Blog-B-day

Today (well, yesterday actually, but I was out all day) is my blog-birthday. I’ve been blogging for a whole year!

*Woo hoo. Cracks a few party crackers, photocopies bottom etc.*

I started off with a silly post in the evening of July 29th, 2005, certainly not intending to start a ‘blblioblog’ or anything of the kind (hence the original name ‘Brainpoo’).

For me, blogging has been a tremendously positive experience. Not only has it been a pleasure to get to know some of you a little, but the many exchanges have proven truly educational.

367 posts later, and Chrisendom is visited by a bunch of intelligent folk from the world over. I would be interested to hear what post or series stick out in your memory ...

Here are some of the posts that I most enjoyed writing (excuse my self-indulgence in the following!)

Brainpoo:

The mess on my desk, when I introduced my beautiful wife to my readers for the first time. I may have been rebuked for that one at some time.

Deissmann on Paul. If one’s passion is theology and biblical studies, then it’s hard to avoid posting more serious thoughts on a blog that didn’t actually have any great ‘biblio’ aspirations. This post is about one of my favourite books on the Apostle Paul.

My Personal Recommendations. Nevertheless, I didn’t want my blogging to become as boring as watching boring coloured paint dry, and I always enjoy writing a post that makes me smile.

This trend continued (though mainly Fundie bashing – though the odd pot shot was taken at Tom Wright’s mum here and here) with such posts as:

Velosorapture (on the so-called ‘rapture’, on which a certain Ben Myers commented: ‘I’m afraid of heights, so I sure hope I get “left behind”’!)

Discworld (I really enjoyed researching for this one)

Putting the ‘fun’ back into ‘fundamentalism’ (I was afterwards ashamed for posting such mean words)

My Spanish Inquisition post on Tom Wright circled blogdom extremely quickly. Funnily enough, I almost didn’t post this one.

Some series started but were never finished. My ‘New Perspective’ posts remain incomplete, as do my ‘Facts to make you popular’ – I only posted two, but I enjoyed writing both. One on Zeno, and the other on love-making mantises.

I’ve also posted now and then on chess. This one I especially enjoyed writing, all the more so as it apparently annoyed a few people in the process

Barth has had the odd mention on my blog too, of course. One of my first, here, may have offended some (‘depraved and evil’ was Jim West’s summary). However, news of the planned update of Barth translations from the ‘British Hard-Postmodernist and Come to Think of It Almost Nihilist Society’ caused less of a problem.

I also like to write things that ‘come from my heart’, even if I play the joker most of the time. Trinity, was one of them.

This video we made for last Christmas has been viewed more than any other item on my blog, I believe. Literally thousands of times!

Chrisendom:

Having decided on a name change (‘Free Porn’ was another contender - an attempt to boost Google hits, but it just didn’t feel honest enough), my blogging regularity increased all the more I think.

I started my Küng series way back at the start of Chrisendom, and only finished it this month! In the spirit of my ‘flat earth’ post on Brainpoo, I offered the ‘concave earth’ theory in the first month of Chrisendom. I enjoyed writing that one.

After my personal thoughts on Bultmann, I posted this monster on Barth (among other things). Even then, if you read the comments, ideas were brewing in Jim West’s mind that were to reach joyful fruition a few months later.

This is still one of my favourite citations.

I continued the Fundie bashing, of course, but also introduced a ‘Worship Song’ series (summarised here), one that really had me chuckling at my keyboard as I wrote them!

Apart from various book and article reviews, Anja made another appearance here, the comments in this post made me smile, I conversed with iGod, promoted myself within my organisation, proved Ben Myers wrong on the question of ‘Intelligent Design’, pondered the virgin Birth, Pentecost and the resurrection, got pervy in this post, and morbid in this one, gave notice of Jim West’s most incredible generosity here, got mean with extreme Charismatics here, here and here, ‘opposite blogged’ here (introducing Cardinal Spin), podcasted a few times, and I wrote a series on Inerrancy in March (till the beginning of April), one that has led to more ‘Google hits’ than I think any other (especially this one). Most recently, my ‘proved!’ series has given me a bit of fun, here (on heaven), and here and here (on hell). I still can’t believe some people think these Russians actually drilled through the gates of Hades!