sound-byte driven. If that is all you’re getting, probably not good. At the same time, all media is designed by human beings as you point out Erik.

    Most of us probably need to resist our compulsions, whether that be toward one type of media or another. We are so ready to read anything but Scripture itself, it seems. Or maybe I’m the only one that tends that way.
11. Mark says:

    December 21, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    I agree with Packer and I disagree. Like all things that God has given us from beer to food to blogs. I’m a long time reader of this blog and it has many times blessed me. There are other great blogs by very thoughtful theologically grounded bloggers. I don’t read them. Just like I don’t drink all the beer in my refrigerator at the same time.
12. Terry says:

    December 21, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    A lowering of demand for books means JI would have to recommend blogs instead, or spend more time with the ECT crowd
13. Aaron says:

    December 22, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    Erik,
    I agree that books fall in this same category. I was convicted by Lloyd-Jones a few weeks ago about this. He says it can be a lust of the mind. This is from his sermon on Ephesians 2:1-3, “Life Without God”:

    “Then think of [lust] in terms of reading – reading books I mean, and journals, and so on. So often it becomes a lust, and instead of thinking and of meditating an of praying, we read. One of the tragedies of the modern world is that reading has become a substitute for thinking in the case of the vast majority of people. At that point it is a desire, a lust; it has become a disease.”

    I wonder what the Doctor would have said about social networking?
14. Dan Kok says:

    December 22, 2009 at 11:50 pm

    I agree with Packer to a certain extent. A lot of blogs are really hybrids between blogs and tweets (bleets?). I have a list of blogs that I skim on a daily basis to monitor certain areas. For example, I have a group of blogs that I follow that deal with technology. These blogs are updated several times a day, and are short and to the point. It’s a great way to keep on top of things at a glance. But I believe it’s important for people to learn all they can about whatever it is they are concerned about. This video from Tom Peters does a really good job of explaining the impact of reading “deep and long.”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rijXiwAQnfI
    If you spend most of your time reading blogs, I believe you’re missing out on some very important aspects of learning and growing that only come by reading books and more lengthy pieces of written content.
15. Scott Autry says:

    December 23, 2009 at 9:09 am

    I had a similar thought to J.I. Packer:

    http://www.fishforchrist.com/blog.php?post=55
16. David McKay says:

    December 27, 2009 at 6:38 am

    I’ve got two words for Jim Packer:
    John Piper.

    See http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2009/3951_Why_and_How_I_Am_Tweeting/

    or: http://tinyurl.com/o2cauu

    where Piper agrees with some of what Packer says, but argues for using this media for God’s glory.

    I am not a twit, but I do subscribe via rss to Piper’s tweets and am greatly blessed by most of them.

    Let’s wisely use this medium and all media for God’s glory.
17. John says:

    December 28, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    Act 17:20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”
    Act 17:21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

    So too we as believers can become interested in simply filling our curiosities of supposed theological things rather than edifying ourselves so that our theology becomes a proclamation of God’s great gospel. Misplaced adoration of ‘all things theological’ can lead to a believers life becoming inert. All kinds of knowledge coming in, but nothing going out that expands the kingdom of God.

    John
18. Hayden says:

    December 31, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    Did you know in communication theory they have two new terms that describe this.

    The first is called ‘digital autism’ which is the effect that blogs/twitter/facebook have on face to face conversation. People are unable to carry on face to face conversation because they speak in soundbytes and also have to always be ‘connected’. (Look up the video ‘The Trouble with Twitter’ on Youtube)

    The second is called ‘competitive narcissism’ where people compete for ‘attention’.

    I am not saying that blogs are evil (I have one), but I am saying that what Packer has said has been said in the secular culture.

    All this to say that we need to seek balance, but we also have to identify that the ‘Christian culture’ has a hard time with balance.