The wealth of wisdom from Biola’s Talbot School of Theology professors is now being shared with the world, courtesy of a new blog.
A series of blurbs written by Talbot professors,The Good Book Blog aims to make teachings, thoughts and valuable lessons on Christian life available to the public, Biola alumni and undergrads.
The Good Book Blog features Talbot professors such as Joanne Jung, David Talley, Mickey Klink and around 20 others serving the blogging community as “a resource for anyone seeking solid biblical scholarship that engages contemporary ideas from a decidedly evangelical perspective,” according to the blog’s website.
Resources available to everyone
The blog’s creators, social media manager Brett McCracken and manager of university advertising Albert Rios, said they originally started brainstorming the idea last spring.
“We have so many resources in Talbot,” Rios said. “We thought, ‘How can we take those resources and put them online to be a resource for the world?’”
The blog format takes advantage of the growing blogging community, the accessibility of an online source and the flexibility of each writer to post at their convenience about current, relevant issues.
“The beauty of a blog is that anyone can stumble across it,” McCracken said, explaining that the audience is any Christian or non-Christian who is seeking reliable, sound theology online. “We are showcasing the school, but it also carries out the mission of Talbot and Biola—to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve gotten emails from people around the world already just saying ‘Thank you.’”
Battling biblical illiteracy
McCracken also commented on the importance of the blog and of other resources for the school and the church, noting that a big problem today is biblical illiteracy. Thus, a blog addressing illiteracy is a valuable thing.
“The Good Book Blog is a good avenue for us to articulate important issues confronting the church and scholarship,” Talley, professor of Old Testament History and Literature, said. “And it encourages one’s walk with the Lord.”
The site includes complete blogger profiles of all the professors, posts in order of date published and a layout resembling the back of a chapel pew. Featured blog topics are listed on the homepage, including apologetics, biblical exposition and Christian education.
“It’s like a theological jam session with all of my colleagues that others can engage in,” Jung said.
A reliable source
“We’re realizing there’s a lot of good stuff [at Biola] and it’s selfish to keep it here,” professor Matt Williams said. “We want to offer help for alumni, for the church…. We write on matters all the time that people don’t know.”
Despite its intended audience, Williams said up to a third of the blog’s readers are likely undergrad students.
“I think a lot of times blogs are unreliable sources, so it’s refreshing to read reliable blogs about religion by people we trust,” freshman Kate Tribken said.
Freshman Jenna Hagler said she thinks the blog is a great idea.
“I think they have a lot of wisdom to share, and it’s a great way to learn,” she said.
