M. Russell Ballard

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On the heels of attending a prayer service for Pope Benedict the 16th, Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke at the BYU Management Society dinner this weekend.  The dinner is an annual gathering in Washington, D.C. that includes area members as well as prominent people and dignitaries. 

Elder Ballard’s speech surveyed the church’s experience in the public eye for the last year and repeated his recent calls to engage in public and online discussions about the Church. His overall conclusion was that the past year has been a good experience, saying “I’d much rather have people talking about us than ignoring us.”  Most of the confusion results from those caught between two extremes of critics: conservative Christians who try to marginalize the Church as a cult and those opposed to the Church’s political stands on moral issues.
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Barack Obama’s Saturday Utah visit may have been thwarted due to President Hinckley’s funeral, but the Obama campaign has not given up on Utah.  Michele Obama met today with Elders Ballard and Cook.

Although the Church is neutral in party politics, it is common for political and government leaders to pay brief calls on Church leadership. The half-hour meeting focused mostly on family values.

A busy day at temple sqaure. Plus, Elders Ballard and Cook seem to be the politics/Church public affairs duo of the Twelve.

Dave’s right.  Since Elder Ballard’s call for Latter-day Saints to get more involved in new media, there has been an uptick in LDS blogs and Mormon bloggers.  And LDS and Mormon Blogs has definitely received more submissions for LDS-themed,  particularly for missionary and doctrine-oriented blogs

Like Jeff Lindsay, I have received some questions on how to start a blog and I thought I’d post this here for future reference . 

1.  Before you start a blog, read a lot of different blogs and decide for yourself what makes a successful blog.
Blogging may sound interesting and it’s commendable to want to follow Elder Ballard’s suggestion.  But unless you have already read blogs for awhile, I would suggest that you hold off starting your own and read many different blogs first. 

Check out the Bloggernacle at LDS and Mormon Blogs and  Mormon Archipelago.  Also, look at non-LDS blogs to get some ideas.

As Jeff suggests, the best thing you can do may be to not start a blog but instead contribute in the comments of other blogs, forums, or other websites.  It may be more useful to engage bloggers who are uninformed about the church and post respectful comments, giving them further light and knowledge rather than the heat that so many generate. Participating in thoughtful discussions or civilly correcting someone in error may be preferable to just being another voice in the wilderness.

On the other hand, one of the great things about blogging is that it is so easy to start, you may just want to disregard the above advice and just dive in and learn by doing.

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A BYU communications professor, Joel Campbell, (and “LDS Newsline blogger”-  see, it is a blog!) comments on some of the good and bad examples of journalsim covering Mormons.

Unfortunately, much of the national media resides in the eastern United States, where Mormons are as exotic as tropical birds and journalists do little more than parrot long-held stereotypes and misinformation. Frankly, I think journalists either don’t want to talk to Mormons or don’t know where to find them. At least one media critic recognizes the problems and suggests that the lack of Mormons in journalism could be a factor. Even so, there are some examples of the good and bad.

But first, let me point out that when I say “good” here I am talking about professional standards of fairness, objectivity and going to Mormons or those who understand us well as sources to provide balance and context. Even better, reporters draw upon first-hand experiences. I don’t expect puff pieces, but I do expect thorough reporting, good sourcing and fair play. Even in opinion columns, pundits shouldn’t be content with lazy research on the Web or with convenient sources.

This journalistic laziness has been  evident in the coverage of the Romney campaign.  Gov. Romney’s message for much of the year has been swamped by demands to answer for and explain his religion. 

Although he finally did so in the dramatic fashion that was required of him, Gov. Huckabee has been more than happy to pick up the religion baton.  And so far, it seems that the media is more charmed by it than threatened.  

Hopefully, as Campbell suggests, with time and more exposure, Mormons won’t be the rarity and oddity that we have been this year. 

Yes, Elder M. Russell Ballard is encouraging members to blog and use the internet as positive resprentatives of the Church.

Not only did Elder Ballard say the (ugly) word “blog,” the 79-year old Apostle invoked iTunes (with correct capitalization), podcasts, Facebook, and text-messaging. Kudos to Bookslinger of Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon for specifically being mentioned as a great example of the good a blog can do. 

Much of his talk focused on how we can responsibly use the tools of the new media and to worthily represent the Church.  I thought his comments served as an excellent reminder of how to be a good blogger:

Every disciple of Christ will be most effective, and do the most good by adopting a demeanor worthy of a follower of the Savior. Discussions focused on questioning, debating and doubting gospel principles do little to build the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul has admonished us to not be “ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvation” (Romans 1:16). Let us all stand firmly and speak with faith in sharing our message with the world. Many of you are returned missionaries and can carry on meaningful conversation in the language you learned on your mission. Your outreach can be international.

As you participate in this conversation and utilize the tools of New Media, remember who you are–Latter-day Saints. Remember as the Proverb states that “a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). And remember that “contention is of the devil.” There is no need to argue or contend with others regarding our beliefs. There is no need to become defensive or belligerent. Our position is solid; the Church is true. We simply need to have a conversation, as friends in the same room would have, always guided by the prompting of the Spirit and constantly remembering the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ which reminds us of how precious are the children of our Father in Heaven.

It’s a little chastising for me too, as this blog gets too mired in the crude politics of the day, it is too easy to get defensive and perhaps belligerent.  He even quotes the scripture from which this blog takes its title but fails to live up to.

While the Bloggernacle has its good and bad, I think it serves the Church well for the most part.  It’s exciting to see the Church recognize church blogs and to encourage members to join the effort.  But also, good for those who have already started the conversation in the Bloggernacle and did not wait to be “command[ed] in all things.”