I found a list of the top 100 "Christian" blogs recently. I thought I'd check them out. The first thing that struck me about most of them is the ads. Everyone is trying to sell you something. Maybe moreso than most of the other sorts of blogs I read (mostly gadget and design blogs). There's a lot of opinion stuff about this and that, a lot of talking about church and about God, but it seems from where I sit that most of it is just busyness. We make all of the trappings of our religion the central part of it. I was reading C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce the other day, and one of the characters talks about how at first we do things to know and love God better, but eventually become ends in themselves. I thought immediately about my music. I think at times my music is and end in itself, rather than the means of loving God that I originally wanted it to be.
Another thing I noticed about some of blogs at the top of the list is that many of them (it seems) are written by Calvinists. There's nothing wrong with that; just an observation. However, if I can stereotype for a moment, it seems that many Calvinists tend to insist on their theology in a way that seems like an end in itself, rather than a way of knowing and loving God better. What was surely originated as such, has turned into something that has a life of it's own, for it's own sake. But this isn't limited to Calvinistm by any means. Its seems like the "worship music" industry has become an end in itself as well. All I'll say is, "Don't get me started on that one!"
Anyway, it's like the pharisees. They had exalted all of these traditions as an end in themselves. It was to the point that the traditions would overrule the very laws of God. What was initially meant to help with knowing and loving God had turned into an end in itself.
I was especially convicted in thinking about all of this, because too much of what I do has become and end in itself. I want that first love back, not the mechanics that I go thought these days.
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