Social Media Advice from Tim Keller

July 31, 2022August 5, 2022Todd R Leave a comment

Not everyone has the same relationship with social media, and not everyone loves or hates it the same amount and for the same reasons. For some, it may be fine just the way it is for how they use it. Below I’ve linked Tim Keller’s review of the book Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing by Chris Bail, which has some helpful observations on why social media is so polarizing for many, and some thoughts on how to make it a better place for discussion. Bail’s book is based on social science, not religion, but Keller connects it to Christian principles in interesting ways.

One of my favorite lines in the review is that “social media is not primarily a place of public discussion of ideas. The ideas are ways to define oneself and signal belonging to a group, as well as to assign identities to others by associating them with groups you oppose.” Near the end are listed “several principles that [Bail] believes move toward persuasion in social media rather than polarization.” It begins with listening and seeking to understand.

Full article linked below.
(Estimated reading time 10 minutes)

Click to access Social_Media_Identity_and_the_Church.pdf

Happy 1st Anniversary to Driving Toward Morning!

May 20, 2022January 7, 2023Todd R 1 Comment

Fellow travelers,

Although the blog was registered earlier, May 20, 2021, is the date of the first post and so today I wish Driving Toward Morning a happy 1^st anniversary! Thank you to everyone who has read, liked, and commented on the blog. A special thank you to anyone who has shared it with their friends, or used what they found here to encourage others.

I am thrilled to still be writing and encouraged by the impact it’s had on my life, from challenging me when I am complacent, from encouraging me to be more public with my faith, from growing deeper connections with friends and family, to creating some new connections with other bloggers. As the “About” page here says: “Purpose #1 of this blog is to force me to think about, ponder and organize my thoughts around Christianity’s relevance to my life and to others. Purpose #2 is to proclaim the truths of the Gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ into our present world.”

Although I thought for years about starting this blog, where I thought I had a plan, I found that things ended up differently:

Aiming for more than a post every two weeks seemed like too much, and it would take over a year to write the main ideas I had. I’ve posted 115 times so far, but oddly most of those early ideas remain unfinished and unposted.
I intended Facebook as a way to advertise the blog to others. Instead, I started a Facebook group in October, which became a driver for me to post more frequent, shorter, and often devotional-like content.
I initially struggled to keep posts under 2500 words, sometimes breaking things up into 2 parts. Now the average post is less than 700 words, with some less than 100.
Keeping a thread going through multiple posts was harder than expected. I’ve started and (so far) dropped several threads and series.

So, a lesson of year 1 is that planning is often futile! On the “About” page of the blog I wrote very early that “If the Lord wills, I will continue to write and do this or that. (James 4:15)”. I don’t know how long this will last and what it will evolve into, but I’m grateful for the outlet and for any encouragement it has brought to its readers.

What to expect in year #2 (other than to expect the unexpected):

Re-blogging. I plan to re-post existing content in an effort to post more consistently, to bring back some posts I liked or that got good responses, or to bring back topics I intended to continue, but didn’t. Hopefully I can tie up some loose ends. “Rewind Wednesday” is probably where these will end up.
An attempt to be more predictable about the size/length of posts. On Facebook, I’m going to add a reading time estimate above each link to the blog. Also, I’m going to try and keep the longer posts to a regular cadence. Maybe reserve long reads for the weekend?
More posts on history, more holiday posts, more groups of (hopefully) thought-provoking quotes, but also perhaps posts on books I’m reading.

Lastly, the “About” page also says that “As a layman, I have only my own experience in life, study and prayer to offer. This is not a ‘proof’ blog, but an encouragement blog. As a writer, I consider how to stir up my readers to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)” Don’t be shy about letting me know how I’m doing.

Working on this blog has encouraged me, and I hope it has encouraged you as well. Every one of us has something important to offer for God’s glory and for the benefit of the world around us.